Why is wuauclt so "top secret"?

[Red Squirrel]

Seems there is hardly any info on the wuauclt tool for windows update. I found a few sites showing some flags but no info on what they do. In fact you can pass ANY flag to it and it takes it. Whats up? Is this a tool MS does not want general public to know about or something? Just seems weird. Even /? returns nothing. Not even an error if you put random junk.

 

[corkyg]

Windows Update Auto Update Client (WUAUCLT) is probably not well understood. But, this read on MS Technet is a useful start point.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc708617(WS.10).aspx

It's a Command Prompt tool that has very little applicabilty to the average user.

 

[MedicBob]

If you have a WSUS server, you know this command. You might not understand it, but you know it.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

What are you trying to do? It really is hard to use.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I'm trying to figure out why some PCs arn't bothering to contact the WSUS server. The policy took (at least according to the registry) and AU is turned on. But seems it's just not bothering to do anything. The standard wuauclt /detectnow ain't cutting it. A list of flags and perhaps some kind of debug info would be nice but seems all this information is classified or something lol.

 

[Snapster]

You could try:
wuauclt.exe /resetauthorization /detectnow

Known list:
/DetectNow
/ReportNow
/RunHandlerComServer
/RunStoreAsComServer
/ShowSettingsDialog
/ResetAuthorization
/ResetEulas
/ShowWU
/ShowWindowsUpdate
/CloseWindowsUpdate
/SelfUpdateManaged
/SelfUpdateUnmanaged
/UpdateNow
/DemoUI

But also look in the resulting logo for the update
%SystemRoot%\WindowsUpdate.log

Just out of curiosity, there are approved updates on WSUS server right? By default it doesn't just automatically approve them unless you configure it that way, someone has to manually approve an update for a computer(or a group) of computers that WSUS knows about.

 

[Nothinman]

Even /? returns nothing. Not even an error if you put random junk.

This is par for the course with MS' tools. They don't seem to follow any conventions when it comes to command line switches.

 

[Red Squirrel]

You could try:
wuauclt.exe /resetauthorization /detectnow

Known list:
/DetectNow
/ReportNow
/RunHandlerComServer
/RunStoreAsComServer
/ShowSettingsDialog
/ResetAuthorization
/ResetEulas
/ShowWU
/ShowWindowsUpdate
/CloseWindowsUpdate
/SelfUpdateManaged
/SelfUpdateUnmanaged
/UpdateNow
/DemoUI

But also look in the resulting logo for the update
%SystemRoot%\WindowsUpdate.log

Just out of curiosity, there are approved updates on WSUS server right? By default it doesn't just automatically approve them unless you configure it that way, someone has to manually approve an update for a computer(or a group) of computers that WSUS knows about.

Yeah there are approved updates of course. wuauclt.exe /resetauthorization /detectnow *seems* to have done it. I might just push that in the login script or something. Kinda dirty but if it works...

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I'm trying to figure out why some PCs arn't bothering to contact the WSUS server. The policy took (at least according to the registry) and AU is turned on. But seems it's just not bothering to do anything. The standard wuauclt /detectnow ain't cutting it. A list of flags and perhaps some kind of debug info would be nice but seems all this information is classified or something lol.

I'm reaching here, and it may not apply since I use SCCM w/ wsus half integrated and haven't done plain WSUS in forever, but it seems like there's a group policy that you have to turn on and specify the update server...

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Yeah there are approved updates of course. wuauclt.exe /resetauthorization /detectnow *seems* to have done it. I might just push that in the login script or something. Kinda dirty but if it works...

Try not to fill up login scripts with stuff like that if at all possible. Group policy may be a better way