Jason wrote:
I dug out an old, little-used netbook that my wife had used for a course
and no longer uses. I want to hook it to my wi-fi weather station to put
it on Weather Underground's network.

The machine hadn't been used in two years. It runs something the Windows 7
"Starter Edition" - which was ok last time we used it. Since it hadn't
been updated in two years, I clicked to check for updates.

Two and a half hours later, it's still checking. Any idea where the
problem lies?


A while back, these were enough (at the time) to make it work again.

Servicing Stack

http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/...aspx?q=3020369

July 2016 update rollup for Windows 7 SP1

http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/...aspx?q=3172605

Microsoft issued the temporary improvement, because Windows Update
was preventing GWX installation of Windows 10 and preventing them
from achieving their targets for adoption of Windows 10. So doing that
in July was strategic to GWX (not done to help customers).

*No* Microsoft update addresses the key issue, which is a lack of
scalability in the logic in wuauserv, for figuring out which patches
need to be installed. Everything Microsoft done is a temporary bandaid.

After you've installed those two, you'll need the December 2016 one.
Because after each Patch Tuesday, Windows Update will go slow again,
until it is fed an update that prunes the supersedence tree in the
Windows Update manifest file.

December 2016 Security Monthly Quality Rollup

http://www.catalog.update.microsoft....aspx?q=3207752

It's a judgment call, as to whether it's worth it to continue
patching Windows OSes with this stuff. On the one hand, the updates
might contain security materials. Or they contain materials related
to the Microsoft plan for world conquest (they won't install Windows 10,
but they may do something to your copy of Windows 7 that you don't want).

*******

To install those:

1a) Temporarily switch Windows Update to "do not check for updates"
Reboot.

OR

1b) Disconnect the network cable.
Reboot. (This prevents wuauserv from going nuts, before the
patches are installed.)

Double-click 3020369, 3172605, 3207752 MSU files to install them.
Only take the advice to reboot, after the third one is installed.

Once the system is up, you check Windows Update history tab and
if all is well, plug in the network cable and carry on. As for Windows
Update, I wouldn't leave that enabled on a netbook, especially if you
were planning some canned machine function that needs all the CPU it
can get. When the next Patch Tuesday rolls around in January, it'll
be slow again. Disabling Windows Update prevents that slowness.

Paul