Windows XP, SP3: Blank Screen in Windows Update

I go into Control Panel > left pane > Windows Update. Internet Explorer 6 opens, but displays nothing other than the URL (http://www.microsoft.com/isapi/redir.dll?prd=Win2000&ar=WinUpdate).

IE seems to be functioning normally. For instance, a search works OK at google.com.

I tried entering the URL (above) into Opera, but there the URL was converted into something entirely different. I'm guessing that, in any case, Microsoft didn't want people using anything other than IE to access Windows Update.

I'm just in the process of updating this old WinXP installation, recently restored from a backup drive image. The attached log file contains the details.

 

If I'm not mistaken Microsoft doesn't update XP anymore. You have to get them elsewhere. Maybe you can use this: https://archive.org/details/xp-unofficial-sp4-jan2022_20220113

I haven't tested it. It says you need to have SP1 at least for it to work. Maybe others have other methods of updating. In my case I use XP 64 and found a website that had all the updates and I added them all before installing windows with nlite.

 

there are several sp4's around and you should research them carefully, or and this would be time consuming, download each needed update from microsoft update catalog.

microsoft update no longer works for xp.