Many users of Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 have had problems when trying to access the Windows Update site.
BTW, this error is not the only error message one might receive while trying to scan, download or install Hotfixes from the Windows Update site. Here is my current list of other Windows Update error codes and their respective solutions:
0x8007007E Error - Possible solutions
When you try to use Microsoft Internet Explorer to update Windows from the Microsoft Windows Update Web site you may receive the following error message:
Error 0x8007007e
To resolve this problem, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, type :
regsvr32 Inseng.dll
in the Open box, and then click OK. When you receive the RegSvr32 confirmation that the DllRegisterServer function succeeded, click OK.
2. Do the same with the following files:
regsvr32 Oleaut32.dll
regsvr32 Ole32.dll
regsvr32 Urlmon.dll
regsvr32 Mssip32.dll
3. Start Internet Explorer, and then update Windows from the Windows Update Web site (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com).
If you still experience the problem, remove the Windows Update Setup Files folder.
1. To do so, locate the following folder:
2. Drive:\Windows Update Setup Files
3. Right-click the Windows Update Setup Files folder, click Delete, and then click Yes.
4. Install the latest version of Internet Explorer.
Windows Update Problems - Error 0x800A138F
Windows Update has encountered an error and cannot display the requested page.0x800A138F
The 0x800A138F error is actually a general error message, and many people get it when they visit Windows Update. But after the the MSBlast virus was unleashed a few months ago, Microsoft changed a few things at the main update website. This worm was expected to attack windowsupdate.com on the 16th of August 2003 by using a distributed denial of service attack (DDOS). To prevent this attack Microsoft made a few changes on the WU site. One of them was to use Akamai for additional bandwidth and this connectivity is exclusively using HTTPS (SSL) for the downloading of the update catalogue. It is since then that an escalation in the number of 0x800A138F error messages was reported.
As stated in the previous paragraph, the 0x800A138F error is in fact a general error message. To get a clearer picture of the real error message you'd need to go to the "Windows Update Log" and look for any "Errors". This gives a clearer indication as to the exact nature of the problem.
The windows update log is in the following places:
C:\Windows\Windows Update.log (XP/2003/Win98/Me)
or
C:\WINNT\Windows Update.log (Windows 2000)
Besides the changes in the WU site, many users of Windows 2000 reported similar problems in accessing the WU site. After installing to SP3, when trying to use Windows Update. Windows Update works fine scanning for updates, but when you choose to download and install them the page displays the 0x800A138F error message.
I've searched all over the Internet for solutions to these problems and came up with the following list of possible solutions. These solutions are not arranged by any specific order, although I do recommend trying each one from top to bottom till you reach the one that helped the most.
0x800A138F Error - Solution #1:
The number one reason for this error is related to your computer's date and/or time settings. If the date on your computer isn't correct, it may prevent you from connecting to secure sites. To fix the problem make sure your computer time and date are correct, and go to Windows Update and try again.
If you're on a network that has Active Directory configured you should try the following command:
w32tm /config /update /syncfromflags:DOMHIER
If will force your computer to update the time from the PDC Emulator in the domain.
Solution #2:
If that didn't work, the next solution might:
1. Delete c:\program files\windowsupdate
2. Delete the %systemroot%\system32\windowsupdate (this is a hidden directory)
3. Try windows update again.
Solution #3:If the previous solutions didn't work for you, you might need to clear the problematic WU files from your computer. Some of these files are hidden files, please enable "Show Hidden Files and Folders" from your Folder options.
To delete Windows Update files:
1. Double click on My Computer, double click on C:\
2. Open the "WUTEMP" folder and delete the contents of the folder (If any files exist).
3. Double click the Program Files folder, then the 'Windows Update' folder. We will then need to delete all files & folders within this directory except the "V4" folder.
4. To do so, highlight the "V4" folder, then click Edit from the menu bar at top of the window and choose Invert Selection. If you cannot locate the "V4" folder, please skip this step, and then continue to delete the rest of the files by choosing Select All instead of Invert Selection.
5. Once all of the other files are highlighted, simply hit the Delete key on your keyboard to delete these files.
6. Next we need to delete all the files & folders within the V4 directory except the "iuhist.xml" file. To do so, perform the same steps as above by highlighting the "iuhist.xml" file, then clicking Edit from the menu bar at top of the window and choose Invert Selection.
7. Once these other files are highlighted, again hit the Delete key on your keyboard to delete the files.
Next delete all the contents of the WUTemp folder (if it exists, if not skip this step).
Next Unregister old control:
Go to Start > run
1.Type:
regsvr32 /u C:\WINNT\System32\IUCTL.dll2. You should get a unregistered successfully message.
Find your old site controls:1. Go to Start > Search
2. Type "IUCTL.DLL" (Without Quotes)
3. Click on the Search button.
4. When the search result is displayed, delete delete any trace of the file IUCTL.DLL.
5. Next Search for the "IUEngine.dll" file.
6. Delete any trace of the file IUENGINE.DLL.
7. Reboot and try to access Windows Update again.
