Break Windows Update deliberately, then repair it in the documented order

short · 40 min · Objective 1.3

Task

Induce an update failure in the disposable guest by corrupting the download cache, observe the error, then repair it in the order the troubleshooting sequence prescribes. The point is to have run the repair once before you need it, and to see that the order matters.

Steps

  1. Record the current update state in lab/update/before.csv with header item,value covering the version, the last successful update date, free disk space and whether a restart is pending.
  2. Stop the update services, rename the software distribution folder, and start them again. Record the exact folder path and the commands used in lab/update/reset.md.
  3. Trigger an update check and record what happened in lab/update/result.txt, including any error code.
  4. Run the component store repair and then the system file check, in that order, saving both outputs to lab/update/repair.txt. Record in lab/update/order.md why that order and not the reverse.
  5. Write lab/update/controls.csv with header control,what_it_stops,what_it_does_not_stop covering pause, active hours, deferral policy and metered connection.

Verify

awk -F, 'NR>1 && NF>=2 {n++} END {print n" state item(s)"}' lab/update/before.csv
grep -Eic 'softwaredistribution' lab/update/reset.md
grep -c . lab/update/result.txt
grep -Eic 'dism|restorehealth|sfc' lab/update/repair.txt
awk -F, 'NR>1 && NF>=3 {n++} END {print n" control(s)"}' lab/update/controls.csv
grep -Eic 'repairs from|source|component store' lab/update/order.md

Four state items, the cache folder named, both repair tools run, and the order note explaining that the component store is what the file checker repairs from.

Notes

The order is the examinable part and it is easy to remember once stated: the file checker repairs files from the component store, so repairing the store first is what gives the file checker something good to copy.

This is an independent study companion for CompTIA A+ Core 2 220-1202 and is not produced by or endorsed by CompTIA.