Resolve Windows Update Error “Code 80072EFE” on a Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (x64) built from the DVD ISO with release date February 23, 2011

In this blog post, you will discover how to resolve the Windows Update Error “Code 80072EFE” on a Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (x64) server that was built from the DVD ISO released on February 23, 2011.

Windows Server 2008 R2 (W2K8 R2), launched on October 22, 2009, reached its Extended Support (ESU) end date on January 10, 2023. Even though no critical and important updates are no longer foreseen, certain companies might find it necessary to deploy or redeploy servers running this operating system (OS) due to legacy demands or a lack of support for older third-party applications. In such cases, where direct upgrades or replacements aren’t available, this older OS might still be essential.

After setting up such a “legacy application” server by deploying it as a new Hyper-V virtual machine (VM) using the W2K8 R2 DVD ISO released on February 23, 2011, Windows Update encountered an error with “Code 800272EFE,” preventing it from searching for new updates. And although ESU support has already ended, you should still be able to update it with the latest releases until January 2019, as mentioned earlier.

A few years ago, around four or possibly even five years ago, I faced a similar issue when deploying my last Windows Server 2008 R2 from the exact same ISO version. Luckily, I have a habit of documenting most of my troubleshooting steps. After some searching, I rediscovered my previous solution. To assist those dealing with the same problem, I’ve detailed these steps in this blog post.

Resolve Windows Updates error with “Code 800272EFE

To resolve this error, follow a few simple steps.

If you’re using an even older version of the ISO, start by installing Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 for x64-based Systems (KB976932). You can download it using this link: https://catalog.s.download.windowsupdate.com/msdownload/update/software/svpk/2011/02/windows6.1-kb976932-x64_74865ef2562006e51d7f9333b4a8d45b7a749dab.exe

Once installed, or if you utilized the W2K8 R2 DVD ISO released on February 23, 2011, you can move on to the next step.

Then, to restore Windows Update functionality, you’ll need to install several updates. Below, you’ll find a list of these updates along with their download links from the Microsoft Update Catalog:

• (KB4474419) 2019-09 Security Update for Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems
• (KB4490628) 2019-03 Servicing Stack Update for Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems
• (KB4570673) 2020-08 Servicing Stack Update for Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems
• (KB4534310) 2020-01 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems

Download all these updates and save them in a shared folder accessible from the W2K8 R2 server, or store them locally on the server itself.

Then, install these updates in the following order: first, KB4474419; then KB4490628. After installing the second update, reboot the server.

Once the server is restarted, install the update, KB4570673, and finally, KB4534310. After the installation of the last one, reboot the server once more.

Once the server has rebooted for the second time and all the updates are installed, Windows Update should function normally again. When you begin updating, be prepared for quite a lengthy list of updates that need to be installed, and these updates will also require a few reboots.

Conclusion

To resolve the Windows Update Error “Code 80072EFE” on a Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (x64) server built from the DVD ISO released on February 23, 2011, it’s necessary to install several updates in a specific order.

I hope that the update steps outlined in this blog post will prove helpful in fixing this error for you.

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this blog post, please feel free to reach out to me via my X handle (@wmatthyssen) or leave a comment. I’m more than happy to assist.