Problems when viewing or downloading from Windows Update

When you try to access the Windows Update Web site, you may not be able to view Web pages or download components. This article discusses several troubleshooting methods.

For best results, follow these steps in the order they are presented.

Accept the ActiveX controls

In the Address Bar, type http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp, press ENTER, and then click Product Updates in the left menu bar.

Change Internet Security to Medium

1. Start Internet Explorer.
2. Click Tools, click Internet Options, and then click Security.
3. Make sure Internet Zone is selected in the Zone box.
4. Select the Medium security setting, and then click Apply.
5. Close and restart Internet Explorer to apply the changes.
6. Disable your antivirus software before you accessing Windows Update.
7. Start Windows Update, and then accept the ActiveX Controls.

Clear the browser's cache and history

Clearing the browser's cache may resolve some of the behaviors. Follow these steps to clear the cache, and then try to download the component again.

1. Click View (for Internet Explorer 4.0) or Tools (for Internet Explorer 5.0 and later).
2. Click Internet Options, and then click the General tab.
3. In the Temporary Internet Files section, click Delete Files.
4. In the History section, click Clear History.
5. Click OK.

Clear the contents of the WindowsUpdate folder

1. Click Start, click Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.
2. In the left pane, double-click the Program Files folder.
3. In the left pane, double-click the WindowsUpdate folder.
4. In the right pane, click the V4 folder, click Edit, and then click Invert Selection.
5. Press DELETE, and then click Yes to confirm.
6. Open the V4 folder, then in the right pane, click to select the IUHIST.XML file, click Edit, and then click Invert Selection.
7. Press DELETE, and then click Yes to confirm.

Note When you delete the IUHIST.XML file from the WindowsUpdate folder, you clear the whole Windows Update installation history. Microsoft does not recommend that you do this because you lose your record of previous downloads. The steps in this section delete all your files except the IUHIST.XML file.

Enable all ActiveX security

After you have completed all these steps, if the behavior continues and you receive the "Cannot Display Page" error message, follow these steps to enable all the ActiveX controls:

1. In Internet Explorer click View, and then click Internet Options.
2. Click the Security tab, click Custom as the security level, and then click Settings.
3. Enable all ActiveX Controls and Plug-Ins.
4. Close Internet Explorer, and then try to connect to Windows Update again.
5. Proceed with Step 2, even if you can now access the site

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Submitting a Windows Update support request

If you have tried the steps earlier in this article and are still not able to view or download components from the Windows Update site, you can submit a Windows Update Support Request by following these steps:

1. Visit the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp (http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp)
2. In the left pane under Other Options, click Get Help and Support.
3. In the right pane click Request technical support.
4. Follow the instructions on the screen to submit your question.

HOSTS file

If you still cannot access Web sites or can access only some Web sites, you may have a HOSTS file that prevents you from resolving the correct URL address. HOSTS files are used for name resolution. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: