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POPULAR XP NEWSLETTER |
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POPULAR ARTICLES |
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COMMON ERRORS |
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DIGITAL |
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Windows Update Fails
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Sometimes Windows Update seems to do odd things.. A typical email requesting help from this website, goes like this: Dear Marc, When I access the Windows update web site everything is working fine until.... |
I click
the "Scan Now", I pick from the list patches I wish to
install I then click the "review and install" button It takes
me to the next window where it says "Install now" Just as I click
the "install now" button I get the following error
message....
Windows Update Error
Windows Update has encountered an error and cannot display the
requested
page.
Select from any of the following pages for information about Windows
Update
services, or send us your feedback.
Windows Update Home Page
About Windows Update
Support Information
Send error number to Microsoft (0x800A138F)
(Note This sends error information but does not create a support
incident;
you may or may not receive a response.)
I am very frustrated!
Can you help?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rather than try and send individual emails, I have posted this article on my website.
The aim of this article is to help you solve this 0x800A138F problem and have you updating your Windows XP Professional or Home Edition computer as soon as possible!
(This is also a known issue with some installations of Windows 2000 Professional AFTER applying Service Pack 3)
As usual all advice is offered as-is without warranty of any kind....
What Is The 0x800A138F problem?
I do NOT want to get too technical in this support article. Simply because most of you reading this, want a solution and not a technical briefing! Also, many of you are new(ish) to Windows XP and I am not here to confuse you either...
Essentially when your computer communicates with the Windows Update website. It uses TWO technologies called:
Active X - to interact with the Microsoft site. The first time you visit the Update website, using your profile, you are asked if you will accept the Windows Update Control Package (the Active X control) onto your machine.
SSL (Secure Socket Layer) - A method of data encryption used by Internet Explorer.
Now this general error message 0x800A138F, that some folks get when they visit Windows Update, has been around for a while. BUT, when the MSBlast virus was unleashed Microsoft changed a few things at the main update website. One of them was to use Akamai for additional bandwidth and this connectivity is exclusively using HTTPS (SSL) for the downloading of the update catalogue. It is since then that we have seen an escalation in the number of 0x800A138F error messages!
TIP:
The following steps will help many of you... BUT
What would be REALLY helpful to anyone trying to support you, is if you go to the "Windows Update Log" and look for any "Errors". This gives a clearer indication as to the exact nature of the problem. (The 0x800A138F error message is a "General" error THE real error number is in the log. A list of possible error messages is in a table at the bottom of this page.)
The windows update log is in the following places:
C:\Windows\Windows Update.log (Win XP &
Win98/Me)
C:\WINNT\Windows Update.log (Windows 2000)
Just copy and paste the above in Windows Explorer to open the log file...
NB -
If YOU GET ERROR 0x8007007E click here for a separate article...
If YOU GET ERROR 0x800B0004 click here for a separate article...
If YOU GET ERROR 0x800C0008 Try Step 4 and 5...
If YOU GET ERROR 0x80190190 Go To Table at the end of this page...
If YOU GET ERROR 0xC00CE55F Go To Table at the end of this page...
If YOU GET "Error 0x80070057: The parameter is incorrect" PLEASE go to the end of this article and read the email sent in by Hans Lenzen!
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NB - Fellow IT professional's, please do not send me emails complaining that this article is not what YOU would do etc... ALL of the fix's below have worked for folks getting the error message 0x800A138F... |
Here's how to try and fix the 0x800A138F problem:
Some of the steps here may seem a little odd. But hang in there with me! One of them should work for YOU! (Please read the Personal Comments at the end of the article. Here I share with you my own experiences of fixing error 0x800A138F...)
Let's start with the basics and then move forward one step at a time.... I have also included some emails I have received from site visitors, at the end of this article!!!
NB
- If you are using or have been using any form of Anti Spy/Advert software try STEP 11 first!Also MANY folks have resolved this issue using STEP 5...
Step 1)
Delete Temporary Internet Files
There is a possibility of some corrupted files in your
Temporary Internet Files (TIF) storage... So we need to clear out
this folder.
To do so:
Start Internet Explorer.
On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then
click the General tab.
Under Temporary Internet files, click Delete Cookies.
Click OK when you are prompted to confirm the deletion.
Click Delete Files.
Click OK when you are prompted to confirm the deletion.
Under History, click Clear History.
Click Yes when you are prompted to delete your history of
visited Web sites.
Click OK.
Close Internet Explorer
Start Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update Site again.
