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Windows 7 Update Problems

Discussion in 'Windows 7' started by James Martin, 2016/10/13.

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  1. 2016/10/13
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    Anyone having trouble getting updates for Windows 7? I was doing a Google search and found this...

    Windows 7 Update solution

    UPDATE, October 11, 2016. Stay away from Windows Update today and for the foreseeable future. Set your Windows Update setting to Never. Wonky things are happening in Windows Update. We need to find a way to keep our Windows 7 systems -- Windows 7 and under our control. Hopefully, we will find a way and publish it.



    I've been having problem with Windows Update stuck in "Checking For Updates" mode, and am still working on it for now. The rest of the computer is working fine.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: 2016/10/14
    James Martin,
    #1
  2. 2016/10/13
    rsinfo

    rsinfo SuperGeek Alumni

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    Stuck on "Checking for Updates" is a very well known problem with Win7. No sure shot solution has been found till now.
     
    rsinfo,
    #2


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  4. 2016/10/13
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    It hasn't been a problem with my Dell for as long as I can remember, but Windows Update was maxing out the CPUs on my laptop for months. I finally fixed that issue about three months ago, somehow, but I can't remember exactly how I did it.

    As of now, I downloaded a critical update (KB3192391-x64 - stand alone), but it will not install as it gets stuck looking for installed updates. This is ridiculous.

    For what it's worth, the Dell runs fine with no CPUs maxed out.
     
    Last edited: 2016/10/13
    James Martin,
    #3
  5. 2016/10/14
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

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    Since I installed July 2016 update rollup for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Windows Update has worked much better on my system.

    Have a look at Further simplifying servicing models for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 – Windows for IT Pros, which simplifies for Microsoft but removes the users choice to install/decline selected updates.

    On my system, WU offered KB3185330 (Monthly Roll-Up) as a "one for all fixes" (like on Windows 10) but I downloaded and installed KB3192391 (Security Only). After a re-boot, KB3185330 was still offered. If you don't want the "Monthly Roll-Up ", you have to hide it.

    Microsoft Security Bulletin MS16-118 - Critical is one of several bulletins applying to the fixes.
     
    Christer,
    #4
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  6. 2016/10/14
    elcajongunsfan Lifetime Subscriber

    elcajongunsfan Well-Known Member

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    I've seen that for the past couple of months. What I do is leave the machine running all night and usually about 3am it finally updates
     
    elcajongunsfan,
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  7. 2016/10/14
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    OK....after running Windows update for an hour or so, nothing changed, so I went into Control Panel > All Control Panel Items >Troubleshooting >System and Security > Windows Update, and let this tool run for a few minutes and now I have 4 updates to install (135 MB). Two of them are rollups...

    October, 2016 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 3.5.1 on Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 for x64 (KB3188740)

    and

    October, 2016 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB3185330)


    Any particular reason you didn't opt for the rollup, Christer?
     
    Last edited: 2016/10/14
    James Martin,
    #6
  8. 2016/10/14
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    Thanks to the moderator that cleaned up my excessive formatting (bold type) in post # 1.

    I tried to fix this myself, but nothing worked.
     
    James Martin,
    #7
  9. 2016/10/15
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

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    Well, in the past, I have installed security related updates only and optional updates by demand (when I know that my system needs them). I currently have ... :p ... 81 ... :confused: ... optional updates on offer. However, after having installed KB3185330, just to test, the 81 optional updates were still on offer. Then I decided to keep KB3185330 for the time being.
     
    Christer,
    #8
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  10. 2016/10/15
    JSS3rd Lifetime Subscription

    JSS3rd Geek Member

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    For the past week or ten days Windows Update has been telling me "No updates are available for your computer ", where I used to get MS Security Essentials updates every day or two.
     
    JSS3rd,
    #9
  11. 2016/10/16
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

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    Jim, is your computer running 24/7?

