How to Fix Windows 7 Code 80072EFE Error

by Alan Pfahler on November 11, 20212023-05-05T02:38:18+00:00

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Today, I get the following error message while trying to check the Windows 7 updates:

Windows could not search for new updates.

An error occurred while checking 
for new updates for your computer.

Error(s) found:

Code 80072EFE  Windows Update encountered an unknown error.

This method also works for fresh installations of Windows Server 2008 r2 and Windows Server 2012 r2.

Setp 1: Download patches for Windows 7.

KB3020369:

• Windows 7 64-bit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/download/details.aspx?id=46817
• Windows 7 32-bit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/download/details.aspx?id=46827

KB3125574:

• Windows 7 64-bit: http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/msdownload/update/software/updt/2016/05/windows6.1-kb3125574-v4-x64_2dafb1d203c8964239af3048b5dd4b1264cd93b9.msu
• Windows 7 32-bit: http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/msdownload/update/software/updt/2016/05/windows6.1-kb3125574-v4-x86_ba1ff5537312561795cc04db0b02fbb0a74b2cbd.msu

Setp 2: Open the file you’ve just downloaded and follow the on-screen instructions to install the update. Reboot, run windows 7 update again, working well.