If it fails with the 0x800A138F error again try Step 2
Step 2)
Check Security And Content Settings In Internet Explorer
a) Check the security settings for the Trusted sites zone in Internet
Explorer.
To do so:
Open Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click
Internet Options, and then click the Security tab.
Click Trusted sites, and then click Default Level. (This
should be Low, these are sites you trust!)
Now click the Sites button.
Clear the check box "Require server verification (https:) for all
sites in this zone."
Type the following URL's EXACTLY as follows:
http://Windowsupdate.microsoft.com
http://V4.Windowsupdate.microsoft.com
https://v4.Windowsupdate.microsoft.com (Note: The https
is correct)
http://Download.Windowsupdate.com
Type each one then, click Add, and repeat until they all show in the bottom box. Now click OK, and then click Apply.
TIP: It is also worth checking to make sure NONE of these URL's appear in the "Restricted Sites" section.... Some of the popular spy blocker type software can automatically place any URL in this section..
Clear the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) state and AutoComplete history.
To do so:
(Windows XP Only...)
Open Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click
Internet Options, and then click the Content tab.
Under Certificates, click Clear SSL State.
Click OK when you receive the message that the SSL cache was
successfully cleared.
Under Personal information, click AutoComplete.
Under Clear AutoComplete history, click Clear Forms. Click
OK when you are prompted to confirm the operation.
Click Clear Passwords. Click OK when you are prompted
to clear all previously saved passwords, and then click OK
two more times.
Close Internet Explorer
Start Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update Site again.
If it fails with the 0x800A138F error again try Step 3
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Tip: |
Step 3)
Verify that Internet Explorer is configured to use SSL 2.0 and SSL 3.0.
To do so:
Open Internet Explorer
On the Tools menu, click
Internet Options, and then click the Advanced tab.
In the Settings box, under Security, click to select
the
Use SSL 2.0
and Use SSL 3.0 check boxes (if they are not already
selected), and then click OK.
Now Close Internet Explorer
Now open Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site
again.
If it fails with the 0x800A138F error again
try Step 4
Step 4)
Please uncheck "Check for server certificate revocation":
Open Internet Explorer
Click on Tools
Click on Internet Options
Click on the Advanced tab
Scroll down to the Security Section
Unselect "Check for server certificate revocation"
Reboot the machine
Now open Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site again.
If it fails with the 0x800A138F error again try Step 5
Step 5)
Verify that the Date and Time Settings on Your Computer Are Correct
You are most likely seeing the error code 0x800C0008 in the update log. This usually indicates a date error. Another symptom will be not being able to visit checkouts online, login to secure banking etc...
Because SSL certificates have an expiry date, if the date on your computer isn't correct, it may prevent you from connecting to secure sites. To verify that your computer is configured with the correct date and time settings:
Click StartClick Control Panel
Click Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options,
Click Date and Time
Select the Date & Time tab
Check to make sure that the date and time settings are configured to use the current date and time, and then click OK
(NB - You could also check your date/time in the CMOS - on start up.....)
Now open Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site again. You may be surprised to hear that this is the NUMBER ONE reason folks tell me was stopping them accessing the site!!!
NB - If you have error 0x800C0008 and the date is NOT your problem, then copy and paste the following into your browser, hit enter, let the page load then close and reboot, then try the Update website again:
https://a248.e.akamai.net/v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/getmanifest.asp
If it fails with the 0x800A138F error again try Step 6
Step 6)Now I said earlier that some of the suggestions were a little odd... Well...
The error may occur because the language-setting in Internet Explorer is missing.
To add a language, in Internet Explorer:
Open Internet Explorer
Click on Tools
Click on Internet Options
Click on the General tab and click the "Languages"
button.
Add a language to the list if empty.
Now click OK and then OK and close Internet
Explorer
Or.....
In some reported cases you have to add a second language, English-United States, and move it to the top of the list!
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Side Note: (NB - For those of you wondering why this may happen. Well the file that contains your Update History is called iuhist.xml, and there is a known bug where the Send method of XMLHttp on XML 2.6, or later, fails with error code 0x800A138F if there are no languages specified in Internet Explorer.) --------------------------------------------------
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REBOOT Then open Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site again!
If it fails with the 0x800A138F error again try Step 7
Step 7)
Temporarily disabling antivirus and firewall programs while you use Windows Update may solve this problem. Be sure to enable them again when you complete the update process...
It is also worth noting that the new Active X control, used by V4 of Windows Update, collects patch information and sends/receives that information over port 443, instead of port 80 as in the past...
