Windows Update problem 80073701

Hey guys, I'm new here and hope you can help me with a problem.

Ik have a Alienware desktop that came with a legit windows7 64bit dvd, but dont think i have a keycode, over the years I've re-installed it a couple of times without entering a keycode if i remember correctly, but it works perfect and it says its legit and no problems with updates or whatever (so i guess the keycode is saved somewhere and it just fills it in for you?)

However I've used the same dvd to instal windows 7 64bit on my laptop, where i also didnt enter a keycode.

Anyway, had everything installed, run all the updates including SP1 no problemo.
But then countdown for validating windows finished and its telling me its not legit and i should buy it.
Which is no surprise i found after searching, because if i understand correctly this keycode can only be used at one pc at the time?

So not willing to buy windows for my crappy laptop, and not able to use my keycode on 2 pc's? but wanting to be able to update windows, i found that "windows loader by Daz" was probably my best choice, correct?

Couldnt find the kb9710

Downloaded it (2.2.2) ran it, and it said it did its work, so i restarted and searched for updates, and it said it needed to install new Windows Update-software first.
When i click the 'install now" its start downloading and installing updates but after 10sec stops and says:
Cant look for new updates
there's been a mistake code 80073701

Thinking the Windows Loader may not have worked i decide to reinstal, but no fix, then i uninstall and look for the KB971033 update they say is used for checking if your pc is legit.
Couldnt find it (has the name changed?) so decided to do a system restore to a month before hoping to get rid of it.
Also ran windows loader again, but no fix.

Googled 80073701 and followed the self help pages:

It discribes it as a problem with installing SP1 which i am pretty sure i already have even though i did a system restore.
Followed the described steps anyway:

- ran windowsupdatediagnostic to reset that s**t, which it did
- tried to update readiness tool for windows 7 64bit and 32, but it says its not for this machine?
also tried another update readiness tool win7 64bit i found in another instruction:

But it didnt work!? should i run in compatibilty-mode or whatever?

- did sfc/scannow which found/fixed a couple problems
- try update rediness tool again as described, but still didnt work

After that comes "solution 1" which i dont understand completely and think doesnt suit my problem as SP1 is already installed?

It then advices to delete extra language packs, i checked and there's only one installed (dutch) but it has a yellow square in front of it, should i reinstal?



Anyway now im thinking windows update probably doesnt work because its still not legit "enough" i decide to try and reset the validation using CMD: slmgr /rearm which i found can be done a couple of times to win some time? thinking it should allow updates then, correct?

System got reset, got my wallpaper back and it says its still 3days (not 30) until i have to validate again, but still windows update doesnt work.


So what now guys? i think i need to run the update readiness tool but cant get it to work?
And im still thinking it's maybe a nog being legit yet problem? but since i resetted the counter and it says i still have 2days update should work normally right?
Really dont want to reinstall windows...
But i also need to know what the best way for me to make it "legit" and run updates.

Sorry for the long story but like i said i dont know if im doing something wrong.
I posted the links of the pages referred to, but im had to delete them, im not allowed

Hope you guys can help me.

 

What your saying goes way over my head, and you need to exlain more for me to do that sort of stuff.
However if you mean that i have windows installed on a partition, i have not, formatted it all and did it all on one drive when I installed windows

But more important I decided to try and run the system update readiness program again, and now the f**ker does work!
doing sfc/scannow now and then running it again like said in the problemsolver, ill update you guys soon.

But in the mean time can you answer me these questions:
In a normal case, if updates work fine but get blocked because of the validating stuff, if you then reset it with slmgr -rearm (which i believe you can do 3x30days) updates are suppose to work again?

This is only temporary ofc and to rule out problems with validating, so the other question is if there is a way to use my legit keycode on 2 pc's? or is windowsloader the way to go for me if i get it working ofc.
I'm starting to think the windowsloader works perfectly fine since it also said itself that it was working, and that the update problem is just a coincidence.

 

Had high hopes for the system update readiness program but it still didnt work

So what to do now?

 

Thanks for the input.

I think windowsloader is working fine, the problem is just in windows update, also the sfc/scannow did turn up some errors but it said it had fixed it, sorry i dont remember which.

Like i said code stuff is new to me, so you have to explain stuff, so just admin run CMD and type this:

net stop wuauserv

then do an enter
then type this:

rd /q/s %Windir%\softwaredistribution

enter.
And then try windows update again?

Do i need to restart the wuauserv stuff again later?

What is wierd is that when i look at the systemproperties it says SP1 is installed, but i cant find it in the "installed updates" list.
How to be certain its installed? i know i installed it before but maybe its deleted with the systemrecovery s**t.
And if not, should i try manually instead of with windows update?

Also is there a way to manually update the windows update program? because thats what its trying to do when the 80073701 error comes.

 

Only use Windows Security Essentials turned but i already turned the realtime scanning, and firewall off when trying all previous things.
Found the SP1 update in the folder so thats installed like i thought.

I will try to manually update the wuauserv but first i still need to do the previous thing you told me but you didnt answer me how to do it:

admin run CMD and type this:

net stop wuauserv

then do an enter
then type this:

rd /q/s %Windir%\softwaredistribution

enter.
And then try windows update again?


Correct?
I told you before, i am a noob.

 

Tried that and during the installation process it gives an error again with the same 0x80073701


Just to be clear what the problem is now: i cant search/instal Windows Updates because it says its needs to install and new version of windows update first, but when it tries that it says its failed with the code 80073701.
The same code comes when i try to update WUA manually.

I have my firewall turned off, and also tried the fix discribed on pages of microsoft with running update readiness tool and doing sfc/scannow stuff.
Also did: net stop wuauservrd
and: rd /q/s %Windir%\softwaredistribution

What now? do i need to uninstal WUA first or something? and try to reinstall? if so, please explain how/where.

Thnx

 

I dont want to reinstall, and i dont see why that would be necessary, SP1 installed without problems and Updates also worked, after that something happend (might have been windows loader) but now windows update is not working, thats the only problem i need to get fixed.

And as i told you that key is already in use on another system, i thought you can't use it twice?

 

Should reinstalling SP1 work? just delete it from the updates list and reinstall manually?\

And can you also respond to my question regarding my key