Description of the Windows Update Standalone Installer in Windows

Introduction

This article describes the Windows Update Standalone Installer (Wusa.exe) in the following Windows operating systems:

Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows Server 2012

Windows Server 2012 R2

Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview

The Wusa.exe file is in the %windir%\System32 folder. The Windows Update Standalone Installer uses the Windows Update Agent API to install update packages. Update packages have an .msu file name extension. The .msu file name extension is associated with the Windows Update Standalone Installer.

More Information

An .msu file contains the following contents.

Windows Update metadata

Describes each update package that the .msu file contains.

One or more .cab files

Each .cab file represents one update.

This .xml file describes the .msu update package. Wusa.exe uses the .xml file when you perform an unattended installation of the update by using the Package Manager tool (Pkgmgr.exe).

For example, you download hotfix 934307. The Windows6.0-KB934307-x86.msu file is in the C:\934307 folder. You type the following command at a command prompt to expand the .msu file to a temporary folder:

expand -f:* «C:\934307\Windows6.0-KB934307-x86.msu» %TEMP%
Then, you type the following command at a command prompt:

A properties file

This file contains string properties that Wusa.exe uses. For example, this file contains the title of the associated article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

When you use Wusa.exe to install an update package, Wusa.exe expands the contents of the .msu file to a temporary folder. Then, Wusa.exe performs the following steps:

Wusa.exe uses the Windows Update metadata in the .msu file to search for applicable updates.

Wusa.exe copies the contents of the applicable updates to the Windows Update sandbox. The Windows Update sandbox is a protected folder.

Wusa.exe calls the appropriate function in the Windows Update Agent API according to the mode in which you start Wusa.exe.

When the Windows Update wizard finishes the installation, the Windows Update Agent API returns a status. Then, Wusa.exe works synchronously with the Windows Update Agent API.

Note Each update in an .msu update package is installed in a separate session. Only one instance of Wusa.exe runs when you use Wusa.exe. Wusa.exe does not change the contents of the updates in .msu files. The Windows Update infrastructure performs the required actions according to the contents of the update.

When you start Wusa.exe in interactive mode, a welcome screen displays high-level information about the update. If you continue to install the update, Wusa.exe calls the appropriate function in the Windows Update Agent API to start the Windows Update wizard. The Windows Update wizard displays the Microsoft Software License Terms that are associated with the update package. Wusa.exe calls the Windows Update Agent API to continue the installation. Then, Wusa.exe waits until the Windows Update wizard finishes the installation.

To install an .msu update package, run Wusa.exe together with the full path of the file.

For example, if the Windows6.0-KB934307-x86.msu file is in the D:\934307 folder, type the following command at a command prompt to install the update package:

wusa.exe d:\934307\Windows6.0-KB934307-x86.msuYou can also double-click the .msu file to install the update package.

You can use Wusa.exe to uninstall an update in Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012.

Note You cannot use Wusa.exe to uninstall updates in Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008. You can use Windows Defender Software Explorer to manually uninstall the updates. For more information about Software Explorer, go to the following Microsoft website:

Using Software Explorer in Windows Defender
You can use the following switches together with Wusa.exe.

Run Wusa.exe in quiet mode without user interaction. When the tool runs in quiet mode, it runs without user interaction. The computer restarts if this is required.

For example, if the Windows6.0-KB934307-x86.msu file is in the D:\934307 folder, type the following command at a command prompt to install the update package without user interaction:

wusa.exe d:\934307\Windows6.0-KB934307-x86.msu /quiet
Note When you use this switch, the Microsoft Software License Terms do not appear.

Prevents Wusa.exe from restarting the computer. The /norestart switch is ignored if the /quiet switch is not present. If you run Wusa.exe together with these two switches, you must manually restart the operating system after the installation is complete if the installation requires you to restart the computer.

For example, if the Windows6.0-KB934307-x86.msu file is in the D:\934307 folder, type the following command at a command prompt to install the update package:

wusa.exe D:\934307\Windows6.0-KB934307-x86.msu /quiet /norestart

Uninstalls the specified package or KB number.