If you have port 443 blocked at your router/firewall then try
unblocking it.
Now open Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site
again.
If it fails with the 0x800A138F error again try Step 8
Step 8)
You might also be able to resolve this issue by deleting all of the content in:
Program Files\Windowsupdate
and
Program Files\Windowsupdate\V4 (except for the iuhist.xml file located in Program Files\Windowsupdate\V4)!!!
Now open Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site again.
If it fails with the 0x800A138F error again try Step 9
Step 9)
Verify that Internet Explorer Is Using 128-Bit Encryption
Internet Explorer High Encryption comes with Internet Explorer 5.5 and above. It provides you with 128-bit encryption, the highest level of protection Microsoft can offer for your Internet communications, including credit card use and financial transactions.
There have been some occasions when the Cipher Strength appears as 0 in Internet Explorer. This can occur if the Schannel.dll, Rsabase.dll, or Rsaenh.dll files are missing, damaged, or of the incorrect version.
To check you have 128-Bit:
In Internet Explorer, on the Help menu, click About Internet ExplorerThe level of encryption on your computer appears next to the words Cipher Strength. Verify that the Cipher Strength value appears as 128-bit
If it does then close the window. If it shows 0-Bit then you are going to have to repair the damaged files...
Please read:
How to Reinstall or Repair Internet Explorer and Outlook Express in Windows XP Click HereNow open Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site again.
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Marc, |
If it fails with the 0x800A138F error again try Step 10
Step 10)
Verify that Internet Explorer Proxy Settings
If YOU are using a Proxy Server to access your Internet content, or even if you are not sure.
Do this:
Open Internet Explorer
Click on Tools menu
Click on Internet Options
Click on the Connections tab and click the LAN settings
button
Click Advanced and make sure there is a tick in the box next to:
"Use proxy server for all protocols."
Click OK
and close Internet Explorer
Now open Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site again.
If it fails with the 0x800A138F error again try Step 11
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Tip: Also, if you are using some software called SPYBLOCKER, disable it and try windows update again.. |
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AOL users Tip: If you use AOL. Try minimising the AOL browser (once connected) and then open Internet Explorer and visit Windows Update!
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Tip:
Hi Marc, I had already got my system sorted by removing a248.e.akamai.net from the Hosts file via Spyblocker but it became obvious there was a lot more going on than simply that and you have done a great job in covering everything else. Thank you, Reg (UK) |
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Tip: Marc, I have Norton System Works
and I went into that program to delete my cookies, all of them
like you said in your instructions. I then went to the
Update website and it prompted my to download a security
warning and then it scanned my system and gave me my updates
to chose from..... Thank you for your help. Renee (USA) |
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Tip: Thanks Marc, That did the trick... I deleted the security certificate as you suggested and visited the address you gave me. It asked if I wanted to accept the certificate and I said yes. I then restarted Internet Explorer and Windows Update worked! I have been pulling my hair our for 2 weeks trying to solve this. Thank you for your patience with me. Davina (USA) |
Step 11) New!
Check The Hosts File...
There is a small file on your machine that MAY be causing you a problem...
Lets check it out:
Go To The Hosts File::
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\etc (Windows XP)
C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\etc
(Windows 2000)
C:\Windows\Hosts
(Windows 98)
Use Notepad to view contents of the Hosts file.
(The Hosts file is a editable using notepad)
The lines at the beginning with # in the first column -
IGNORE
If there are ANY entries in there that refer to Microsoft or to
Akamai DELETE them!
Now close notepad accepting the changes.
Now open Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update site again.
If it fails with the 0x800A138F error again try Step 12
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Dear Marc, Thanks for the solution! It was the hosts file - I used to use Spyblocker, but removed it several weeks ago... Thanks, John (UK) READ THIS Side Note: This email demonstrates an IMPORTANT point... Many of the current "Anti Spy" and "Ad-Aware" software CAN update your hosts file and BLOCK access to the Windows Update site. This is because Microsoft are now using servers at Akamai for load balancing of the service. However, Akamai servers have also been known to host the services of companies that "Anti Spy" software seeks to block. So we have a problem now Microsoft are using Akamai....! ALSO at least one of these software programs will add the Akamai URL to the Restricted Sites in Internet Explorer - so this may be a problem too... So delete any references to Akamai there also: Open Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Security tab.
Click Restricted sites, Now click the Sites
button.
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Step 12) New!
??? An Un-related Internet Explorer 6 Issue...
