WSUS 3.0 started to show old updates

Question

Hi, a couple of weeks ago my WSUS 3.0 started to show old updates as needed (starting from 2009). I notice they are all Windows Server updates (2008R2 and 2012), there are no Win XP/Vista/7 updates.
Recently I ran "Server cleanup wizard" after a couple of years from the last time (not my fault), and I notice that it failed at the first point "unused updates and update revisions". If I try again, it fails always at that point, while
if I run the wizard without this option it ends successfully, deleting updates and freeing disk space.
I searched on my servers some of the updates marked as "needed" to check if they were already installed, and it seems they are really not installed, but it is very strange because we usually approve all updates one time a month, in fact before
these updates showed, there were only a few updates with status "needed" (the last arrived and not yet approved).
One detail more: servers involved in updates, are rebooted very rarely since they are in a internal, production network. For example, last update of a group of them was sept 2013.
What could have happened?

Answer 1

Hi, a couple of weeks ago my WSUS 3.0 started to show old updates as needed (starting from 2009). I notice they are all Windows Server updates (2008R2 and 2012)
Quite possible if new -unpatched- servers have been introduced into the network.
I searched on my servers some of the updates marked as "needed" to check if they were already installed, and it seems they are really not installed
Also... believe it or not... sometimes updates get 'uninstalled'. It's also possible that they were
never actually installed.
I notice that it failed at the first point "unused updates and update revisions". If I try again, it fails always at that point, while if I run the wizard without this option it ends successfully, deleting updates and freeing disk space.
This issue is discussed extensively in this forum, at least once a month for the past few years. In addition, I wrote a blog series that covers all of the causes, remediations, and preventive maintenance that should be done. See the
WSUS Timeout Errors series at PatchZone.
Lawrence Garvin, M.S., MCSA, MCITP:EA, MCDBA
SolarWinds Head Geek
Microsoft MVP - Software Packaging, Deployment & Servicing (2005-2014)
My MVP Profile: http://mvp.microsoft.com/en-us/mvp/Lawrence%20R%20Garvin-32101
http://www.solarwinds.com/gotmicrosoft
The views expressed on this post are mine and do not necessarily reflect the views of SolarWinds.