Specifies the package to be uninstalled by using its KB number. Can be passed only together with the /uninstall switch.

Wusa.exe extracts the package contents to a destination folder.

When this switch is combined with the /quiet switch, Wusa.exe prompts you before it begins a restart for install and uninstall operations.

When this switch is combined with the /quiet switch, Wusa.exe forcibly closes applications and then begins a restart.

Note The .msu files can be installed to an offline image by using the DISM.exe /Add-Package option together with the Windows 7 or Windows 8 OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) or the Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK). For more information, go to the following Microsoft TechNet website:

Operating System Package Servicing Command-Line Options
To view the Windows Update Standalone Installer event log, follow these steps:

Click Start , type event viewer in the Start Search box, and then click Event Viewer in the Programs list. In Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, on the Start screen, type event viewer, click Settings, and then click View event logs under Settings.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.

In Event Viewer, expand Windows Logs, and then click Setup.

Setup events appear in the middle pane.

In the Actions pane, click Filter Current Log.

In the Event sources list, click to select the WUSA check box, and then click OK.

References

For more information about the Windows Update Agent API, go to the following Microsoft website:

«Автономный установщик обновлений» в Windows 7

Описание компонента

«Автономный установщик обновлений» в Windows 7 предназначен для инсталляции тех апдейтов, которые не могут быть получены из стандартного «Центра обновления Windows». Обычно этот компонент запускается при ручной установке файлов, скачанных с официального сайта компании Microsoft или других проверенных источников. Такие объекты в названии имеют приставку KB, а затем идет номер самого обновления. На скриншоте ниже вы видите интерфейс стандартного окна «Автономного установщика обновлений».

Установка апдейтов через «Автономный установщик обновлений»

Вкратце разберемся с тем, как пользователи взаимодействуют с рассматриваемым компонентом при ручной установке описанного типа обновлений. Обычно для этого выполняется стандартный алгоритм:

1. Откройте официальный сайт компании Microsoft или выполните поиск обновления по его коду через поисковик в браузере. Если открыта главная страница, на ней нажмите по значку лупы для отображения поисковой строки.

В ней введите название обновления и нажмите по подходящему результату из выдачи.

Перейдите к странице обновления через новую вкладку с результатами.

Скачается исполняемый файл, который и следует запустить.

Появится окно «Автономного установщика обновлений Windows» и начнется проверка возможного наличия этого обновления на компьютере. Дождитесь окончания этой операции, не закрывая текущее окно.

При отображении уведомления об отсутствии уведомления и установки апдейта подтвердите инсталляцию.

Как только операция пройдет успешно, отправьте компьютер на перезагрузку, подтвердив сообщение о необходимости сделать это. При старте следующего сеанса все апдейты уже будут активированы.

Удаление обновлений

Начиная с Windows 7, «Автономный установщик обновлений» может не только инсталлировать их, но и удалять. Деинсталляция тоже производится пользователем вручную через «Командную строку», что осуществляется так:

Откройте «Пуск», отыщите там консоль, кликните по приложению правой кнопкой мыши и в контекстном меню выберите вариант «Запуск от имени администратора».

Удаление апдейта с известным путем производится по команде wusa.exe/uninstall , где в конце строки указывается полный путь. Нажатие по клавише Enter активирует выполнение команды.

Если знаете только код обновления, вставьте команду wusa.exe/uninstall/kb: и после двоеточия без пробела укажите код этого пакета.

В случае ошибки в команде или при вводе wusa.exe /help появится отдельный список со всеми доступными функциями, запускаемыми пользователем вручную. Ознакомьтесь с ними и решите, какие из них могут пригодиться.

