Unable to do windows update--Repair install help?

So, windows update... won't. And the repair tool they have delivered didn't work either. So next thing up is a re-install.


I don't have nearly enough space on my external hard drive to back everything up that I have on my m11x, so I want to do a repair install of the Windows 7 so I can get the service pack and other updates.

So... how can I?

If I get an ISO of Windows 7 w/ SP1 from a friend or something, can I use daemon tools to run it from Windows 7 itself to do a repair? Or will it move everything to windows.old and try a fresh install?

I don't want to do anything that will cause me more of a headache, and I REALLY don't want to have to do a clean install during midterm crazy-week. Or at all during this semester, really.


Edit:
I also found a guide on google with this: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3413-repair-install.html

but I'm not sure if it applies, because to find a version that is the same/newer (IE With SP1) I don't know if I can use the key that's on the bottom of my M11x...

So can anybody give me some pointers? Or is this impossible?

 

I can't get windows update to run either... were you able to fix this?

 

Did you disable any Windows services in 'services.msc' ?

 

I haven't disabled anything... it looks like my m11x isn't able to run updates out of the box...

 

Can you be more specific with regard to what is happening? Any exact error messages, etc. would be helpful.

 

It says "checking for updates" for a very very long time and then displays some basic error. I ran the "update tool fixer" and it said it repaired it, but I don't think it actually did and I'm pretty sure it still isn't working.

I started it a minute ago and will wait for it to time out and post the error.


"An error occurred while checking for new updates for your computer. Error(s) found: Code 80072EE2 Windows Update encountered an unknown error. "

 

Its possible you failed an update somewhere. Look in your update log to find out which ones failed and I would suggest manually re-installing them... Also are you plugged in when you are running updates and what type of internet connection are you using? (wireless? how strong is the signal strength?)

 

How would I do it manually?

I thought you could download them online but it just says "GO TO CONTROL PANEL AND DO UPDATES" on the microsoft site.

 

This is often a sign of malware - disabling Windows Updates is often one of the first things they do. Do you see anything out of the ordinary in your C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts file?

 

I have this issue every time I try to manually update. I have found a solution that works for me every time. When the red error comes up, there is a link on the bottom that says "Check online for updates from Microsoft Update". I click on the link, and it almost immediately shows me the updates and allows me to download them and install them. I don't know why this occurs.

I hope this is helpful for you...

 

Thanks sumowondertoad you solution worked for my M11X r2.