Internet Explorer 6 (and 6 SP1) has been known to suffer from an issue where a new windows will not open.
I have now seen TWO reports where this has fixed the Windows Update issue, (sadly I do not know the error message in the windows update log), and so offer it here:
Click Start menu, and then click the
Run icon.
In the small box that Opens, type the three letters:
cmd then click the OK button.
In the command prompt window that just opened (a black background and
white text), type the following commands, pressing the ENTER
key on your keyboard after each line:
regsvr32 urlmon.dll
regsvr32 shdocvw.dll
regsvr32 msjava.dll
(Some of you may not have this one... That's OK)
regsvr32 mshtml.dll
regsvr32 browseui.dll
Now type the word: exit and the window
will close.
Now Reboot and try and Microsoft Windows Update again....
If it fails with the 0x800A138F error again try Step 13
Step 13) New!
Delete The Akamai Certificate...
There is a possibility of the Akamai security certificate causing
problems.
Follow this:
Start Internet Explorer.
On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then
click the Contents tab.
Click Certificates, click the Other People tab.
Click on the certificate called a248.e.akamai.net, click the
remove button. (If not there then this is
not your problem - close all windows.)
Click OK when you are prompted to confirm the deletion.
Now Close the open windows and Internet Explorer.
Start Internet Explorer and paste the following into the
address:
https://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/getmanifest.asp
When the Security Warning window appears click View Certificate.
On the the General tab, click Install Certificate
Click Next when the wizard window appears, keep the default
setting ticked "Automatically...."
Click Next, Click Finish.
Close the open windows, accept the Security Alert that is still
displayed by clicking Yes
Close Internet Explorer
Start Internet Explorer and try the Windows Update Site again.
If it fails with the 0x800A138F error again try Step 14
Well Step 14 is the one that fixed it for me!
--------------------
I has so many emails about the error message that I decided to see if I could "Break" windows Update on one of my machines and then "Fix" it....
On a brand new build of Windows XP Professional SP1 I visited the Windows Update site for the first time - via Internet Explorer > Tools > Windows Update.
I got the message about the Windows Update control and ALL was fine! No problems with Windows Update at all... I was upset! I wanted it not to work, so how to break it.
Well many posts in the various newsgroups mention that their Windows Update log files have been containing error messages referencing "akamai.net"
So i decided to point my browser at the secure site:
https://V4.Windowsupdate.microsoft.com
and not the default:
http://V4.Windowsupdate.microsoft.com
that I was always being taken too....
THAT DID IT!
Error 0x800A138F on the first try..
My Windows Update log showed the entry:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Error IUENGINE Querying software update catalog from https://a248.e.akamai.net/v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/getmanifest.asp (Error 0x800C0008)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now ALL I had to do was fix it :-)
Well I tried ALL the step above and NOTHING worked!!! Not a single step!
So I then thought about the cryptographic service error issue that I have previously written about in another article. So I ran the batch file I had made for that and I was FIXED...!!!
So, you could try:
Click Start menu, and then click the
Run icon.
In the small box that Opens, type the three letters:
cmd then click the OK button.
In the command prompt window that just opened (a black background and
white text), type the following commands, pressing the ENTER
key on your keyboard after each line:
net start cryptsvc
regsvr32 softpub.dll
regsvr32 wintrust.dll
regsvr32 initpki.dll
regsvr32 dssenh.dll
regsvr32 rsaenh.dll
regsvr32 gpkcsp.dll
regsvr32 sccbase.dll
regsvr32 slbcsp.dll
regsvr32 cryptdlg.dll
Now type the word: exit and the window
will close.
Now Reboot and try and Microsoft Windows Update again....
---------------------------------------------
IMPORTANT: This article will cure the 0x800A138F problem for many of you. If YOU tried something else that worked - email me the fix and I will post here on this page... Contact Me
Below are some suggestions form site visitors!
