I have for two years had windows update set to automatic on wifes pc. Topday I find it has never ever downloaded 1 update. Now I need vist SP1 and get error code 8007051A when I try to force updates...what to do? reasonavley tech savy, but really sick of windows Vista...wrorst experience ever since using PC's over 20 years.

Consider upgrading to Windows 7. Begin by downloading and running the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. In the future, please note that a dedicated Windows Update forum does exist and you can access it by visiting the Windows Update Forum.Carey Frisch

Hi, During the Windows Vista SP1 installation, this issue occurs when a third-party application holds open a file or locks a file that the Service Pack installation program has to use. For example, a third-party antivirus or antispyware application may cause this problem. If you are running any third-party applications such as Spyblocker, Internet or web accelerators (programs designed to boost the speed of the Internet connection), security or anti-virus programs (McAfee, Norton, etc.), I recommend temporarily disabling or shutting them down during the troubleshooting process. Please be sure to re-enable them once the process has completed. I recommend running Reset Windows Update Tool and System Update Readiness Tool. System resources, such as file data, registry data, and even in-memory data, can develop inconsistencies during the lifetime of the operating system. These inconsistencies can be caused by various hardware failures or software issues. In some cases, these inconsistencies can affect the Windows servicing store, and they can cause software updates not to work. We can run Reset Windows Update Tool and System Update Readiness Tool to resolve these inconsistencies. When Reset Windows Update Tool and System Update Readiness Tool detects incorrect manifests, files, or registry data, it might replace the incorrect data with a corrected version. Please follow the steps below. Step 1: Run Reset Windows Update Tool and System Update Readiness Tool 1. Please download and run Reset Windows Update Tool from the link below: http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9665683 2. Please download and run System Update Readiness Tool from the link below according to the System Type: System Update Readiness Tool for Windows Vista 32-bit http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2889489c-ee87-4607-8aa5-812e8078ab27&DisplayLang=en System Update Readiness Tool for Windows Vista 64-bit http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=14f76773-007c-493f-bece-243bc21ac73d&DisplayLang=en 3. Restart the computer and install Windows Vista SP1. Let’s reinstall SP1 standalone installer in Clean Boot. For your reference, I have attached these steps as below: Step 1: Download Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Standalone Installer ==================================================== 1. Download Windows Vista SP1 from the link below according to the System Type: Windows Vista Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista 32-bit (Size: 544.3MB) http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=f559842a-9c9b-4579-b64a-09146a0ba746&DisplayLang=en Windows Vista Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista 64-bit (Size: 873.0MB) http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=86d267bd-dfcd-47cf-aa76-dc0626dcdf10&DisplayLang=en 2. Please save it on the Desktop. Step 2: Install Windows Vista SP1 in Clean Boot Mode ========================================= Please disable all startup items and third party services when booting to avoid conflict when installing Vista SP1.: 1. Click "Start", type: MSCONFIG in the search box and press Enter. Note: Please click "Continue" if the "User Account Control" window pops up. 2. Click "Services", check the "Hide All Microsoft Services" box and click "Disable All" (if it is not gray). 3. Click "Startup", click "Disable All", click "OK" and restart the computer. Note: Temporarily disabling the Startup Group only prevents the startup programs from loading at startup. This shouldn't affect the system or other programs. We can manually run these programs later. 4. Please double click the downloaded Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Standalone Installer and follow the instructions to install Windows Vista SP1. To restore the computer to use a Normal Startup, repeat step 1 above. Then click "Normal Startup" on the General tab, click "OK", and then restart the computer. Please take your time with the steps and let me know the results at your earliest convenience. If there are any questions or concerns, please post here for further research. Regards,Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.