I understand that the computer failed to scan 
for updates after installing Service Pack 2.  

NOTE: This occurred after an inplace update 
was done to XP Home-that is, the R was pressed 
on the 2nd time through.

The error code 80072efd was received.

This issue can occur if any of the following 
conditions are true:

1. Some third party background programs, 
such as anti-virus programs or firewall block 
access to the Windows Update website.

2. The proxy settings are incorrect.

3. The Host file is corrupted.

4. There is a problem with the server of the 
Internet Service Provider (ISP) that blocks access to the 
Windows Update website.

5. The driver for the network card is not 
working properly.

6. The network card is damaged, impacting the 
Internet connectivity.

At this point, let's try the following steps to 
troubleshoot the issue.

Suggestion 1: Disable firewalls or other Internet 
browser programs that can affect the Internet 
connection

=====================================
The following programs can affect the 
connection to the Windows Update site and I 
suggest we remove or disable them:

Download Accelerator

GetRight

Browser Blaster

BitTorrent

eMule

Sygate Personal Firewall

Norton Internet Security

Freedom Firewall

Zone Alarm Firewall

If you have any other similar programs such as 
a pop-up blocker, please also temporarily 
remove or disable it to test the issue. Please understand that we are disabling these programs 
only for the purpose of troubleshooting and we 
can re-enable these programs after we finish. 

Note:  Please understand that Windows Firewall 
is on by default and is used to protect the system
when the third party security programs were 
turned off or removed.

For detailed information, we can refer to this 
Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

You receive an ""Error 0x80072EE2"" or 
""Error 0x80072EFD"" error message when you 
try to use Windows Update

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=836941

If this issue appears to be related to a firewall 
program, I also recommended that you contact 
the firewall manufacturer to obtain the 
information to configure the firewall options to 
allow the access to the Windows Update site.

If the issue persists after we disable the third 
party firewall program, we can check the following.

Suggestion 2: Rename the Hosts file

=====================

The Hosts file is used for host name resolution. 
If this file has been modified, we cannot access 
the Windows Update site properly and can receive
the error code.

1. Click Start, Run, type 
"%SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc" (Without the quotation) and then press Enter.

2. Right-click on the file "Hosts" (without quotations)
and choose Rename

3. Rename the file to "hostsold" (without quotations)

4. Then, clear the DNS (Domain Name Resolution)
cache:

1). Click Start, Run, type "cmd" 
(Without the quotation) and press Enter.

2). In the opened window, type: 
"ipconfig  /flushdns" (Without quotations)-press Enter.

Note: The Hosts file will be generated automatically
after being removed.

Please try the steps above and let me know the
results. If the issue persists, to provide more 
effective support, please assist me in collecting 
the following information.

How to collect System Information:

===========================

1. Click "Start", go to "Run", type in "MSINFO32"
(without quotation marks) and press Enter to start
System Information.

2. On the popup window, on the menu bar, click 
"File", and click "Save"; save it as an NFO file, 
such as "system.nfo" to your local Desktop.

3. Find the file, right-click on this file, click 
"Send To", and click "Compressed (zipped) Folder".

4. Please send it as an attachment to v-30nily@mssupport.microsoft.com.

How to collect the Windows Update log file:

================================

Note: There are two Windows Update log files 
with similar names, we will be using the 
"WindowsUpdate.log" file without a space in 
the middle of the name.

1. Click on Start, Run and type "WindowsUpdate.log"
 (without the quotes)

2. Click on the OK button. We will see a file named "WindowsUpdate.log"

3. Now click on the "File" menu and then click 
on the "Save As" and select "Desktop" in the 
"Save in" option on the top of the window.

4. Click on the Save button. The file will be saved 
to your Desktop. Please send the file as an attachment in an email 
to v-30nily@mssupport.microsoft.com

However, if the file is unable to be collected by 
the above steps, we can also use the following 
method to collect it.

1. Click "Start", "Run", type: %windir% and then
 press Enter.

2. In the open window, we will see a file named "WindowsUpdate.log"

3. Please send it as an attachment to: v-30nily@mssupport.microsoft.com


Please also let me know if this is a home computer
or a work computer. If it is a home computer, 
does it connect to the Internet directly or through
a network device? If it is a work computer, is the computer in a domain?

Thanks for your efforts and time. 
If anything is unclear, please feel free to let me know. I am glad to be of assistance.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best Regards,

v-30nily@mssupport.microsoft.com