Отключение компонента

Рассматриваемый сегодня компонент тесно связан с «Центром обновления Windows» и зависит от его статуса. Соответственно, отключить его можно только полностью, избавившись от возможности получать апдейты автоматически. Если вас устраивает такой вариант и вы хотите отключить работу функций, чтобы другие пользователи не смогли запускать исполняемые файлы обновлений, выполните следующие действия:

Откройте «Пуск» и перейдите в меню «Панель управления».

В нем вас интересует раздел под названием «Администрирование».

Среди списка инструментов отыщите элемент «Службы».

В перечне служб найдите «Центр обновления Windows». Дважды кликните по пункту, чтобы открыть его свойства.

Выберите тип запуска «Вручную», а затем остановите службу.

Теперь автоматическая проверка обновлений отключена и Автономный установщик тоже не найдет апдейтов при его запуске. Если вы захотите снова сделать службу активной, просто откройте это же меню и включите ее.

Решение возможных проблем

Самая распространенная проблема при использовании «Автономного установщика обновлений Windows» — ошибки в процессе инсталляции апдейтов. Они появляются из-за разных причин, например не подходит разрядность загруженных файлов или на компьютере уже есть этот пакет. Реже неполадки связаны с системными сбоями и ошибками при автоматическом поиске обновлений. Найти информацию по решению этой ситуации вы можете в отдельной статье на нашем сайте по следующей ссылке.

Update the Windows Update Agent to the latest version

This article describes how to update the Windows Update Agent to the latest version.

Original product version: В Windows 10 — all editions, Windows Server 2012
Original KB number: В 949104

Summary

If you have automatic updating turned on, the latest version of the Windows Update Agent is downloaded and installed automatically on your computer. Or, you can manually download and install the Windows Update Agent.

Automatically download Windows Update Agent

To download the Windows Update Agent automatically, follow these steps:

Turn on automatic updating. Follow these steps, for the version of Windows that you are running.

Windows 8.1 or Windows 8

1. Open Windows Update by swiping in from the right edge of the screen (or, if you’re using a mouse, pointing to the lower-right corner of the screen and moving up the mouse pointer), tapping or clicking Settings, tapping or clicking Control Panel, and then tapping or clicking Windows Update.
2. Tap or click Change settings.
3. Under Important updates, choose Install updates automatically.
4. Under Recommended updates, select the Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates check box, and then select OK.

Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP

To turn on automatic updating automatically, select the Fix it button or link, and then select Run in the View Download dialog box. Then, follow the steps in the Fix it wizard.

Restart the Windows Update service. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows logo Key+R to open the Run box.
2. Type services.msc in the Run box, and then press Enter.
3. Right-click Windows Update in the Services management console, and then select Stop. If you are running Windows XP, right-click Automatic Updates, and then select Stop.
4. After Windows Update stops, right-click Windows Update, and then select Start. If you are running Windows XP, right-click Automatic Updates, and then select Start.

Wait for Windows Update to start, and then verify that the Windows Update Agent is updated.

Manually download Windows Update Agent from Microsoft Download Center

Click the download link for your version of Windows to obtain the latest Windows Update Agent.

Stand-alone packages for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012

The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download Center.

Operating system	Update
All supported x86-based versions of Windows 8 (KB2937636)	Download the package now.
All supported x64-based versions of Windows 8 (KB2937636)	Download the package now.
All supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2012 (KB2937636)	Download the package now.

Stand-alone packages for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1

The following files are available for download from Windows Update.

Operating system	Update
All supported x86-based versions of Windows 7 SP1	Download the package now.
All supported x64-based versions of Windows 7 SP1	Download the package now.
All supported x86-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1	Download the package now.
All supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1	Download the package now.
All supported Itanium-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1	Download the package now.

Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2 with update 2919355 already include the latest version of the Windows Update Agent.

More information

If you receive a Windows Update error, try Solutions for common Windows Update errors.

For more information about how to check which version of the Windows Update Agent is installed, follow these steps:

1. Open the %systemroot%\system32 folder. %systemroot% is the folder in which Windows is installed. For example, the %systemroot% folder is C:\Windows .
2. Right-click Wuaueng.dll, and then select Properties.
3. Select the Details tab, and then locate the file version number.

