Office updates when Updates disabled

uncle
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Office updates when Updates disabled

Post by uncle »

Microsoft 365. I have ensured updates are disabled ("this product will not be updated") yet today it updated and again got error message 0XC0000142.

How do I force Office update to recognized that it is Disabled? Thank you.

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stuck
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Re: Office updates when Updates disabled

Post by stuck »

uncle wrote:
19 Nov 2020, 19:46
... yet today it updated and again got error message 0XC0000142...
I think you'll find it's not updating, even though it says it is. The error message is the consequence of it not updating. I base this on my own experience with Office 2016 Pro Plus.

Regularly when I boot my Win 10 Pro PC and then click on Outlook as my first action I get an orange 'updating office' dialog that ends with an 0X... error message. Checking the version number in Office shows it has not updated. Sometimes simply clicking again on Outlook is fine, it opens without an error but more often than not, the error reappears. In that case a reboot will 'fix' the problem but I've found a quicker way is:
1) Open Task Manager (right click on the TaskBar)
2) Ensure it's showing 'more details' (look in the bottom left)
3) On the 'Process' tab (i.e. the first one), scroll down the list of 'Background processes'
4) When you get to the entry for 'Microsoft Office Click-to-Run (SxS)' RIGHT click
5) Click 'End Task'
6) Once that process has disappeared, close Task Manager
7) Back on your desktop, open an office application. It will take longer than usual before it opens, as the process you've just ended has to restart but it should open without 'updating' and crashing with an 'OX...' error

I can't prove/confirm what exactly is going on to trigger this 'update & crash' but I've a feeling that if you shut down your PC too quickly after closing your last Office app and/or you try to open an Office app too quickly after booting then something somewhere ends up in an untidy state, which confuses the 'Microsoft Office Click-to-Run (SxS)' process, which in turn tries to repair something, which doesn't work and gives the error message.

Ken

uncle
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Re: Office updates when Updates disabled

Post by uncle »

Thanks much, Ken. Will give it a go.

uncle
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Re: Office updates when Updates disabled

Post by uncle »

Ken – I followed your instructions and so far no problem. Thank you so much for 'sharing.'

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stuck
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Re: Office updates when Updates disabled

Post by stuck »

uncle wrote:
22 Nov 2020, 15:44
...so far no problem...
Until it happens again, in which case rinse and repeat :grin:

if you Google this problem you'll find other reports and various explanations and cures but it all seems very random. My work PC and laptop (which run Office 365) have never had this problem. On my home PC it crops up when it crops up, I can't find any pattern to it but ending Office Click-to-Run task has worked round the problem every time.

Ken

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stuck
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Re: Office updates when Updates disabled

Post by stuck »

I have a new theory on this error. First some context.

This morning, when I tried to open Outlook I got the 'updating and error' problem. This time though, killing the 'Office Click-to-Run' process didn't work. Having done that, when I tried to open Word, the 'updating' message reappeared. I didn't wait for it to crash, I cancelled it and once again, killed the 'Office Click-to-Run' process. I next tried Outlook again and this time it opened without a problem. This got me thinking, perhaps it really was trying to update but me cancelling the orange box was enough to shut it up for a while? I then (in Outlook as that was the Office app I had open) clicked:
    File | Office account | Update Options | Update Now
That produced a 'downloading updates' dialog, which led to a 'we need to close Outlook' message. Having OK'd that, it did what it had to and ended with 'updates installed' and now my home PC reports I'm on v2011 (up from v2010).

From this I speculate that on opening an Office app, it checks for updates. If none are found the app opens without an error. If though an update is found it begins to apply the update but instead of throwing up a polite 'we need to close [name of Office app trying to start]' message so that the update can be applied, it simply chokes and up pops the 'Oxc...' error message, because there is an Office app in use.

It's a theory anyway... until the next time when it's a safe bet manually checking for updates will not find any updates :grin:

Ken