Thanks for the link to the RSS team blog - it makes interesting reading.
Although I know it is not the problem (because some feeds are updating
automatically without any problem), I did check the RSS scheduled job and the
scheduler log: all OK & no error codes.

To restate, my problem is not that the feeds are in general failing to
update, it is that one set of feeds is working perfectly while another is
delivering no content. For example, "MSDN: Visual Basic" works fine, but
"Most Recent KBs for Visual Basic .NET 2003" delivers a page that is blank
except for the feed title, despite showing no error messages at all when
subscribing or refreshing, and despite having worked properly in the past.
This behaviour is shown on two very different PCs.

Is there any method of distinguishing (in the absence of any overt error
message) between:
- feed is failing to obtain feed content
- subscription & refresh are successful, but no content is being provided
by the feed?

JPL

"Gistcheckin" wrote:

> Possibly third-party app blocking registry causing the issue:
>
> This fix worked for another member:
>
> Feeds not updating
> http://blogs.msdn.com/rssteam/archiv...-updating.aspx
> --
> Gistcheckin
>
>
> "JPL" wrote:
>
> > I had tried that before I made the original post.
> >
> > I deleted the feed files as per 5. in KB926448, (except that I did not
> > bother with export/import but simply deleted all the feeds) and then
> > re-subscribed. This had no effect at all, i.e. the feeds that previously
> > worked worked again, the feeds that previously failed failed again.
> >
> > JPL
> >
> > "Gistcheckin" wrote:
> >
> > > You may have to re-subscribe to choice feeds:
> > > http://support.microsoft.com/selectindex/?target=rss
> > > --
> > > Gistcheckin
> > >
> > >
> > > "JPL" wrote:
> > >
> > > > The root cause of the problem is in the feeds, not on the PC.
> > > >
> > > > I had the opportunity to try these feeds on another PC and found exactly the
> > > > same behaviour as on my PC.
> > > >
> > > > I then found some other Microsoft feeds, e.g. MSDN Visual Basic, and these
> > > > worked fine, unlike all 21 of my Microsoft feeds that prompted my original
> > > > post.
> > > >
> > > > It seems that Microsoft no longer provides any content in the "Most Recent
> > > > KBs for xxx" series. A pity: I found them very useful. Links to these feeds
> > > > are in place, and it is possible to subscribe to them without any apparent
> > > > errors, but the feeds have no content (other than the feed title, of course).
> > > >
> > > > JPL
> > > >
> > > > "Gistcheckin" wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > See This Thread
> > > > > http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/list/en-us/default.aspx?&query=RSS+updates+don't+work&lang=en &cr=us&guid=&sloc=en-us&dg=microsoft.public.internetexplorer.general&p= 1&tid=22f9ab8d-84dd-47ac-8e96-cfccfcf136dc&mid=22f9ab8d-84dd-47ac-8e96-cfccfcf136dc
> > > > > --
> > > > > Gistcheckin
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > "JPL" wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > Thanks for your help.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Yes. Yes. Yes. (Please see original post.)
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I do not wish to perform a browser reset for something that works properly
> > > > > > in almost all circumstances, and a System Restore is absolutely out of the
> > > > > > question.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > What is the difference between all Microsoft RSS feeds (none of them works)
> > > > > > and all other RSS feeds (all of them work)?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > JPL
> > > > > >
> > > > > > "Gistcheckin" wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > Are RSS Feed Settings the same. Tools>Internet Options>Content
> > > > > > > Tab>Feeds>Settings Button
> > > > > > > Is update Automatically enabled?
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Try Browser Reset - Tools>Internet Options>Advanced Tab>Reset Button
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > If none of the above works, try a System Restore to a date prior to the
> > > > > > > malfunction issue.
> > > > > > > --
> > > > > > > Gistcheckin
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > "JPL" wrote:
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > My Microsoft RSS feeds, (e.g. Most Recent KBs for Access 2003), subscribed
> > > > > > > > via the RSS Feed Product Index on
> > > > > > > > http://support.microsoft.com/selecti...spx?target=rss
> > > > > > > > are not updating, although all my other feeds are working correctly.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > I deleted all the files and folders in
> > > > > > > > ...\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Feeds
> > > > > > > > and then resubscribed to all the feeds. No change. All the feeds (i.e. all
> > > > > > > > the Microsoft ones that do not work and all the others that update correctly)
> > > > > > > > use the default feed settings.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > These feeds used to work, I think until late May this year, but now none of
> > > > > > > > them does.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Any ideas what the problem might be and how I can fix it?
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > JPL