Install Windows Update file (*.msu) without having Windows update service activated

Question

I want to install a specific Windows Update file (.msu) on a device which is running on Windows 7 embedded. The msu file is available and the automated installation is running the right commands, but I have a problem:

On the device, the Windows update service is disabled. This is a requirement from the device image, this service should not be activated (not even for the time of the installation). If I try to install the msu file without this service, an error occurs "The service cannot be started, either because it is disabled or ...".

My question is : Does anyone know a possibility to install a msu file without having the Windows Update Service enabled?

Solution

From comment:

Using DISM.exe works if the right command is used. Additionally, it is important that MSU files cannot be installed using DISM.exe with /Online mode.

You have to unpack the msu file, the resulting *.cab file can then be installed using DISM.exe without enabled Windows update service. See How to use DISM to install a hotfix from within Windows

I'll quote the blog post here:

The purpose of this blog is to give you the steps to install a hotfix (or any other “package”) on the currently running operating system using the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) command.

...

The command-line switch to install a package is “/Add-Package.” ... the file name is “Windows6.1-KB976571-v2-x64.msu.” ... you would assume that following syntax would work:

DISM.exe /Online /Add-Package /PackagePath:c:\kb976571\Windows6.1-KB976571-v2-x64.msu

You will see the following snippet if you review the file c:\windows\logs\dism\dism.log:

...

2010-09-02 20:33:58, Error DISM DISM Package Manager: PID=7116 DISM does not support installing MSU files online. – CMsuPackage::Install(hr:0x80070032)

...

The answer is found in defining what a Microsoft Update Standalone Package (MSU) file is and how you would do this in the previous command-line tool, Package Manager (Pkgmgr.exe).

You had to extract the contents of a MSU file and instead use the .CAB file of the package in order to install or uninstall using the Package Manager tool (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;940410).

So try this approach:

...

2. Use the following command to extract the contents of the MSU file:

   Expand –F:* c:\kb976571\Windows6.1-KB976571-v2-x64.msu c:\temp\976571
   

... multiple files, which included the Windows6.1-KB976571-v2-x64.cab file.

Now try the following command:

...

DISM.exe /Online /Add-Package /PackagePath:c:\temp\976571\Windows6.1-KB976571-v2-x64.cab

... (or) ...

start /wait DISM.exe /Online /Add-Package /PackagePath:c:\temp\976571\Windows6.1-KB976571-v2-x64.cab /Quiet /NoRestart