SOLVED KB3116900 (Cumlative Update) continuously fails ... no error message

[Russell W. Coover]

KB3116900 is apparently an important update, one that updates the Operating System Build to 10856.29. My current update build is 10856.11. It downloads and then installs. After installation, it requires reboot. During reboot, I do get a message that the update has failed and the computer OS software is being rolled back. I show that this has occurred about 15 times ... failing each time. The only thing I have tried to do to fix the problem is to go into the Windows Directory, to SoftwareDistribution, and delete Downloads. This has worked before with similar problems, but it does not work with this one.

Can somebody help? Thanks.

 

[Trouble]

Use Internet Explorer, grab it from here http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Search.aspx?q=KB3116900
Try the standalone installer manually and see if that helps.

 

[Russell W. Coover]

Great idea, but No ... the standalone installer fails, too.

Just a side note here, I actually own 7 windows 10 machines, and I had no problem with 6 of them on this update. The one with the problem is a Lenovo L520 running Windows 10 Pro, with an older i7 CPU and 8 GB RAM.

 

[Trouble]

Did you try running the Windows Update troubleshooter.
Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Troubleshooting\ Left Column -> View All -> Windows Update

 

[Russell W. Coover]

I know something about troubleshooters and have run a few ... but I didn't know this one even existed or how to get to it ... thanks for that ... but, again, it didn't work. The Update failed and had to be rolled back after restart.

 

[davehc]

I don't know if it is perhaps significant, but you seem to have missed one important automatic update. This is virtually a reinstall, but keeping your data. This gives you the latest build from yours (version 1511 (OS Build 10586.17)

Try it here, 32 and 64 bit available.
http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Search.aspx?q=KB3116908

 

[Russell W. Coover]

Great catch ... you were correct ... KB3116908 installation had previously failed. I did download the Update from the catalog and tried this update again ... it failed in the same way that KB3116900 failed. Upon restart, the message that the installation had failed and had to be rolled back. So while you caught this one, it didn't help.

The laptop is running great without these updates, but I kind of wonder about the security issues.

 

[davehc]

I haven't had any update problems, but I read the popular cure is to run this line in an Admin command prompt

dism /online /add-package /packagepath:C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download\c4a1b8896ce9fbfea96c1ee6890d52a5\windows10.0-kb3122947-x64.cab

 

[Russell W. Coover]

Should I substitute kb3116908 and/or kb3116900 for kb3122947 in the command? Oh, and looking at the command, I see that what it does is to run a file in the SoftwareDistribution Directory. I've been clearing out that directory on this computer because the update would not install. I just checked and sure enough it is empty as my most recent install attempts were from the catalog.update files.

Perhaps I should roll this computer back to build 10240 and try to update again, though that sounds like a lot of work that I really do not want to do?

 

[davehc]

I would try, first, substituting for *6908.

 

[Russell W. Coover]

No, it doesn't fix the problem ... after installation and during boot I get the message that the installation failed and the software was being rolled back.

 

[Russell W. Coover]

Ok, I'm trying something else. I notice that the Major Geeks website has an .iso available for download with all of the December, 2015 Windows Updates. It's 3.2 GB, but it might be the solution, and I've downloaded about 1/2 of it so far. I'll let you know later the result.

 

[Russell W. Coover]

Download mentioned above succeeded, and the file installed without problems, but, again, after reboot, the install failed and had to be rolled back. Obviously, the file sent by MS is good, but something is interfering with complete installation after reboot.

 

[Tim Locke]

Just for interest: Are you running an anti-virus other than Windows defender or a Firewall other than Windows?

There seems to be a weak connection between the use of Norton or MacAfee and W10 updates failing

 

[Russell W. Coover]

No other antivirus or firewall. I do run SuperAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes, but they do not start with the computer, and they are turned off.

Perhaps I should try turning off Defender and the Firewall for installation? I'll try that, I have nothing to lose.

 

[Tim Locke]

Ok. Do you have any devices permanently plugged in on USB ( apart from KB/Mouse). I'm thinking wifi, ext disk drives, card readers. You might try unplugging all of them before the reboot. Unlikely this would make a difference but it only takes 5 minutes to try.

 

[Russell W. Coover]

Neither killing Defender and Firewall worked ... strange, after turning off Defender, it was back on after reboot without me doing anything ... so then I tried by removing USB Bluetooth transmitter, leaving wireless mouse USB connected. Again, the installation failure came during reboot.

 

[Trouble]

Try cleaning booting the system (if you haven't already) and see if that might get you over the hump.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/929135
Use the steps for Windows 8 / 8.1 (same for Windows 10)

 

[Russell W. Coover]

No, i hadn't tried the clean boot, but I have now ... unfortunately, it didn't work. I also tried Safe Mode, but I got an error message that even though I am administrator of this machine, I couldn't update there.

 

[davehc]

Another clutch at a straw from me.

Reading your latest attempts. Is it possible that, in that short space of time, the newly installed OS has already started to download, or even install, the latest updates, which is the reason for it failing to reboot correctly?
It should give a message, when you try and reboot, but ....