The Windows Update client on my (Windows XP Pro) computer has recently
been failing with the generic error message 0x800A138F. After taking a
look in the Windows Update log file in hopes of finding something more
specific, I saw the following two messages:

followed by

Most of the information regarding message 0x80070057 that I've been able
to find on the web has to do with problems with either the NetOp
software package or the OKI ink jet printer drivers, neither of which
affects my computer.

If my gut feeling is right, it looks as though an error with the XML
parser is the cause of the "parameter is incorrect" error. However, I've
reinstalled the latest versions of MSXML and IUCTL / IUENGINE, and the
situation hasn't improved any.

Unfortunately, I'm not clear on exactly when this problem started on
this machine, so I cannot tie the issue to any specific software or
hardware driver installation.

Have any of you weathered out these same errors before? Thanks in
advance... resorting to manually downloading knowledge base security
updates isn't fun.

Mark

--
+-----------------------------------------+
| Mark Shroyer <gael@mail.portland.co.uk> |
+-----------------------------------------+

We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking.
- Mark Twain

Mark Shroyer wrote:
Hello Mark,
First, try deleting temporary internet cache files.
Next, check to see that these sites are in Trusted site List in your IE browser:
Internet Explorer > main menu /Tools/Internet Options >

Security Tab/ click on green icon Trusted Sites/click Sites button.
Click "Require server verification (https for all sites in this zone" to *clear* the selection.

In the "Add this Web site to the zone:" field, add these entries to list of "Trusted Sites" --

type
http://www.download.windowsupdate.com (click Add)

http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com

https://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com (with HTTPS)

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

http://download.windowsupdate.com

Click OK.

Then try the following (which is for credit to Kari at MS ):
Try connecting to https://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com (this should work
if your problem is with caching)

Try the steps at http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/troubleshoot/ under
"Error 0x800A138F displayed during Scan, 0x800C00008 shows in Windows
Update.log"

Try deleting temp internet files (cookies, etc.) under Tools/Internet
Options

Try deleting everything in Program Files\Windows Update\V4 except iuhist.xml

Do post back with your progress. And if necessary, post back with the last lines (for fail date) from
Windows Update.log file
--
Maurice N
MVP Windows - Shell / User
-----

"Mark Shroyer" <gael@mail.portland.co.uk> wrote in message
news:c0c0g6$mk2$1@spnode25.nerdc.ufl.edu...

I've had the same problem for almost 2 months now. I've tried all the fixes
I could find on usenet / support sites including the FIPS algorithm check,
SSL2/3 enable, cache clearing, XML parser reinstall... pretty much
everything except reinstalling Windows from scratch.

I've recently installed a HTTP monitoring tool (HttpWatch 3.0) that allowed
me to look a bit closer at the XML that is "missing the character '>'". When
I click the "Scan for updates" link this is the relevant parts of the flow
between client and server:

1) A SOAP message is posted to
https://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/getmanifest.asp, and a complete XML
document is returned. The SOAP request (POST data) contains information
about my client system (hardware manufacturer, os, language) and a <query>
tag with a procedurename "Providers" specified. The response is a <catalog>
containing a list of providers. This all looks OK, is wellformed XML and no
errors have occured in the Windows Update process at this time.

2) Next Another SOAP message is posted to the same URL. The SOAP POST data
are very similar to those of the first request, except this tiem the <query>
tag contains a list of parentItems. This list contains output from the first
service request.
However, the response to this request is where the problem is. A quite large
XML document is returned with a structure like this:
<catalog>
<provider>
<identity>
<provider>
<productids>
<item>
...
</item>
(repeat of identity, provider, productids, item)
</provider>
</cata

The XML document is about 18KB in size and it all looks perfectly sane,
except that the last 4 bytes to complete the </catalog> end tag are missing
("log>"). This corresponds well with what I see in the "C:\WINNT\Windows
Update.log" file:
2004-02-11 12:04:19 11:04:19 Error IUENGINE loadXML: line 1,
pos 1, End element was missing the character '>'. (Error 0xC00CE55F)
2004-02-11 12:04:19 11:04:19 Success IUENGINE cata
2004-02-11 12:04:19 11:04:19 Error IUENGINE Querying software
update catalog from https://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/getmanifest.asp
(Error 0x80070057: The parameter is incorrect.)

