SOLUTION! Tried the Microsoft Fixit Tool several times without success, but this fix took care of the problem.
1. Click Start
2. Type ‘cmd’ in the search bar.
3. Right click Command prompt and choose “Run as Administrator”
4. At the command prompt, type the following, commands and then press ENTER after each command:
a. net stop wuauserv
b. net stop bits
c. net stop cryptsvc
DO NOT close the Command Prompt window.
(This will rename folders pertaining to Windows Update.)
5. At the command prompt, type the following commands, and then press Enter after each command:
a) ren %systemroot%\System32\Catroot2 Catroot2.old
b) ren %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
If you get an "access denied" error message, type net stop wuauserv, press ENTER, and try again.
c) net start wuauserv
d) net start bits
e) net start cryptsvc
Close the Command Prompt window. Now run the Microsoft Fixit Tool for Windows Update.
It is here: How do I reset Windows Update components?
Reboot the machine, and go to Control Panel > System Security > Windows Update
Updates installed should read Never and Last Update Check should also read never
Do a manual Check for Updates. This will probably generate a long list of updates that need to be installed. Go ahead and installed them. Depending on the speed of your internet connection the check and installation might take some time.
1. Click Start
2. Type ‘cmd’ in the search bar.
3. Right click Command prompt and choose “Run as Administrator”
4. At the command prompt, type the following, commands and then press ENTER after each command:
a. net stop wuauserv
b. net stop bits
c. net stop cryptsvc
DO NOT close the Command Prompt window.
(This will rename folders pertaining to Windows Update.)
5. At the command prompt, type the following commands, and then press Enter after each command:
a) ren %systemroot%\System32\Catroot2 Catroot2.old
b) ren %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
If you get an "access denied" error message, type net stop wuauserv, press ENTER, and try again.
c) net start wuauserv
d) net start bits
e) net start cryptsvc
Close the Command Prompt window. Now run the Microsoft Fixit Tool for Windows Update.
It is here: How do I reset Windows Update components?
Reboot the machine, and go to Control Panel > System Security > Windows Update
Updates installed should read Never and Last Update Check should also read never
Do a manual Check for Updates. This will probably generate a long list of updates that need to be installed. Go ahead and installed them. Depending on the speed of your internet connection the check and installation might take some time.