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For about a week now Windows Update on my work machine has failed to download or install the latest security patches. I've tried Automatic Updates and going directly to the windowsupdate.microsoft.com site, but both methods start to download and then fail with no error messages. Perfect.

So, I did some digging and found that the update log lives here (in default XP Pro): C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\ReportingEvents.log

Scrolling down through this text file I find the 9th column over to show the error number: 80264005

Google then brings up Ali's helpful blog entry: Windows update gives a 80246005 error

Basic rundown: Stop the Automatic Updates service, delete the contents of C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore, restart the Automatic Update service and try the download/install of updates again.

Worked for me. Thanks, Ali.

My interests in music, guitars, and technology collide together on the computer. I'm also a big fan of free software, so this program is tops on my list for great free software.

Audacity is a free multi-track sound editor that features recording during playback, a host of built-in tools, and a long list of audio effects.

I currently use Audacity to record my church's sermon tapes, clean them up, and then export them to MP3 for download from the website. I've also recently used it to record guitar tracks that were later imported onto a hard disk recorder for vocal tracks to be added.

Audacity is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac. Check it out, and read the help to get started.