You may also find these error codes useful - for future reference, especially when trying to figure out error messages in the Windows Update log! (They are only given here as a guide to general problems and will require further research on your part to resolve the particular problem you may be having.)
| Hexadecimal error number | Description |
| 0x800C0002, 0x800401E4 and 0x80072EE5 | The address of this site is not valid. Check the address and try again. |
| 0x800C0003 | Cannot start an Internet session. |
| 0x800C0004 and 0x80072EFD | Cannot connect to the Internet server. |
| 0x800C0005 | Cannot locate the Internet server or proxy server. |
| 0x800C0006 and 0x80072EFC | The site reports that the item you requested could not be found. (HTTP/1.0 404) |
| 0x800C0007 | The Internet site reports that a connection was established but the data is not available. |
| 0x800C0008 | Cannot download the information you requested. (This is an incorrect date on your PC or a server certificate revocation!) |
| 0x800C0009 | The item you requested requires proper authentication. (HTTP/1.0 401) |
| 0x800C000A | The Internet site cannot return the object you requested. (HTTP/1.0 403) |
| 0x800C000B and 0x80072EE2 | The connection to this Internet site took longer than the allotted time. |
| 0x800C000C | The site reports that the request is not valid. |
| 0x800C000D and 0x80072EE8 | The required Internet protocol is not installed on your computer, or the Internet address you requested may not be valid. |
| 0x800C000E | A security problem has occurred. |
| 0x800C000F and 0x800401EA | Cannot open the specified file. |
| 0x800C0010 | Cannot start the program needed to open this file. |
| 0x800401E6 and 0x80040154 | No program is registered to open this file. |
| 0x80004004 | The hyperlink cannot be followed to the destination. |
| 0x801901F8 | The transfer request timed out while waiting for a gateway. Resume the job at a later time. (HTTP Error 504) |
| 0x801901F7 | The service is temporarily overloaded and cannot process the request. Resume the job at a later time. (HTTP Error 503) |
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0x80190190 |
Proxy Error: Host name not recognized or host not found (HTTP Error 400) Download this patch, install, reboot and try again. Q823718 If that fails: Open regedit and go to the
following key. |
| 0x80190194 | The requested URL does not exist on the server. (HTTP Error 404) |
| 0xC00CE55F |
"System cryptography: Use FIPS compliant algorithms for
encryption" service is enabled! DISABLE IT NOW!
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa] switch it off with: "fipsalgorithmpolicy"=dword:00000000 (For Windows 2003 and XP only... Windows 2000 does not fully support FIPS and so does not have this key.) |
- So in closing it seems that the configuration changes that have
been made to the windows update service recently:
The client request used to be: (taken from Windows Update log file)
Querying software update catalog from https://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/getmanifest.asp
Now
it is:Querying software update catalog from
https://a248.e.akamai.net/v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/getmanifest.asp(Akamai now provides "front end" load balancing for many of Microsoft's servers, plus they handle most of their streaming video services too...)
This does seem to Actually prevent the transfer of the update files you need, if those computers are "behind" some types of routers, firewalls or proxy servers too..... as well as the issue with hosts files mentioned in Step 11.
Microsoft are actively looking at this issue! BUT there is no quick fix available. If the suggestions on this page do not help, check with your vendors/IT support about updating any router firmware or firewall software. But this may not be practicable!-------------------------------
You can MANUALLY download any updates you need by visiting: Manual UpdateThen click Find updates for Microsoft Windows operating systems
Select your Operating System
Select the patches
Download your selections...NB - For more experienced Windows XP users you may consider using the free HFNetChk tool to manually inspect your PC and then get a list of updates you are missing! (as well as all that are correctly installed.)
You can then use the Manual Update to get the patches you need... More on the HFNetChk tool in this article.
------------------------------
On a separate issue, that caused problems for MANY AOL and RoadRunner (Time Warner) customers using their Dial Up and Cable services. It turns out that for several days these ISP's had been doing some work on the "routing tables" (used to access websites...) and this had hit millions of users!
However, an unnamed Microsoft source says that it was due to AOL removing access to an important link to the internet, which then caused a bottle neck and so many of you could not access many of the Microsoft sites including Update and Hotmail services....
Who to believe???
What is a little worrying is that AOL describe their resolution to this issue as a TEMPORARY one... Does this mean there are going to be more outages soon.....?
----------------------------------
6th September 2003 - This fix came in from a Windows 98SE user:
Dear Marc
Like thousands of others, I also was unable to use Windows Update.
Reading your article didn't solve the problem directly, but gave me
enough hints to FIX THE PROBLEM !! Thanks...
Here's what I found and how I did it. The PC in question is running
Windows 98SE, and was last successfully updated on 8/2/03. Your
article suggested checking the file Windows Update.log, which I did,
and I noticed that files referenced there start with "iu", e.g.
iuengine. A quick search turned up the file "iuident.txt" in the
"c:\program files\windowsupdate\V4" folder. This file is also in the
file "iuident.cab".
