Update-Help fails for WindowsUpdateProvider

[joeyaiello]

From @dsolodow on February 9, 2018 15:44

update-help : Failed to update Help for the module(s) 'WindowsUpdateProvider' with UI culture(s) {en-US} : Unable to retrieve the HelpInfo XML file for UI culture en-US. Make sure the HelpInfoUri property in the module manifest is valid or check your network connection and then try the command again. At line:1 char:1

• update-help

• 
  + CategoryInfo          : ResourceUnavailable: (:) [Update-Help], Exception
  + FullyQualifiedErrorId : UnableToRetrieveHelpInfoXml,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.UpdateHelpCommand

Copied from original issue: PowerShell/PowerShell-Docs#2117

[PrMinisterGR]

A year later & still not fixed running windows 11 pro version 21H2

I actually made a powershell script to update hosts without the use of any modules. If I get time, I will remove any system specific hard coded items and publish on my GitHub.

Basically reads AD and gives you a list of enabled windows machines, allows you a choice. And updates and reboots the machine remotely.

Hi, does this do optional updates? Can you please post what you have working?

[BWMerlin]

@ScriptAutomate In response to your final point, you don't need to bring attention to the internally-sourced PowerShell modules. We are well aware of the problems and are working to fix them. We have fixed this (for 90%) of the modules for the Server 2022 and Windows 11 release. The harder part is to fix this for old versions of Windows. We hope to have fixed this by the end of the calendar year.

Hi, any possible update on this specific module for Windows 11? It would seem it would be important to be able to update the operating system via the command line, in a consistent way without 3rd party libraries.

This does not update the operating system but rather updates the PowerShell help files.

[walthar]

Has anyone gotten any solution to the original problem?

> update-help -Module ConfigDefender -force
update-help : Failed to update Help for the module(s) 'ConfigDefender' with UI culture(s) {fi-FI} : Unable to retrieve
the HelpInfo XML file for UI culture fi-FI. Make sure the HelpInfoUri property in the module manifest is valid or check
 your network connection and then try the command again.
At line:1 char:1
+ update-help -Module ConfigDefender -force
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ResourceUnavailable: (:) [Update-Help], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : UnableToRetrieveHelpInfoXml,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.UpdateHelpCommand

My system:

OS Name:                   Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise
OS Version:                10.0.19044 N/A Build 19044

[sdwheeler]

@walthar The problem is in the module listed. That module is not owned by the PowerShell team. It is a Windows component. For modules that ship in Windows, use the Windows Feedback Hub. For more information, see Send feedback to Microsoft with the Feedback Hub app.

[walthar]

Thanks @sdwheeler . Will do. I do not intent to sound harsh, just from customer point of view powershell-team should be the single contact point for issues and they should assign those internally amongst different teams. My limited view is that the issue presents itself in powershell, thus it is a powershell problem. Ofc I wouldn't report eg vmware module issues here, but to vmware.

[MiladZarour]

I am having this error

[sdwheeler]

@MiladZarour These are all known issues for those modules. The module owners have to fix those.

[merlinuwe]

Same error.

[WuJieFly]

thank for @ScriptAutomate 's solution, this work around works:

Update-Help -Verbose -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

[afberendsen]

Newly installed Windows 11 (22H2) and still getting this problem....

PS C:\Windows\system32> help dir

...
REMARKS
    Get-Help cannot find the Help files for this cmdlet on this computer. It is displaying only partial help.
        -- To download and install Help files for the module that includes this cmdlet, use Update-Help.
        -- To view the Help topic for this cmdlet online, type: "Get-Help Get-ChildItem -Online" or
           go to https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=113308.

then, of course...

PS C:\Windows\system32> Update-Help                                                                                     Update-Help : Failed to update Help for the module(s) 'ConfigDefender, ConfigDefenderPerformance, DefenderPerformance,  Dism, Get-NetView, Kds, NetQos, PcsvDevice, Pester, PKI, StorageBusCache, VMDirectStorage, Whea, WindowsUpdate' with
UI culture(s) {en-GB} : Unable to retrieve the HelpInfo XML file for UI culture en-GB. Make sure the HelpInfoUri
property in the module manifest is valid or check your network connection and then try the command again.
At line:1 char:1
+ Update-Help
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ResourceUnavailable: (:) [Update-Help], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : UnableToRetrieveHelpInfoXml,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.UpdateHelpCommand

PS C:\Windows\system32> Update-Help
Update-Help : Failed to update Help for the module(s) 'ConfigDefender, ConfigDefenderPerformance, DefenderPerformance,
Dism, Get-NetView, Kds, NetQos, PcsvDevice, Pester, PKI, StorageBusCache, VMDirectStorage, Whea, WindowsUpdate' with
UI culture(s) {en-GB} : Unable to retrieve the HelpInfo XML file for UI culture en-GB. Make sure the HelpInfoUri
property in the module manifest is valid or check your network connection and then try the command again.
At line:1 char:1
+ Update-Help
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ResourceUnavailable: (:) [Update-Help], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : UnableToRetrieveHelpInfoXml,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.UpdateHelpCommand

PS C:\Windows\system32>

Next step is to try

PS C:\Windows\system32> Update-Help -Verbose -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

....and it worked

PS C:\Windows\system32> help dir

NAME
...
REMARKS
    To see the examples, type: "get-help Get-ChildItem -examples".
    For more information, type: "get-help Get-ChildItem -detailed".
    For technical information, type: "get-help Get-ChildItem -full".
    For online help, type: "get-help Get-ChildItem -online"

[pdario]

It looks like you're just silencing the error messages

[afberendsen]

It looks like you're just silencing the error messages

Could be. But, at least, now I have all the help up-to-date. More likely, with the arguments, the update runs and do not stop under any circumstances. It is better to have something up-to-date then the update stopping becasue of an error.

[pdario]

I understand that this mutes error messages about help files not getting updated. Are you sure you're all updated now?

[browhynott]

This does not solve the problem I agree. Any real help on this topic maybe? Such a shame really we still have no proper answer.

[gabriel-vanca]

Still having this issue. unclear why it's marked as closed.

[sdwheeler]

It's closed because it can't be fixed by the docs team or in this docs repository. It has to be fixed by the module owner in the Windows source code.