System Update: Package Index Server temporarily unavailable

[xmm]

This solution works. However, you may need to set the permission to allow the User you login to fully control this folder.

[xmm]

This solution works. However, you may need to set the permission to allow the User you login to fully control this folder.

Hello!

I just want to share this in case someone else is experiencing the same problem.

I got the error message "Package Index Server är inte tillgänglig just nu. Försök igen lite senare." which is "The Package Index Server is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later" localized in Swedish.

I checked the logs under "C:\Program Files\Lenovo\System Update\logs\"
The logs are in the format "tvsu_log_<date><time>.txt"

And in the log i found this error:
Message: Fail to write the file:
Could not find file 'C:\Program Files\Lenovo\System Update\session\QuestResponse.xml'.

The solution for me was to remove the read only property on the "C:\Program Files\Lenovo\System Update\session\" folder and sub folders.

Right-click on the "session" folder
Click "Properties"
Click on "General" Tab
Deselect the "Read-only" check box
Click on "Ok"
Click on "Ok"

//Olle

 

[Fusch]

I did something similar to this last night and I was able to access the server afterwards twice with no problems. Here is what I did:

1. I tried to access System Update via Start>All Programs>ThinkVantage>System Update. After selecting Get updates and reaching 30%, I got the dreaded Package Index Server message.

2. I went to C:\Program Files\Lenovo and selected the entire System Update folder and removed the Read Only property from the folder and all its contents (files and subfolders).

3. I launched System Update by going to C:\Program Files\Lenovo\Active Update and running AULauncher.exe. I was able to connect to the server and download three decent size updates and install them.

4. After completing a required reboot, I ran System Update via the usual path (Start>All Programs>Think Vantage>System Update) and was again able to connect and check for updates. None were found.

I don't know which step did it, #2 or #3. The AULauncher.exe is not the same program run by System Update (tvsu.exe), but they look exactly the same. I've tried the remove Read Only thing in the past with no success.

Hopefully this continues to work for me and others!

[rightcelebrator]

great!!!! it works for me. The problem with read only. I removed read only from session folder and all subfolders and files and its already downloading the updates.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rtlinux]

I just tried emm and rightcelebrators tips and still could not connect with my server or my laptop.  I also checked the log files on my update retriever server and the last successful update was on July 14 2008 and it is on a weekly schedule to download critical and recomended updates.

Does anyone, companies usually, have an ESS contract with LENOVO?  If so have them look at this blog.

[gfuentes]

Thanks, it worked wonderful!  Funny thing is that, after several days unable to update my system, it just worked last night, only to became unavailable (once again) this morning.  Then, I applied the suggested fix (a couple of minutes after my last unsuccessful attempt) and it worked again.  So, it's definitely a bug.  Just hope Lenovo fixes it ASAP.

[spo0ofer]

I work for a company that has a contract with IBM warranty support.  I just contacted them and they were completely unaware of this issue.  The rep I spoke to tested it on his laptop and ran into the same issue.

He advised me that he is going to contact IBM directly and that it should be resolved in the next hour.  Or at least he advised to try again within the hour.  

I will call them again tomorrow if it continues to be an issue.  Hope this helps everyone! 

[KCotreau]

Spo0ofer, that would be great. Despite my fix working earlier, nothing is working for me now (I still believe that it is foreign to my system at this point). It also was definitely not the read-only issue with my "C:\Program Files (x86)\Lenovo\System Update\session" directory.

I want to make a point for some people regarding removing the read-only attribute: If you use the explorer interface rather than a command line (attrib) and right click the folder and remove the attribute, but then go back in and look again, it will say read-only again. This does not mean that the files are not properly set, which you can check by doing this to an individual file in one of the directories. This phenomenon regarding directories is explained here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256614/EN-US/ .

[meany_greeny]

This post (by Fusch) worked for me but not the first time. I retried executing System Update with AULauncher.exe after changing the read-only attribute and was able to begin download after about 2 or 3 tries. Note that with unlimited retrie before I was unable to get an update working. Thanks Fusch. My feeling here is that this is both a bad software issue for Lenovo as well as an infrastructure performance issue and the two are working together to compound the issue.

As an aside I called the Thinkpad support number under "Help" and was told, after sitting on hold, that "oh we are hardware, you need Lenovo and the software folks, see Lenovo.com." Unbelievable. Somehow there is a separation between IBM/Thinkpad systems and Lenovo, I'm unsure what the issue is. So he finally gives me a number, I sit on hold, and then I find out I'm talking to SALES. He then transfers me over, gives me the number also, I wait on hold, then they HANG UP just as they picked up the phone. I then called back the number I was given by sales and it was the same number I called when I started.

My laptop (x300) is excellent. This support is absolutely terrible. It would be nice if someone from Lenovo read these boards and responded. I spent $3,000 for this laptop and I am very disappointed by this process. Thanks again to everyone here, if not for this thread and the group-think, there'd be no solution.

[KCotreau]

Fusch, I am guessing that you just happened to connect for other reasons, possibly on the Lenovo side, because your comments about AULauncher.exe and tvsu.exe are not correct. The fact is that both AULauncher.exe and tvsu.exe are nothing more than launchers that run the processes tvsucommandlauncher.exe and tvsukernel.exe. They do not run any updating in and of themselves.The end result is the same processes start with either launcher.