When you need to customize an installation of Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 and enter audit mode you can’t install any updates with the Windows Update GUI, it’s getting stuck at checking for updates. This is because Windows Update is locked when the when the audit mode/OOBE is still in progress. When checking the logfiles of Windows Update (WindowsUpdate.log) it show this:

Windows OOBE is still in progress. AU deferring detection
WARNING: BeginDetection failed, hr:0x8024a008
All AU searches complete.
  # WARNING: Failed to find updates with error code 8024a008
AU setting next detection timeout to 2014-10-22 12:44:24
OOBE is in progress, so cannot perform Accelerated Install

There are some workarounds to get Windows Updates to your installation, like making a temporary user, but the PowerShell option I want to mention here.

102314_0950_Windows81or1

  1. First step is to download the Windows Update PowerShell Module from the TechNet Script Center Repository.
  2. Copy the whole module folder (after unzipping) to %ProgramFiles%\WindowsPowerShell\Modules or you can use %UserProfile%\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Modules, if you choose the last one, then the PowerShell Module is removed after a sysprep.
    pswindowsupdatelocation
  3. Fire up PowerShell as administrator.
  4. Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
  5. Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate
  6. Get-WUInstall
  7. You’ll get some prompts what updates to accept or decline

And after the reboot you can see what is happened.

updatesinstalled

Edit: Changed the location to copy the PowerShell Module according this TechNet article. The old location used was %Windir%System32WindowsPowerShellv1.0Modules but this location is reserved for modules that ship with Windows. Do not install modules to this location.