Fixing the Microsoft Fix - SVCHOST.EXE APPLICATION ERROR 0x745f2780

We ran into a recurring problem this morning - XP Pro users were experiencing errors following an automatic Windows update. The following dialoque boxes kept popping up: "svchost.exe application error - 0x745f245" and "generic host process for win32 service has encountered a problem and needs to close".

Came across the solution in a Tek-Tips thread entitled svchost.exe & generic host process.

The first step is to ensure that the "Automatic Updates" and "Background Intelligent Transfer Service" are set to automatically run, are enabled in the hardware profile and can interact with the desktop. Thanks to rct99403 at Tek-Tips for the solution.

1. Click Start->Run, type "services.msc" (without quotation marks) in the open box and click OK. Double click the service "Automatic Updates".
2. Click on the Log On tab, please ensure the option "Local System account" is selected and the option "Allow service to interact with desktop" is unchecked.
3. Check if this service has been enabled on the listed Hardware Profile. If not, please click the Enable button to enable it.
4. Click on the tab "General "; make sure the "Startup Type" is "Automatic". Then please click the button "Start" under "Service Status" to start the service.
5. Repeat the above steps with the other service: Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)

I dropped the remaining commands into Notepad, saved it as a batch file on the network and quickly apply the fix to any affected machines by simply executing the batch (or download a .zip file containing the batch file HERE):

REGSVR32 WUAPI.DLL
REGSVR32 WUAUENG.DLL
REGSVR32 WUAUENG1.DLL
REGSVR32 ATL.DLL
REGSVR32 WUCLTUI.DLL
REGSVR32 WUPS.DLL
REGSVR32 WUPS2.DLL
REGSVR32 WUWEB.DLL
net stop WuAuServ
ren C:\windows\SoftwareDistribution SDold
net start WuAuServ