Software update times out. How to fix?

If you have more than one user account, these instructions must be carried out as an administrator.

Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:

☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.

Select "/var/log/install.log" from the file list. Then select the messages from the last installation or update attempt, starting from the time when you initiated it. If you're not sure when that was, start over and note the time. Copy them (command-C) to the Clipboard. Paste (command-V) into a reply to this message.

If there are runs of repeated messages, post only one example of each. Don’t post many repetitions of the same message.

When posting a log extract, be selective. Don't post more than is requested.

Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.

Important: Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Edit it out by search-and-replace in a text editor before posting.

Your system is configured to download updates from a private server, not from Apple. That server isn't working or isn't reachable. If you're bound to a network directory server, or if you're behind a firewall that doesn't allow downloading updates directly from Apple, your network administrator has to solve the problem. Otherwise, proceed as follows.

Back up all data.

Triple-click the line below to select it:

/Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.plist

Copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C).

In the Finder, select

Go ▹ Go to Folder…

from the menu bar. Paste (command-V) into the box that opens, then press return.

A Finder window will open with a file selected. Delete the selected file. You may be prompted for your administrator password. Try Software Update again.

Someone deliberately changed that setting. That's all I can tell you.