I bumped today into the following message in a Windows 7 computer: “Windows Update cannot currently check for updates, because the service is not running”. After some web searching I found a simple way to fix this. According to Paul Woods the culprit is a corruption in the following file …
c:\windows\softwaredistribution\datastore\logs\edb.log
if you rename or delete that file (as your solution ultimately does) then reboot the pc, auto updates will resume.
This file keeps track of the update history and status and if the status cannot be determined then updates won’t run. If the file does not exist (deleted or renamed) it is recreated and it is assumed that updates have never been run.
Paul was in turn inspired by Michael’s Notes and posted his findings in the comments section.
Update Sept. 25, 2012: See comments below for extra details.
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[...] Fixing “Windows Update cannot currently check for updates, because the service is not running” [...]
Thanks! That was exactly the fix!
I’m glad to hear it worked!
[...] searching further on the internet, it looks that this log file keeps track of the update history and the [...]
I have this problem….that file is not there..and yes I removed hide folders and show hidden…
You can try too the more general solution in Michael’s Notes with my variation in 2) for renaming instead of deleting the folder:
1) go to services and stop Windows update service
2) locate C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\ folder and rename it (e.g. rename it to SoftwaredDistribution.old)
3) start Windows update service
4) check for updates
If you are comfortable using commands then the equivalent to the above is:
(taken from a Jeff Loucks’ answer in a MS forum)
1) Start>Run
type cmd and press enter
type net stop wuauserv and press enter
2) type rename c:\windows\SoftwareDistribution softwaredistribution.old and press enter
3) type net start wuauserv and press enter
type exit and press enter
4) check for updates in the usual way
Verify that the new software distribution folder created when you restart the update service is approxiamtely 1.5 MB in size (standard files). Restart the computer and del the folder if you have no issues.
thanks Joseph Luis renaming worked
You are welcome!
I deleted the file,and still got the problem. I did the cmd net stop wuarsev thing and it didn’t work. Whenever I try to update it keeps saying “Windows Update cannot currently check for updates, because the service is not running”. I also tried resetting my windows update settings like another site said, and it didn’t work. Any suggestions?
So you deleted the whole folder C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\ … Mmmh let’s see… just to be sure, did you type net stop wuarsev (instead of wuauserv) as written in your comment?
Thank you Joseph Luis! I just went through about an hour of trying to fix this problem, and your solution fixed it in a few seconds. YAY!
Great! Good it worked for you.
Thanks for the help. Renaming the folder worked like a charm. It did take me forever to download all the updates but it was forth it. Thanks again.
You are welcome! By the way, after some time, once that you have confirmed that the updates are back on track, you can delete the old, renamed folder.
Hey ! I located the file and renamed it SoftwareDistribution.old but even after doing that i went to the windows update service and it still doesnt let me can you please help!!
oh and when i go to cmd and type what you said ( i made sure not to make any mistake) it says this:
the service name is invalid
more help is available by typing net helpmsg
Hi! Just to double check, are you running cmd as an Administrator? To do this, after you type cmd, instead of pressing Enter, press Ctrl + Shift + Enter as detailed in this link.
Hey! Yes i tried earlier as the administrator but the same thing happen :/
Ok, let’s re-trace the problem and the solution …
A) We have Windows 7 and are running as Administrator
B) In Start>Run Services we stopped the Windows Update service OR used net stop wuauserv on the cmd line
C) We deleted or renamed the file c:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Datastore\logs\edb.log (which, if corrupted, seems to be the source of the problem) OR/AND deleted or renamed the folder C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\
D) In Start>Run Services we started the windows Update service OR used net stop wuauserv on the cmd line
The next step will be to check for updates as usual or even reboot the computer, but here is where we have a problem, right? If following the previous steps stops here, it seems to me that someone will have to look directly on you computer to bring a fresher perspective into the problem. Sorry I was not able to help more up to here. Perhaps one of our readers will have a suggestion…
It’s ok thanks for trying to help!
You are welcome and hope you eventually find a solution. If you do and you don’t mind, it would be great if you share it here. Cheers!
i think i have the same problem as Marine.
i’ve done all the steps you listed down, but the error message still appear.
Unfortunately, up to that point it seems that someone would have to look directly on you computer to bring a fresher perspective into the problem.
I could never get it to work properly.. I tried but i couldnt find a fix so I ended up backing up my files and restored the computer to default settings
Great !!! This procedure is okay. Many Thanks for the help.
http://support.microsoft.com/mats/windows_update/
this fixed my issue right from microsoft website within a minute. works perfectly
Brilliant! after much searching on Google and Windows Fixit Tool telling me I had fixed it when I hadn’t, I found this page, 2 minutes later and updates are running as we speak.
Thank you so very much from Scotland.
Many thanks, I have the exact situation.
You solved my problem
Thanks again……..
This one worked for me. Thank you sir.