However, there was another copy of "iuident.cab". in the folder
"c:\program files\windowsupdate\V4\temp", and an inspection of the
"iuident.txt" file in it revealed that it was a newer version than
the other one. This newer copy referenced
[IUControl]
ControlVer=5.4.3790.14
ControlVerAnsi=5.3.3790.13
and also included
[IUServerURLs]
ServerCount=2
Server1="http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/"
Server2="http://a248.e.akamai.net/
Both of these items were mentioned in your article, which helped me ID
the solution - simply replacing the original version of
"iuident.txt" dated 01/29/03 with the newer one dated 08/28/03, as
well as replacing the older version of "iuident.cab" in "c:\program
files\windowsupdate\V4" with the newer one in "c:\program
files\windowsupdate\V4\temp". After doing that, Windows Update flew
by without a hitch. I hope this bit of info can be of help to you
and your readers.
Regards
Doug (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another user emailed me:
From: Bruce
Sent: 17 October 2003 08:20
To: marc
Subject: suggestion for Microsoft update 0x800A138F error
I found that clearing the akamai references from the hosts file (step
11) did solve my problem temporarily, but the next time I restarted
the
computer or Spyware blocker (Spyblocker) it reset the hosts causing
the
problem anew. I found it just as effective, easier, and protected my
system better if I deactivated Spyblocker just before performing an
update
and restarting it when complete. It does not allow completely
unattended
updates, but has it's advantages.
Thanks again for the help.
Bruce
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From a W2K user:
From: - EStaticD
Sent: 07 October 2003 19:06
To: marc
Subject: *A138F error when trying to update via windows update
Found a fix that is not on your site. It was listed on google a few
results below yours.
If you receive the subject error while visiting Windows Update:
01. Start / Run / regsvr32 iuctl.dll /u / OK to un-register the
library.
02. Use Start / Search to search for Files and Folders. Type
iuengine.dll, iuctl.dll into the file search box.
03. Delete all occurrences of these two files, deleting the ones in
%SystemRoot%\System32 last.
04. Re-visit Windows Update.
BTW: Nice site!
Regards,
Wayne
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And another! (0x80070057)
From: Hans Juergen Lenzen
(Germany)
Sent: 14 October 2003 13:53
To: marc
Subject: New fix for 0x800A138F / 0x80070057 found
Hello,
We had a problem with windows update (0x800A138F) and in .log there
was the error 0x80070057 ("falscher Parameter" / "wrong parameter".
None of your ways caused any reaction and helped anyway.
It took us 5 month to find the reason.
Today found out, what the problem was: the printer drivers of our new
OKI printers C5300 and 4200 have a DriverDate in the registry that
causes the "wrong parameter" error. I just changed the date
(reg_binary)
to 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 and our windows update works perfectly.
I found the drivers (2 or three) in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\
Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-3\OKIxxx (search for
PS5UI.DLL).
I did not notice any problems putting all to zero, perhaps when I will
install an update
for the drivers there my be some trouble - but I do not think so.
I found the same drivers in ...\version-2\OKIxxx, but there the date
was
already set to zero.
I hope this will help you to make your information more complete.
Thanks for making that page - it is very good although it did not help
me!
Greetings
Hans Juergen Lenzen
Reply email:
Hi,
something more:
the issue occurs only with the old (beginning 2003) OKI postscript
driver. If you install the new driver downloaded from OKI website,
there is no more problem.
I do not know if I told you: Win XP has the same problem and you can
solve it the same way.
Greetings
Hans Juergen Lenzen
From Updatexp.com:
Yes, this is a known error! ALL The driver dates should be in this format:
eg: xx/xx/xxxx reg sz
and not
reg binary. eg: 00 10 00 01 11 01
Intsall the latest drivers on your machine and this should resolve the problem. If you just try and uninstall the printer it will leave behind the data in the registry and you will still have the problem!
This 0x80070057 error is very common with old OKI printer drivers.
But it can also occur:
a) If you have a Lynx device (mainly
audio cards) there may also be an issue with the way the date has
been written to the registry key.
1. Click on Start, Run and type "REGEDIT" (w/o the quotes). The
Registry Editor will open.
*WARNING*
Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may
require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot
guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry
Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
2. Navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\
{4D36E96C-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0020
3. change date from August 16, 2000 to 8/16/2000
This should resolve the problem!
b) If you are using NetOp Software on
your PC. This appears to be an issue with the Netop entering a
driver entry into the enum\root\unknown key in the registry.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\
{63C35530-D3DF-11D3-8F5D-0060B0A3612B}\0000]
"ProviderName"="Danware Data A/S"
"DriverDesc"="NetOp Driver 3 ver. 7.00 (2002014)"
"DriverDate"="Jan 14 2002"
"DriverVer"="7.00 (2002014)"
"MatchingDeviceId"="danware_netop_driver3"
Both the DriverDate and DriverVer are not formatted properly!
