[WinPartners] Windows Update Error (0x800C0008) started overnight...

[Kerem B Limon]

About since late yesterday, I am unable to get Windows Update to 
scan/compare for available updates on *any* of my machines.

Symptoms:

o I am getting the following error:

>Windows Update Error
>
>
>Windows Update has encountered an error. This may be due to a discrepancy 
>in your computer's time setting.
>
>To check your date and time setting:
>
>On the taskbar, double-click the time.
>Verify that the date and time is correct.
>
>
>You can also get online support if you are having problems with Windows 
>Update.
>
>
>Send error number to Microsoft (0x800C0008)
>Note This sends error information but does not create a support incident; 
>you may or may not receive a response.

o The time and date (and time zone) are (apparently) correct according to 
time.mit.edu, my watch, CNN, etc. on all the machines.

o This happens on *every* Windows (2000 & XP, haven't tested other flavors 
yet) machine I have.

o  This started virtually overnight or a bit earlier.

o Microsoft newsgroups, particularly microsoft.public.windowsupdate ( 
news://microsoft.public.windowsupdate or 
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&group=microsoft.public.windowsupdate 
) are riddled with identical error reports, though the standard 
troubleshooting response from lurking Microsofties do not seem to address 
the problem.

o *Nothing* changed on the machines before and after this started happening.

In fact, one particular machine is a Windows 2000 Professional workstation 
on which I had to do a clean install; I completed it early yesterday, long 
*before* the problem started showing up and things were fine. I then had to 
blow it away and reinstall, and started late last evening, followed the 
*exact* same steps, and successfully performed on-line updates early in the 
evening. Then, late last night, before I deployed the machine, I wanted to 
check for any last minute updates as a last check, and ran across this 
problem. Since about then, this problem shows up consistently whenever I 
try to check for updates.

All of these symptoms tell me something *on the Microsoft* side changed or 
is messed up, as everything on this side has been static and copacetic :) 
until now, and this happens across all of my machines.

Any suggestions, others who encountered this? And yes, BTW, these machines 
are behind a connection-sharing device (NAT router on Comcast).

Kerem