JSI Tip 7092. Automatic Updates cannot download updates and Event ID 16 Is logged in the System event log?

When Automatic Updates in Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003, attempts to download updates, the download fails. Event ID 16 is logged in the System event log.

NOTE: You can manually download updates from Windows Update.

If you cannot ping the Web Proxy Auto-Discovery (WPAD) server by its Domain Name System (DNS) name, AND the Automatically detect settings box is checked in the computer's Local Area Network (LAN) settings, you will experience this behavior.

NOTE: This behavior may occur if your computer's connection-specific DNS suffix does NOT match the DNS domain where the WPAD server's DNS entry is registered. For your computer to automatically detect LAN settings, the WPAD server's DNS entry must be correctly configured, and a DNS query from your computer must successfully resolve the name WPAD.mydomain.com, where mydomain.com is the connection-specific DNS domain.

To resolve this issue, correctly configure the WPAD server's DNS entry, and insure that your computer's connection-specific DNS suffix matches the DNS domain where the WPAD server's DNS entry is registered.

To configure your DHCP server to set the connection-specific DNS suffix for its' client computers:

1. Windows 2000 DHCP Server - Start / Programs / Administrative Toos / DHCP.   Windows Server 2003 DHCP Server - Start / Administrative Toos / DHCP.   Windows XP DHCP server - Start / Control Panel / Performance and Maintenance / Administrative Tools / DHCP.

2. Double-click the name of your server, right-click Server Options, and press Configure Options.

3. In the Available Options list, press 015 DNS Domain Name.

4. In the String value box of Data entry, type the connection-specific domain name that you want the client computers to use as their connection-specific DNS suffix.

5. Press OK.

6. You must release and renew the DHCP lease on all client computers, and you should confirm that the clients can resolve the WPAD server name. You can automate this task using Workstation.bat, or PsExec, to run WPADfix.bat, which contains commands similar to:

@echo offipconfig /releaseipconfig /renewset OK=Nset test=Nfor /f "Tokens=*" %%p in ('ping WPAD.mydomain.com') do set test=%%p&call :replyfromif "%OK%" EQU "N" net send YourDesktopComputerName %ComputerName% cannot contact WPAD.mydomain.com.goto :EOF:replyfromif /i "%test:~0,10%" EQU "Reply from" set OK=Y