Windows update not working in VirtualBox

Question

I am trying to run Windows Update on a fresh VM using VirtualBox, but the Windows Update keeps hanging on "Checking for updates..."

Host OS: macOS Guest OS: Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro

Happy to provide any other details necessary to help solve this problem. I have gone through several troubleshooting steps already and had no luck, including repairing the update services.

Solution

The solution was found on a forum:

• Disable "Install updates automatically (recommended)". Set it to "Never check for updates (not recommended). Restart PC
• Download KB3138615 from microsoft and install it. Restart PC
• Download KB3172614 from microsoft and install it. Restart PC

Now you can check for updates and install the most recent update using Windows Update. You can also enable "Install updates automatically (recommended)"

Comments

[vallismortis]

This is the answer that has worked for me in several situations where I upgraded from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1. More recently, the sequence of updates should be KB3173424 then KB3172614.