Windows update stuck on preparing to download free
Looking for:
How to Fix Windows 10 Update if it Freezes or Becomes Stuck |
- Windows update stuck on preparing to download free
Found a Windows 10 update is stuck? With so many hardware and software configurations out there, there's always the chance that some unexpected problem will crop up. Operating system updates can be a real chore, and you might not care for them. But like taxes and car MOTs, they are a necessary evil, essential for a happy and peaceful computing life.
They keep you protected by squashing nasty bugs, and your OS running as smoothly as possible. Even with Microsoft trying to make the process as pain-free as possible in recent versions of Windows , getting a Windows 10 update stuck may still happen to you. We've got you covered. We're going to cover a lot of ground here for several versions of Windows and a variety of 'stuck' scenarios, so you may have to tweak some of these steps to suit your situation and software. The first point to make is that interfering with updates that aren't actually stuck can cause a host of problems, so you want to make sure they really are stuck.
If you've got the time, and the patience, we'd recommend waiting a couple of hours, especially with slower machines — go and cut the grass or watch a movie. It may seem extreme, but you don't want to start meddling with these fundamental processes unless you really have to.
Because it so often works. There's no magic trick to this — it simply clears out your computer's temporary memory including any stalled files or processes , and lets Windows start again from scratch with everything on the system.
If your updates are stuck in the background while you still have access to Windows, you can restart as normal; if they're stuck before or after the OS loads, you're going to have to hold down the power button and do a hard reset. This can cause issues itself, so make sure your updates definitely aren't progressing at all. Sometimes you'll just get a message telling you to try the update again at a different time.
If you click 'Advanced options' and then 'View your update history', you can see recently installed updates that were successful, and uninstall some or all of them — again, this can be a handy troubleshooting option.
Windows 10 has actually streamlined the update process, so you should be seeing fewer errors. Microsoft feels your pain: it knows the update process can cause problems every now and again, which is why it's developed a troubleshooter program specifically for it — search the old Control Panel for "troubleshooting", then select 'Fix problems with Windows Update' from the list on-screen. The link should be available in Windows 7 and 8 too, but if not you can get at it on the web as well.
That said, if you haven't yet upgraded to Microsoft's latest and greatest operating system then it's probably still worth your while , as it's more than likely to solve your update problems at the same time.
Safe Mode is like a restart with extras — only the very basic apps and code that Windows needs to run are loaded into memory, so there's even less chance of a rogue, damaged file interfering with the update. In Windows 10, hold down the Shift key then choose Power and Restart from the Windows sign-in screen. On the next screen you see pick Troubleshoot, Advanced Options, Startup Settings and Restart, and you should then see the Safe Mode option appear: try running through the update process again if you can.
A quick search online will give you Safe Mode instructions for older versions of Windows. System Restore has been helpful for solving Windows problems for many a year now, but it happens to be quite well hidden in Windows Go through the wizard, then choose 'Show more restore points' to see all your available options.
Pick a time and date, then complete the wizard to go back to how Windows was configured at that point and hopefully solve your update issues at the same time. The process doesn't affect your personal files or programs, but it may not be available to you depending on how Windows was originally set up.
If Windows' own troubleshooter doesn't work see step 4 then you can try and carry out the same process yourself manually: stopping the Windows Update service, deleting the temporary files it's created, then starting Windows Update again. It's a little more involved, but it's not difficult to do. First, boot up into Safe Mode see step 5 , then access to the command prompt, the most basic of Windows interfaces: right-click on the Start menu, choose Command Prompt Admin , and a text box should appear.
Type "net stop wuauserv" and hit Enter, then follow that with "net stop bits" and hit Enter again. You're not going to break anything by doing this — these are just temporary files Windows creates so it knows where it's up to, and Windows Update will create them again from scratch. With that done, go back to your command prompt window and type "net start wuauserv" Enter then "net start bits" Enter to get Windows Update and its related background services up and running again; hopefully this trick should be enough to kick-start the update that was previously stuck.
One of the more obscure reasons why a Windows update might not be installing is because a virus or some kind of spyware is blocking it: malicious apps like these can often be squashed by Windows security updates, which is why they try and stop the latest patches from being installed on your machine.
Try running a full and thorough virus scan using whatever security software you have installed you do have some installed, right? If you think your antivirus tool has also been compromised you can download some on-demand scanners, like this one from Microsoft or this one from Dr. Restoring key Windows files and OS options is a lot easier than it used to be, and 'resetting' Windows 10 basically means putting all the system files back to their factory state without touching your personal files along the way although you can choose to wipe your drive completely if you want.
Windows 8 offers both 'refresh' and 'reset' options , while on Windows 7 the reset option will typically have been provided by the PC's manufacturer. North America. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. See more how-to articles.
Windows update stuck on preparing to download free.How to fix a stuck Windows update
Most often, these types of problems are due to a software conflict or a preexisting issue that simply wasn't brought to light until the Windows updates started installing. Much more rarely are they caused by a mistake on Microsoft's part regarding the update itself, but it does happen. There's an actual issue with Windows that can cause Windows Update installations to freeze like this but it's only applicable to Windows Vista and only if SP1 hasn't yet been installed.
