Workaround: WSUS fails to install on Windows SBS computers

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If you are trying without success to install WSUS 2.0 on a computer running Windows SBS 2003, you may be experiencing a known issue.

 

We will shortly be releasing a document that addresses the exact steps for installing and configuring WSUS on SBS and will post a note on the day that it becomes available. In the meantime, to work around this problem, perform the following steps to download and then install the latest WSUS files:

To download the WSUS installer to your computer running Windows SBS

  1. On the computer running Windows SBS, create a folder named WSUSFiles on the local hard disk.
  2. Read how to register to download the latest version of WSUSSetup.exe from the Microsoft Web site. (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=51144)
  3. Answer all of the required questions on the Windows Server Update Services Registration Wizard Web page, and then click Continue.
  4. When the file download security warning appears, click Save.
  5. In the Save As dialog box, browse to the WSUSFiles folder, and then click Save.

To prepare the WSUS database

  1. Extract the WSUS Setup files.

    1. Click Start, click Run, and then type C:\WSUSFiles\WSUSSetup.exe /X, where C: is the letter of your local hard disk.
    2. When prompted for a location to extract the files, select the WSUSFiles folder.

  2. Type the command CD C:\WSUSFiles\wmsde where C: is the letter of your local hard disk, and then press Enter:

  3. Type the following command with consideration to the points listed below, and then press Enter:

    Sqlrun03.msi InstanceName=WSUS BlankSAPwd=1 Reboot=ReallySuppress DisableNetworkProtocols=1 DisableAgentStartup=1 DisableThrottle=1

    * If you want to specify the drive letter where the database instance will be located, you must add the DataDir="Path" argument to the command line, where Path is the path to the target directory in the file system.

    * The command line implies that your WSUS database will have a blank password. However, during the actual installation of WSUS, a randomly generated password is set. You do not need to specify a password.

    * The command line is not case sensitive.

  4. Start the MSSQL$WSUS service. To do this, click Start, click Run, and then type Services.msc. Right-click MSSQL$WSUS, and then click Start. If the service is not listed, repeat steps 2 and 3 of this procedure.

To install WSUS

  1. Click Start, click Run, and then type C:\WSUSFiles\WSUSSetup.exe, where C: is the letter of your local hard disk.
  2. On the Welcome page of the wizard, click Next.
  3. Read the terms of the license agreement carefully, click I accept the terms of the License Agreement, and then click Next.
  4. On the Select Update Source page, you can specify where the client computers get updates. If you select the Store updates locally check box, updates are stored on the server and you can select a location in the file system to store updates. If you do not store updates locally, the client computers connect to Microsoft Update to get approved updates. Keep the default option to store updates locally, either choose a location to store updates or accept the default location, and then click Next.
  5. On the Database Options page, keep the default options, and then click Next. Because you installed WMSDE in the previous procedure, changing the options on this page of the wizard has no effect.
  6. On the Web Site Selection page, specify a Web site for WSUS to use. This page also lists two important URLs based on this selection: the URL to which you will point WSUS client computers to get updates, and the URL for the WSUS console where you can configure WSUS. Keep the default option and click Next.
  7. On the Mirror Update Settings page, keep the default option and click Next. If you want to use multiple WSUS servers in a central management topology, see “Deploying Microsoft Windows Server Update Services.”
  8. On the Ready to Install Windows Server Update Services page, review the selections, and then click Next.
  9. If the final page of the wizard confirms that WSUS installation was successfully completed, click Finish.

Important: After you install WSUS, you can delete the C:\WSUSFiles folder. However, do not delete the C:\WSUS folder, which is created when WSUS is installed.

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.