Windows Update problems with Windows 2000

[Nocturnal]

Can anyone help me out here? I have a huge problem with Windows Updates. I fix computers for a living and this is for a client?s PC. The client PC is running Windows 2000 Professional Edition.

I?m having issues with Windows Updates. Prior to getting to this point I removed a lot of spyware including Look2Me. I had to use a L2MFix remover which did take control of some registry keys as well as deleted some registry keys. I don?t know if this is the exact cause of my current issues but I just thought I?d throw this out there.

I?ve searched all of Google?s Groups as well as exhausted all options on Microsoft?s Newsgroups. Whenever I attempt to use Windows Update, it will download all available updates but as soon as it says initializing installation, every single download fails to install. I go straight to my WindowsUpdate.log and find that error # 0x80240020 is the culprit which means something along the lines of there was no INTERACTIVE USER to input data.

I?ve renamed and deleted the SoftwareDistribution folder, re-registered numerous .dlls, almost everything and anything I can think of. The administrator group includes my user name as well as test user names I created in hopes I could get the other user accounts to do the Windows Updates.

Now I?m wondering if anyone here has any extensive knowledge on how Windows Updates works. I?d like to know exactly what it looks for before going ahead with the installation of the downloads.

People are speculating that it is some type of permissions issue. I?ve also had this issue come up with a Windows XP Home installation. To alleviate the WinXP Home problem I just did an overlay of the OS. However, I do not have a Windows 2000 Pro Upgrade CD so I cannot do an overlay at this time.

I?d love for more than anything to solve this issue. Even Microsoft themselves cannot seem to solve this issue. I?ve been talking to them through e-mails and we are still unable to resolve this situation.

I know this is long and drawn out, so here are some cliff notes:

CLIFFS:

Windows 2000 Pro installation
Removed spyware
Unable to do Windows Updates
Receiving error: 0x80240020 which means no interactive user available to input data
Need to resolve said error
Tried numerous things and nothing has worked
I believe it has something to do with the registry permissions and or some other type of Local Policy Settings

 

[amdhunter]

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;833766

That isnt the same error, but the fix should work for you.

 

[Nocturnal]

Just out of curiousity, what makes you think it will work for me? I will try this tomorrow though.

 

[tyanni]

Other than this - http://www.mcse.ms/message1788022.html - which you've probably already looked at, have you tried creating a new admin account and doing it from there?

 

[wpshooter]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
However, I do not have a Windows 2000 Pro Upgrade CD so I cannot do an overlay at this time.

Nocturnal:

Does your client not have their copy of the 2000 OS CD ? If so, why don't you just completely reinstalling the OS, which you could probably do by the time you figure all of that out. Hope you or they have a backup of any data. If you are fixing computers for a living, I hope you are getting your clients to sign a statement saying that they have backed up any data and that they can not hold you responsible for any data lost in the process of working on their computer.

Good luck.

 

[Rapidskies]

I would reapply service pack 4 if one of the above fixes does not work for you.