Windows Updates fails with 80072EE2 when downloading from WSUS server

windows-update wsus

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Update: I would have tried to use process monitor. And see if file/registry access fails around the time of the error. And if possible, compare the output to a server that doesn't fail.

**Before update:**Check ( and disable ):
anti-virus
anti-spyware

also check temp system environment variable.

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Ryan Ferretti

Denny Cherry is the owner and principal consultant for Denny Cherry & Associates Consulting and has over a decade of experience working with platforms such as Microsoft SQL Server, Hyper-V, vSphere and Enterprise Storage solutions. Denny’s areas of technical expertise include system architecture, performance tuning, security, replication and troubleshooting. Denny currently holds several of the Microsoft Certifications related to SQL Server for versions 2000 through 2008 including the Microsoft Certified Master as well as being a Microsoft MVP for several years. Denny has written several books and dozens of technical articles on SQL Server management and how SQL Server integrates with various other technologies. You can find more information about Denny and Denny Cherry & Associates Consulting at dcac.co and more information about Denny's book Securing SQL Server on it's site securingsqlserver.com.

Updated on September 17, 2022

Comments

Ryan Ferretti almost 2 years

I've got a WSUS Server setup and when some servers try and get updates they fail with 80072EE2 "Windows Update encountered an unknown error." The Get help link that Microsoft has so generously provided opens the Windows Help and Support which checks the net for ""WindowsUpdate_80072EE2" "WindowsUpdate_dt000"" and comes back with 0 results. Removing the dt000 error does nothing for me.

Everything I've found on the net says it's a network or firewall problem. There's no problem accessing the WSUS server from the network (they are all VMs on the same physical servers). I can browse to the webserver on the WSUS machine and get back the default website.

Other servers at the colo patch them selves just fine.

Windows Firewall is disabled on the machines in question, as are the third party firewalls.

Any ideas what else to check? The machines with the problem are running Windows 2008, as is the WSUS server.
Ryan Ferretti about 15 years

This perticular machine has no anti-virus, or anti-spyware installed. I checked the temp and tmp variables and changed them to c:\temp and rebooted with no change.
Ryan Ferretti about 15 years

Sadly it was dumber than this. I didn't ever actually setup the WSUS server. Hence the strange errors when trying to patch. The machines that had patched apparently never got the GPO setting. I feel like a major dufus.
slm over 11 years

Can you elaborate on what this fixes? Just providing links as answers is discouraged on SF.