One of our Windows 2008 servers threw a wobbly (technical term) after a power cut a few weeks ago, and although I got it working again, it wouldn’t install updates, giving error code 8000ffff each time. The usual searches of the internets suggested a common fault with Vista on Dell machines, but none of the proposed fixes seemed to work.
They included uninstalling an update I didn’t have installed, running a Microsoft “Fix It” tool, which didn’t work, and installing the System Update Readiness Tool, which also didn’t work. The latter actually threw an 8000ffff just running it!
I did manage to sort it in the end, by doing this (after a backup!):
- In the registry, HKLM > Components, delete these keys:
- AdvancedInstallersNeedResolving
- PendingXmldentifier
- NextQueueEntryIndex
- Stop the Windows Update Service
- Rename (or delete – I renamed to be “safe”) %windir%\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore to something else.
- Restart the service
- Restart the PC.
Crikey. Still, it’s lucky you weren’t running that cryptic, unintuitive, difficult Linux stuff, eh? ;-P