Problems getting Windows Vista to update

[RedShirt]

My fiancé's laptap has refused to update for over a year now and is still stuck on Vista SP1. I've fiddled with this issue off & on but am now at my wit's end.
The updater history shows that SP2 downloaded but failed to install in 9 different occasions in the past, however now this laptop cannot connect Microsoft.com downloadable content - not even to manually download SP2.

Below is a copy of the support request I sent to Microsoft, hopefully it contains all the pertinent information:

Computer is a Gateway model ML6732 laptop, 1.73Ghz processor, 3GB ram, 32-bit operating system. Current OS is Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1.

According to Windows Update the last time an update was installed was on 6/2/2009.
According to Update History Service Pack 2 (KB948465) has failed to install on 9 separate occasions in the past year.
Using Windows Update to check for updates consistantly yields a failure with error code 80072EFD. Microsoft Support webpage says this error code is ERROR_INTERNET_CANNOT_CONNECT.

Windows Firewall is disabled.
No third party firewalls are installed.
All Internet Explorer security protocols are turned to minimum and no sites are listed as 'Restricted.'
Automatic Updates is turned on.

Internet on this laptop works normally using 3 different web browsers EXCEPT when accessing Microsoft download content - constantly get failure to connect errors when attempting to manually download SP2 from Microsoft.com.
I do not encounter this problem on the 2 other computers in this house connected to the same internet network.
It almost appears as though Microsoft.com is actively blocking this particular computer's access to downloadble content.

How can we correct this issue and bring this computer up to current spec?

I'm not expect a reply until at least Monday.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated by both myself and my fiancé.
Thanks in advance.

 

[diankra]

I've had a similar, if not identical, problem with a Vista laptop since February-ish, and I'm sorry to say, nothing has sorted it out. I've pretty much written the laptop off, and wouldn't touch Vista with a bargepole.

Sorry not to be able to pass on more useful advice (because the best advice I can give is 'Don't waste too much time on a lost cause').
Hope someone can suggest something that will help you more.

 

[Brolan]

Windows networking can be the most frustrating thing imaginable. There can be multiple reasons you can't connect, my money is on a virus you had, or still have. I would download Malwarebytes anti-malware, let it update and try to fix your system. Another option is using system restore to go back before you started having problems and allow it to update again. Otherwise I would reload Vista from scratch and start over.

 

[RedShirt]

It was a trojan.
It's fixed now.