If your computer fits that description, install Windows Vista SP1 or later to solve the problem. Some Windows updates can take several minutes or more to configure or install, so you want to make sure the updates are truly stuck before moving on.
Trying to fix a problem that doesn't really exist might just create a problem. You can tell if Windows updates are stuck if nothing happens on screen for 3 hours or more. If there's any wonder after that long, take a look at your hard drive activity light. You'll see either no activity at all stuck or very regular but very short flashes of light not stuck. Chances are that the updates are hung before the 3-hour mark, but this is a reasonable amount of time to wait and longer than we've ever seen a Windows update take to successfully install.
If so, log on as you normally would and let the updates continue to install successfully. If nothing happens most likely then move on to Step 2. Restart your computer using either the reset button or by powering it off and then back on with the power button.
Windows will start normally and finish installing the updates. If the Windows update installation is truly frozen, you have no other choice but to hard-reboot.
On a tablet or laptop, removing the battery may be necessary. If you're using Windows 10 or Windows 8, and you're taken to the sign-in screen after the restart, try tapping or clicking the power icon on the bottom-right and choosing Update and Restart , if available. If you're automatically taken to the Advanced Boot Options or Startup Settings menu after restarting, choose Safe Mode and see the comments in Step 3 below.
Start Windows in Safe Mode. This special diagnostic mode of Windows only loads the minimum drivers and services that Windows absolutely needs, so if another program or service is conflicting with one of the Windows updates, the install might finish up just fine.
If the Windows updates do install successfully and you continue to Safe Mode, just restart from there to enter Windows normally. Complete a System Restore to undo the changes made so far by the incomplete installation of the Windows updates. Since you can't access Windows normally, try doing this from Safe Mode.
See the link in Step 3 if you're not sure how to start in Safe Mode. During the System Restore, be sure to choose the restore point created by Windows just prior to the update installation. Assuming a restore point was made and System Restore is successful, your computer should be returned to the state it was in before the updates started.
If this problem occurred after automatic updating, like what happens on Patch Tuesday, be sure to change Windows Update settings so this problem doesn't reoccur on its own. Since these menus of tools are available from "outside" of Windows, you can try this even if Windows is completely unavailable. This option is not available in Windows XP. Start your computer's "automatic" repair process. While a System Restore is a more direct way of undoing changes, in this case of a Windows update, sometimes a more comprehensive repair process is in order.
Test your computer's memory. It's possible that failing RAM could be causing the patch installations to freeze. Fortunately, memory is really easy to test. Update BIOS. An outdated BIOS isn't a common cause for this problem, but it's possible. If one or more of the updates Windows is trying to install is involved with how Windows works with your motherboard or other built-in hardware, a BIOS update could solve the issue. Do a clean install of Windows. A clean install involves completely erasing the hard drive that Windows is installed on and then installing Windows again from scratch on that same hard drive.
Obviously you don't want to do this if you don't have to, but it's a very likely fix if the steps prior to this one were unsuccessful. It might seem likely that reinstalling Windows, and then these same exact Windows updates, will cause the same problem, but that isn't usually what happens. Since most lockup issues caused by updates by Microsoft are actually software conflicts, a clean install of Windows, followed promptly by the installation of all available updates, usually results in a perfectly working computer.
If updates are stuck installing on or just after Patch Tuesday the second Tuesday of the month , see our Details on the Latest Patch Tuesday piece for more on these specific patches. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile.
Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. We will be glad to assist. I have a similar problem but when I tried to use this solution, I could not carry out the second part of renaming files as I kept receiving the message 'can not find "ren" make sure you have So I thought I could name the folder manually, but still I kept receiving the massage 'can't rename the folder because it is open in another Yet I had no folders open.
Did you use the above mentioned command such as " net start wuauserv" and the remaining mentioned by Amit Kumar in the steps before using the command to rename the folder?
I would suggest you to restart your system and then perform Amit Kumar suggestion to reset Windows Updates step by step. If it still doesn't help, run the troubleshooter and check. To run the Windows Update Troubleshooter follow the steps.
Threats include any threat of suicide, violence, or harm to another. Any content of an adult theme or inappropriate to a community web site. Any image, link, or discussion of nudity.
Any behavior that is insulting, rude, vulgar, desecrating, or showing disrespect. Any behavior that appears to violate End user license agreements, including providing product keys or links to pirated software. Unsolicited bulk mail or bulk advertising.
Any link to or advocacy of virus, spyware, malware, or phishing sites. Any other inappropriate content or behavior as defined by the Terms of Use or Code of Conduct. Any image, link, or discussion related to child pornography, child nudity, or other child abuse or exploitation.
Details required : characters remaining Cancel Submit 2 people found this reply helpful. Choose where you want to search below Search Search the Community. Search the community and support articles Windows Windows 10 Search Community member. This thread is locked. You can follow the question or vote as helpful, but you cannot reply to this thread. I have the same question Report abuse. Details required :.
Cancel Submit. Hi Pat, Thank you for posting on Microsoft Communities. How satisfied are you with this reply? Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site. In reply to A.
User's post on October 20, This is not a Windows 10 installation or setup. In reply to gguayante's post on October 20, Hello, Welcome to Microsoft Community and thank you for your interest in Windows Please follow the below steps to reset the Windows Updates Components: 1.
Comments
Post a Comment