Visit
http://www.netop.com/tech/download/fix/fixwinup.exe and
run this
executable If you are running the Netop software and getting this
error.
(This link is no longer active.)
Some more recent emails to my site:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Sweden:
From: Ove Hagerbo
Sent: 10 October 2003 08:28
To: marc
Subject: SV: Installing the KB828750
Marc,
The 0x800A138F problem was solved by removing the affected user from
the
Control Panel; Users and Passwords and then adding the name back
again.
Rgds
Ove
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the USA:
From: Johnny
Sent: 20 October 2003 14:53
To: marc
Subject: New fix for - Windows Update Failure - Error Code 0x800A138F
I was about half way through your great tutorial on fixing the
problem, when
I remembered that I had just installed AOL 9.0 optimized on my
computer a day or two ago. I am on a university network and I don’t
even
use AOL.
I put in on my computer so my family can use it when they come
to visit. Nothing had worked so far, so I tried removing AOL 9.0 and
then
windows update worked great. I have no idea what AOL 9.0 does
but it is definitely what was causing my windows update not to work.
Hopefully this might help someone. Thanks for the webpage.
Johnny
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From France:
From: David
Sent: 1st November 2003 19:07
To: marc
Subject: Code 0x800A138F
Thanks for your page.
I got Windows Update working again by re installing IE6 SP1 and the Active X control's.
David
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Belgium:
I had tried all the suggestions from
www.updatexp.com/0x800A138F.html that I had not already
thought of myself and it still didn't work. With nothing left to
lose I went back to one of my secure sites, got the usual "Unable to
display page" error.
Out of total frustration I selected the "Detect network settings" option and much to my surprise my PC went off and thought about things for 30-45 seconds.
After that the page came up!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
29th December 2003
From the USA
Just want to thank you for your Windows Update Fails 0x800A138F
fixes. Step #10 did it.
Since I was running a peer to peer network using Wingate for Internet
Connection Sharing and my Windows 98 machines were working fine (only
my
Windows XP machines weren't working) step #10 seem the logical culprit
and low
and behold it fixed it.
Thanks again.
Frank
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
31st December 2003
From the Netherlands
Hi, thanks for your splendid page! I had this 0x800A138F problem on a
Windows Server 2003 system. (The Windows Update log listed error
0x800C0008.)
I tried lots of solutions found on your site and on
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/troubleshoot/ until I found that
the ONLY
solution that worked for me was disabling the server certificate
revocation - your step 4.
Happy New Year!
Joep
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
31st December 2003
From the USA
Thank you for this site, you have solved my windows update problem as
well as a problem I had in not being able to get to mail.yahoo.com for
the past
3 MONTHS. In my case the issue was the hosts file. I removed all
references to
akamai, windowsupdate, and yahoo.com, and now everything works just
fine. If
this problem ever repeats itself with a different site I'll know where
to look
now.
Thanks again,
Paul B.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6th January 2004
From the USA
Dear Sir,
I have been troubleshooting my computer for 6 days straight now,
trying to get
rid of this error code. But on top of not being able to update
windows, I was
unable to sign into MSN Explorer, Instant Messenger,
Hotmail...purchase items
online via "Secure Check-Out" etc...I begin to think it was my SSL,
and tried
to purchase another one, but first I contacted 3 different online
tech. support
sites, they all offered good advice, but none solved my problem.
I even
explored every single tip on your web page, still nothing. I
even contacted 2
network exchange administrators, still nothing. So six days later, I
found the
problem....a file (driver) for my modem somehow got deleted. I
uninstalled the
modem, re-installed it, and everything worked. Thanks for your
help, (and
useful batch)
Alonzo
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6th January 2004
From the USA
Marc:
Thanks for keeping this website up. For the last three weeks, I
have had the
0x800A138F problem. I tried every single one of your fixes on
this site. None
worked.
Win update log initially showed the problem to be 0x80072EFD.
One of the fixes
merely switched the win update log problem from 0x80072EFD to
0x800C0005.
Both are listed as unable to connect to servers.
