If you recently upgraded to Windows 7 or did a clean install of Windows 7, the first thing you need to do is run Windows Update to download the latest security patches and fixes.
However, you may also receive an error with the following error code below:
0x80073712
Or, if you go into Control Panel and click Turn Windows Features On or Off, you may see that the Windows Features dialog box is blank.
If Windows is working fine, the Windows Features dialog box should look like this:
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This error will also cause you to see a log entry in the system log in Windows Event Viewer with the following description:
Windows Service could not complete the installation process for package xxxxxx (Software Update) to its default (default) state
There are two possible solutions to fix the problem. For any of these, you need to ensure that the account you are logged in to has administrative details. If so, try the following methods to fix a blank or blank Windows Features dialog box.
Method 1: Run System File Checker
The first way to fix this problem is to run the System File Checker, which will scan all system files for Windows 7 or Vista and replace any corrupted, missing, or incorrect files with the original correct versions.
To run the System File Checker tool in Windows 7, click Start and type CMD in the search box. Right-click the cmd.exe file and select “Run as administrator”.
Now enter the following command at the command prompt:
sfc / scannow
The scan will take some time and the original Windows installation CD may also be required.
Try running Windows Update again, or try going to Windows Features and see if everything returns to the list. If not, try Method 2.
Method 2 – System Restore
You may need to restore the operating system to a previous state in which the problem did not exist. You can perform a System Restore on Windows 7 by going to Start and typing “system restore” in the search box:
When the dialog box appears, click Next, then select one of the previous restore points from the list and click Next.
Hopefully after the recovery is complete, you can either install Windows Updates or not have an empty Windows Features dialog box. If the problem persists, please leave a comment and I’ll try to help!
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