Line two complains about the partial end tag. So, the question is why does
this happen? The XML parser seems sound - it's the XML itself thats
truncated.

It might be worth mentioning that I've installed both MS Soap Toolkit 3,
Visual Studio .NET and tons of other XML/development -related tools and
programs on my PC.
If anobody can use the full XML thats being posted back and forth, just
contact me by email and I'll send it to you.

Any help is appreciated!
-Morten Poulsen

Mark,

It sounds like you may have FIPS enabled.

Check the following Security Policy

Go to Start > Run
Type "Secpol.msc"
press OK
Navigate To the "Security Options"
Find " System Cryptography: Use FIPS compliant Algorithms policy"
Disable the policy, access Windows Update again.


Let me know if the results.

--
Thanks,
Lucy [MS]

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


"Mark Shroyer" <gael@mail.portland.co.uk> wrote in message
news:c0c0g6$mk2$1@spnode25.nerdc.ufl.edu...

Morten,

Is this Windows XP, 2000, or an XP upgrade from 2000?
Are you running Smart Card to VPN?


--
Thanks,
Lucy [MS]

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


"Morten Poulsen" <portenmoulsen@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:eJeAPHJ8DHA.1052@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

Thanks for your detailed reply... those are exactly the symptoms I am
experiencing, right down to the place where the closing </catalog> tag
is apparently being truncated. (I haven't been able to look at the GET
data my computer is receiving yet, as I haven't yet found a HTTP packet
inspection tool for Internet Explorer, and Ethereal can't read the
packets because they're encrypted; however, from what you have described
and what I have seen in my Windows Update.log, our problems are one and
the same.)

I should have included a more complete copy of what's been appearing in
my windows updates logs in my original post. Here it is:

2004-02-11 07:47:53 12:47:53 Success IUENGINE Querying
software update catalog from
https://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/getmanifest.asp
2004-02-11 07:48:11 12:48:11 Error IUENGINE loadXML: line
1, pos 1, End element was missing the character '>'.
(Error 0xC00CE55F)
2004-02-11 07:48:11 12:48:11 Success IUENGINE cata
2004-02-11 07:48:11 12:48:11 Error IUENGINE Querying
software update catalog from
https://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/getmanifest.asp (Error
0x80070057: The parameter is incorrect.)

I should also add that, while I don't know exactly when these problems
started on my computer, it was sometime around two months ago - the same
as with you. I'm sure you know quite a bit more about MSXML than I do,
so I'll leave any hypothesizing to you, but it would be interesting to
see an HTTP dump of the XML that is sent to a computer on which Windows
Update is functioning properly...

For my part, I haven't installed any of the SOAP or XML development
tools that you mentioned in your post. I did go through an unsuccessful
installation of Visual Studio .NET a few months ago, but I think I can
recall successful Windows Update check ins after that failed
installation attempt.

Needless to say, I'll keep you (and the rest of this newsgroup) posted
if I ever figure out how to remedy this situation without a complete
Windows reinstallation.

Mark


Morten Poulsen wrote:

--
+-----------------------------------------+
| Mark Shroyer <gael@mail.portland.co.uk> |
+-----------------------------------------+

We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking.
- Mark Twain

Thanks, that fixed it. Very much obliged.

I didn't realize that enabling the FIPS policy would break Windows
Update... is this something I should have known about all along, or just
a recent bug?

Mark


Lucy [MS] wrote:
--
+-----------------------------------------+
| Mark Shroyer <gael@mail.portland.co.uk> |
+-----------------------------------------+

We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking.
- Mark Twain

"Lucy [MS]" <a-leby@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:%235umitL8DHA.2576@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
Hi

I'm running Win XP Professional SP 1 (version 2002 according to System
Properties)
I don't use any smart-cards or a VPN connection, but my PC is placed behind
2 company firewalls. None of my colleagues (with similar PC-setup) have the
same problem though.

-Morten

"Morten Poulsen" <portenmoulsen@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e362jGU8DHA.1640@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
The XP is a clean install (not an upgrade) by the way.
I've also just double-checked that I have FIPS disabled - still the same
problem.

Hi Morten,

FYI - I sent you an email requesting more info.

--
Thanks,
Lucy [MSFT]

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


"Morten Poulsen" <portenmoulsen@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:uRGYoIU8DHA.2712@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...