On top of all this, I was not able to connect to any secure servers on
any
website anywhere. To top it off, my Norton Personal Firewall was
disabled
without allowing me access to enable it. I noticed that you
occasionally
respond to the Microsoft community newsgroups. I communicated
several times
with the newsgroups asking for help on this under the nomer RP.
None of the
offered solutions worked.
Last night, I managed to fix it completely. How? By trying
to remedy my
Norton Firewall problem, I fixed all the above problems.
I performed a COMPLETE (NOT BASIC) CLEAN BOOT of Windows XP,
restarted, reset
setting to Normal start-up, restarted, and WALA! all my problems
were fixed.
Hope this helps others and you too.
Thanks for your website and work.
Rolly
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6th January 2004
From the USA
Hi!
Great site!!!
Better than anything i've found before on the windowsupdate issue!
You've got
much more solutions than i've ever heard of and finally I got a
solution for my
Problem, had Error 0x80070057 as well as Error 0xC00CE55F and it could
be
solved by changing driver times of all drivers in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\
Environments\Windows
NT x86\Drivers\Version-3 and then windowsupdate worked again!
THX!!
Marcus
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12th January 2004
From the USA
Thanks for the help.
I've had this issue arise on a number of Windows
2003 Servers. Item #4 worked for me: Unselect "Check for
server certificate
revocation". I also found that going to the secure
""
site worked.
Unfortunately, as soon as I re-enabled "Check for server certificate
revocation"
and went to the unsecured site I got the 0x800A138F error again.
Unsatisfied,
I continued down your list and found that #12 permanently solved the
issue on
all of the servers. I didn't even have to reboot.
Thanks again!
Carey
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14th January 2004
From the USA
Hi Marc,
Awsome info mate.. I had the error 0x800A138F appear
and after I deleted the Temp Internet Folder the problem was fixed ,
however in
viewing the Log file there was an error for 0x80070002 "License
checking "
and this search was fruitless..
Great work & thank you
Regards
Thomas
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15th January 2004
From the USA
I got consistent 0x800A138F errors in 98SE. I found your page
(number one for 0x800A138F in Google) and opened
c:\windows\windows update.log.
I noticed it was a large file, which windows opened in WordPad, and
that the
last entry was a successful check for the update program. I got the
error after
this stage and it was not recorded.
I tried clearing the contents of the log file and saving it, and this
enabled
Windows update to work, and write a log. Unfortunately I did not check
the size of the log file, or try just removing a part of it, but it
seems likely it
had reached a size limit and prevented windows update from working.
Thanks.
Roger. H.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15th January 2004
From the USA
Marc
The Windows Update error 0x800A138F happened to me recently, with
error 0x800C0008 in the update log. I tried everything on your
excellent web
page on the subject without success.
Finally, I decided to have a look at my hosts file, which is managed
by
Tweakmaster, a "DNS accelerator". I have never had this problem, with
Tweakmaster running for years, but since I had nothing to lose, I
deleted two
references (with IP addresses) to windowsupdate and shut down
Tweakmaster for
good measure. Suddenly, Windows update worked again!
I have no idea why this happened now, and it doesn't correlate exactly
to
anything on your page, although the hosts material hints at it, so I
thought
that you'd like to know about it.
Maarten
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16th January 2004
From the USA
Hello Chris,
The issue that you are facing could be because of the "System
cryptography: Use
FIPS compliant algorithms for encryption" service is enabled.
We need to follow these steps to disable this policy
1. Click on Start and then Run
2. Type "secpol.msc" and click OK
3. Double-click Local Policies, and then click Security Options
4. Locate "System cryptography: Use FIPS compliant algorithms for
encryption,
hashing, and signing". Right click on it and select "Properties"
5. Select "Disabled" and click on Apply and then click OK. Close the
window
6. Restart your computer
Now access the Windows Update site and check whether the issue is
resolved.
If you find this step difficult to follow then, I am providing you an
alternate
steps to disable "System cryptography: Use FIPS compliant algorithms
for
encryption". We will modify a registry key to resolve this issue.
--------------------------------------------------
WARNING
Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may
require
you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee
that
problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be
solved by
reinstalling the operating system.
1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Run dialog box, type "regedit" (without the quotation
marks), and
then press ENTER.
3. In Registry Editor,Locate\Navigate the following key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa
4. Check the "fipsalgorithmpolicy" value. It should be set to "0".
5. If the value is set to "1", double click on "fipsalgorithmpolicy"
and change
the value to "0".
6. Exit the registry editor and restart your computer.
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Marc Liron -
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