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I am attempting to install two hotfixes manually from Microsoft - one addresses the svchost.exe extreme memory usage problem, and the other addresses the slow Windows Update problem.

This system is a freshly installed Windows 7, and I have the two MSU updates saved locally to my desktop, but it is never actually finding such updates, and therefore never actually installs the two fixes.

Is there a way to force Windows Update Standalone Installer to just install the single update and not look for all the updates?

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  • The key reason for needing to get these two fixes on is to get the faster Windows Update system, so it can actually download all the updates it needs (it's never gotten its updates)
    – Thomas Ward
    Feb 23, 2016 at 16:37
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    @Moab Not really. The issue observed here is specifically with the Standalone installer; it is NOT about overall Windows Update - that's what the second of the MSU packages I was trying to install was for. Therefore, I don't believe they are similar, as I was specifically having issues with the wusa.exe program, which is the standalone installer for package files for updates
    – Thomas Ward
    Feb 23, 2016 at 22:07
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    @Moab Tried and failed - didn't solve the issue as wusa was still trying to "search" and never found anything.
    – Thomas Ward
    Feb 23, 2016 at 22:48
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    @Moab NO, this has nothing to do with Internet conenction. I traced this issue years ago with xperf/WPA. After the first MSU install, WU service scans if all MSI/MSP files are valid, this takes a lot of time and so the 2nd update can't start detect if it can be installed. My workaround stops the useless MSI scanning.
    – magicandre1981
    Feb 24, 2016 at 5:17
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    believe what you want but I traced what Windows does or not.
    – magicandre1981
    Feb 25, 2016 at 5:23

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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The message is misleading. It searches if the update can be installed or if the update is no longer needed (superseded). 

Line #, DPC/ISR, Process, Stack Tag, Stack, Count, TimeStamp, % Weight
10, , , ,   wuaueng.dll!CUpdatesToPruneList::PopulateSupersedenceInfo, 31521, , 43,72
11, , , ,   wuaueng.dll!CUpdatesToPruneList::AddSupersedenceInfoIfNeeded, 31521, , 43,72

WUSA.exe, which is used to install MSU updates, is just a wrapper to Windows Update. After Windows Update installed an update it hangs again in a loop to check if updates apply or not and those checks are useless after an install and this loop blocks you from installing other MSU updates.

To speedup the Installation, stop the WindowsUpdate service via GUI (services.msc) or via elevated (running as admin) command line (net stop wuauserv). Now the loop is stopped and updates install faster.

Install the first MSU update, stop WindowsUpdate service again and install the 2nd MSU file.

I also created a script with enums all MSU files in the same folder as the CMD and installs them and stop WU service on it's own everytime to speedup setup.

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  • 4
    Thank you very much for your answer! This definitely got me past that "searching" step with the standalone installer, and helped a lot. Hopefully Windows can get its updates now!
    – Thomas Ward
    Feb 23, 2016 at 17:54
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    @DmitriNesteruk instead of downvoting it tun the cmd as admin facepalm
    – magicandre1981
    Jul 26, 2016 at 4:10
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    I stopped the service but it goes back up the moment I try to install the msu.
    – Matheus Moreira
    Aug 14, 2016 at 22:10
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    Worked like a charm when trying to install Remote System Administration Tools from Microsoft. Their forum was unhelpful as usual, so thank you very much for taking the time to find this solution!
    – user121391
    Oct 14, 2016 at 8:39
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    I didn't have privileges to stop the service so I extracted the files from the msu and installed the .cab file from an elevated prompt: >dism /online /add-package /packagepath:C:\update\myupdate.cab
    – kttii
    Nov 2, 2016 at 16:35

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