The latest version of the Windows Update Agent for Windows 8.1 is 7.9.9600.16422. The latest version of the Windows Update Agent for Windows 8 is 7.8.9200.16693. The latest version of the Windows Update Agent for Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP is 7.6.7600.256.

Improvements in version 7.6.7600.256 of Windows Update Agent

A hardened infrastructure so that the Windows Update client will trust only those files that are signed by a new certificate. The certificate is used solely to protect updates to the Windows Update client.

A more secure communication channel for the Windows Update client

Improvements in version 7.4.7600.226 of Windows Update Agent

• Improved scan times for Windows updates.
• Improved Windows Update UI for computers that are running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008.
• More visible and detailed descriptions of updates.
• Improvements in how users are notified about service packs.

Issues that are fixed in version 7.2.6001.788 of Windows Update Agent

Version 7.2.6001.788 of the Windows Update Agent fixes the following issue. This issue was not previously documented in a Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

• When you try to install 80 or more updates at the same time from Windows Update or Microsoft Update, you receive a «0x80070057» error code.

Improvements in version 7.2.6001.784 of Windows Update Agent

• Improved scan times for Windows Update
• Improved speed at which signature updates are delivered
• Support for Windows Installer reinstallation
• Improved error messaging

Issues that are fixed by version 7.0.6000.381 of Windows Update Agent

Version 7.0.6000.381 of the Windows Update Agent fixes the following issues. These issues were not previously documented in a Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

• The Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) crashes on a Windows Vista-based computer. For more information, see An update is available to fix a Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) crash on a Windows Vista-based computer.
• A fix is included that reduces the number of restarts that are required for the stand-alone installer when Multilingual User Interface Pack (MUI) files are being used.
• User interface elements in the Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese languages are fixed.
• The Windows Vista installation experience is improved.

Windows Update helps keep your computer up-to-date and secure by downloading and installing the latest security and other updates from Microsoft. Windows Update determines which updates apply to your computer.

Microsoft periodically makes software updates available to users of Windows and other Microsoft software. These include updates that improve reliability and performance, updates that provide new protections against malware and other potentially unwanted software, and upgrades to Windows features. To improve the performance or the reliability of hardware components on the computer, Microsoft may also provide updates to device drivers that are supplied by the computer manufacturer.

If you turn on Windows Update, software components that are directly related to Windows Update will have to be updated occasionally on your computer. These updates must be performed before Windows Update can check for required updates or before it can install other updates. These required updates fix errors, provide ongoing improvements, and maintain compatibility with the Microsoft servers that support Windows Update. If you disable Windows Update, you will not receive these updates.

Windows Update is configured to install updates automatically when you select the recommended option during Windows Out Of Box Experience (OOBE) Setup. You can also turn on Windows Update by selecting one of following settings in the Automatic Updates item in Control Panel:

• Automatic (recommended).
• Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them.
• Notify me, but don’t automatically download or install them.

After you turn on Windows Update, the required updates to components of Windows Update will be downloaded and installed automatically without notifying you. This behavior occurs regardless of which setting you use to turn on Windows Update. If you do not want to receive required updates, you can disable automatic updates in Control Panel.

The updates to Windows Update itself typically do the following: Address feedback from customers, improve compatibility, service performance and reliability, and enable new service capabilities. When the Windows Update server is updated, a corresponding client update is typically required. During an agent self-update operation, Windows Update Agent files may be added, modified, or replaced. For example, Windows Update Agent files that help display the user experience or that determine whether updates apply to a particular system may be added. This behavior occurs when a system is set to automatically check for available updates. This does not occur when automatic updates are turned off. For example, this behavior does not occur if you select Never check for updates in Windows Vista and Windows 7 or if you select Turn off Automatic Updates in Windows XP.

Administrators will receive the latest version of the Windows Update Agent for deployment through Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).