Steve Clements

Possibly you had a domain policy that caused this? Normally, there is no such registry key present with the name HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate for a Vista clean install in an active directory Win2k3 domain.

That is absolutely possible Bill; thanks for your input.

hi. i have been having the problem of running the windows updates on my vista home premium system. it worked fine for some days, but suddenly the automatic updates stopped working. i get an error code 80004002 when i try to update. i tried deleting the registry you gave here, but i can't find that registry key in registry editor. i would be very thankful to you, if you could help me.

can you point me to the domain policy that references windows update?? I have same problem and can't find the policy?

thanks! good information :)
I changed key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU\UseWUServer from 1 to 0 and now update is not a problem anymore.

I have the same problem as that posted by vamsi can you give advice on hw to solve the problem

I need help. I have windows vista home premium, and I get this error code. 80244019. Please help.

ntoskml.exe missing
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/939720

is the link to a hotfix to stop
the error
missing file ntoskml followed by
other messages
download to destop and open.
install updates and then after they are
installed you will be offered sp1

I haven't the faintest clue what all this HKEY business is about. I am a Doctor, not an IT consultant.All I know is that my Vista won't update.
Vista is a phenomenally expensive piece of software failing to run on a phenomenally expensive machine, and wasting a phenomenal amount of my time.
Next time I will buy a Mac.
And no, I don't have a website.

how do it get to this KEy thing?

i have some problem when i update my laptop, i meet error with code 80244019( i use home premium).can you help me, thanks a lot

Hey, i went to delete the hkey but when i went into the windows folder i did not find another folder call windowsupdate...
What should i do?

To the confused: Steve Clements here is doing a service by letting us know this. It appears that this site is "geeks with blogs", so I'd hardly expect that he'd go through:

1. Press the Start Button
2. Press "Run"
3. Enter "regedit" and press the OK button
4. Understand that you're in a dangerous area in your machine and that the author and commenters have no liability for your actions, even if you follow them to the letter of these instructions.
5. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
6. Press the + symbol.
7. Navigate to SOFTWARE
8. Press the + symbol.
9. Navigate to Policies
10. Press the + symbol.
11. Navigate to Microsoft
12. Press the + symbol.
13. Navigate to Windows
14. Press the + symbol.
15. Right-click on "Windows Update".
16. Press Delete.
17. I'm not sure about the AU -- this isn't on my machine so I'll leave it to you to figure that out if you can.
18. Close Regedit.
19. Reboot.

A special note to complainers: You paid a lot for your software, you should demand proper support from the provider.

All, Thx for all your comments.

Please accept my apologies for not responding to every comment, I simply dont have time, or more honestly I prefer to do other things in that time!

Special thx to Jim for the step by step guide, I am a techy and do often presume a certain level of knowledge, it's a flaw that I often come up against!!

Hopefully it helped a few people out of this weird little problem that pops up!! No doubt with Jim's help it will help even more.

have the same problem as sean's.

there is no "Windows Update" folder under "...software/policies/microsoft/windows/"

i've checked all folders under "windows" but still can't find it. what can i do to resolve this?

any kind of help will be appreciated.

So far all this is useless. I click on the Start Button, but there is no "Run" anything. I have no idea what anybody is talking about. I am about to toss this damn thing in the trash. I can't get a straight English speaking answer out of anyone.

I too have no folder "windows Update" any suggestions?

I tried your step by step instructions and deleted the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate, After restarting the computer, I still get error 80244019.

I don't have Windows Update folder either. Now what can I do? When I go to update it says "Windows Can Not Search for New Updates"

I don't have Windows Update folder either. Now what can I do? When I go to update it says "Windows Can Not Search for New Updates"

my computer got affected by virus so i have to install another home premium vista edition but do not have a activation key

Thanks for the info Steve, do you know where in group policy these settings are enforced from? Had this issue with Vista, and now have a Server 2008 in the SBS 2003 Domain.

And a comment to others here, most of you do not seem to have the problem Steve is discussing in his blog. If you have Vista Home, you are likely not in a domain. If you don't know what a domain is, there is always Google.
http://www.google.com/search?q=what+is+a+domain&rls=com.microsoft:en-ca:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GGLJ

For some people who get the error code: 80244019.
This here is a well known Trojan virus that called "DNSChanger". This can be occured by installing fake video-codec (like "totalvid"), it will permanently change your router settings so that you can never communicate with updaters (Avira, Spybot, Malwarebyte, Microsoft, etc...)
1. At first, you should change your password of your router configuration. (cmd>"ipconfig">copy the Default Gateway value>& paste it into the address bar, there u should be able to configurate your router)
2. Download some the LATEST Anti mal-/spyware. Try with Malwarebytes'.
3. Turn off your System Restore
4. Reboot your computer in Save Mode (without net)
5. Scan your PC completely
6. If the app is asking whether u restart your computer or delete these detected files, then click on ok, AND THEN u've to run quickly to your router and press the "reset" button with a pen or something else..
7. restart your PC normally and then u'll be able to consummate the update again. (at least your Anti-appz.) (Dont forget to turn on your system restore agein)

Also it could happen that your Windows-update registries were just deleted. If that so, visit this site: "selfnet.de/projekte_wsus.en.htm"
Or: If your WindowsUpdate/AU registry folder exists, change the UseWUServer-value from "1" to "0". It should resolve the problems simply.

hope this was a good advice for you.

If you're getting the error code 80240016 in windows vista update, here's what to do.
-> Click on Start
-> In the search box type cmd
-> cmd should show up in the programs window
-> right click on it and select run as administrator
-> type in your password if required
-> close windows update
->once you have cmd running type "net stop wuauserv" without the quotes and press enter
-> then type "net start wuauserv 4" without the quotes and press enter.
->close cmd and run windows update
->this should work for you if you where getting the error code 80240016

If you are running Vista, you don't use a Run command. The field that says Search is the Run box. Type CMD there to get the command line window. You may need to run in elevated mode. What's that? Google it. And to the Doctor...you may have a phenomenonly expensive OS on a phenomenally expensive box but I bet you charge a phenomenonly high amount of money to patients. If you haven't the slightest clue about HKEY and can't search for information (Google) then how did you graduate med school? This is a computer, not a phenomenally advanced toaster. Stop whining.

I put my personal computer on my work domain and a policy must have been pushed onto it. This resolved the issue. Thanks.

i am no folder window update what to do my window vista update not working

I want to THANK YOU Denis Priebe, for your solution to the Vista windows update problem I have been having since about April 09. I had 19 updates waiting, that had failed over&over. I was getting ready to take my computer in for service to correct this problem, and who knows how much that would have cost. Thank you for sharing :)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU. The folder WindowsUpdate is missing.

Woohoo! Alternate explanation. After installing Vista SP2 I could not access the internet or Windows Update. Get this...SP2 removed my Default Gateway. After retyping it in all is well.

I wanted to say thanks for the help, i changed the change the UseWUServer-value from "1" to "0" and also ran netstop wuauserv - netstart wuauserv 4 as suggested and now the VP of my company is getting the updates that he has been needing since July 2009.
thanks a ton guys, saved me from losing even more hair.

How do you delete a key?

I followed jimcooncat's instruction's, but step 15............................ i can't do it, because there isn't a "window's update" to right click on. :(
help

Hi Fixed it!! This is what I did in Windows 7:

1. Go to the windows update screen
2. see where it says "You Receive Updates:" make sure that the value for that is NOT "Managed by your system administrator" . This value will assume you local server will do your updates.

To change this value, click on "Check online for updates from Microsoft Update"

This should fix the problem.

Michael Hanafi