    Mine isn't and if MSE was updated at the time I started the computer, say at 12:00, MSE itself will not search for updates for the next 24 hours (if ever). Within these 24 hours, I can restart the computer as many times as I like, MSE doesn't search for updates. If I restart the computer after 12:00 the next day, MSE will search for updates.

    If WU is triggered (not limited by "24 hours" but a shorter interval) it will search for updates for MSE as well.

    My guess is that on a computer running 24/7, MSE gets updated through WU but on a computer not running 24/7, it can get updated either through itself (when the computer is restarted) or through WU (at any time), all by coincidence.

    I hope you understand what I mean ... :confused: ... I'm not sure that I myself do ... ;) ... !
     
    Christer,
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  12. 2016/10/16
    JSS3rd Lifetime Subscription

    JSS3rd Geek Member

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    Hi Christer,

    I shut down my computer every night. In the morning, or whenever I next turn it on, I manually check (via the Control Panel) to see if there have been any updates. MS Security Essentials used to be updated every couple of days but, for the past ten days or so, I've gotten the message "Windows is up to date. There are no updates available for your computer." I've never gone that long without receiving an update of some sort. FWIW, I'm running 64-bit Win7 Pro SP1.
     
    JSS3rd,
    #11
  13. 2016/10/16
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

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    On my system, MSE was updated yesterday at 18:00 and WU around that time when I started the computer. This morning, neither MSE nor WU searched for updates at startup around 09:00. At 13:53, WU searched for updates but found nothing.

    As a side note, I still run version 4.9.218.0. I have put the recent update (KB3193414) to version 4.10.205.0 on hold. The reason is that rumours say it is buggy.
     
    Christer,
    #12
  14. 2016/10/16
    JSS3rd Lifetime Subscription

    JSS3rd Geek Member

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    I clicked on the "Check for Updates" link about 10 minutes ago, and now it's engaged in a seemingly endless search. The Checking for Updates progress bar is like the Energizer bunny ... "it just keeps going and going... ". :cool:
     
    JSS3rd,
    #13
  15. 2016/10/16
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

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    Well, previously I didn't click to check the optional updates but now I did. There is a definitions update to version 1.229.1829.0 for MSE. I did not initiate the search, it was automatic in the background.

    After having noticed my mistake, I initiated a "manual" search. It completed in less than a minute. The version of the definitions update is now 1.229.1834.0.
     
    Christer,
    #14
  16. 2016/10/16
    JSS3rd Lifetime Subscription

    JSS3rd Geek Member

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    I've been away from my computer over an hour and three-quarters but, when I checked just now, the "Energizer Bunny" progress bar was still going strong. After rebooting, I manually checked for upgrades and got the familiar message "Windows is up to date. There are no updates available for your computer." I think I may have to resort to installing the last backup I made of my C: drive, dated 2 October. 8-(
     
    JSS3rd,
    #15
  17. 2016/10/16
    lj50 Lifetime Subscription

    lj50 SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    I got a message that showed Updates are ready to be downloaded and installed. Three days later it was still downloading the updates. I got frustrated and stopped the downloads. I then ran the update readiness for Oct. 2016. After a day of waiting for that I shut down the machine and low and behold during the shutdown process the updates installed. It seems to be working fine for now.
     
    lj50,
    #16
  18. 2016/10/16
    retiredlearner

    retiredlearner SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    retiredlearner,
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  19. 2016/10/16
    JSS3rd Lifetime Subscription

    JSS3rd Geek Member

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    I followed all the suggestions and the problem remains. Time to install the C: drive backup I made on 2 October.
     
    JSS3rd,
    #18
  20. 2016/10/16
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    Jim, I just restored an image from two months ago, and I still can't get Windows 7 (desktop PC) updated via Windows Update. The laptop updated just fine. Not sure what to make of this because some of the posted fixes I've ran into look techy.

    Are there any third-party update tools available to update Windows 7 with?

    Edit: Try this page and see if it helps any...

    Search for Windows Updates takes forever? - A possible solution

    I installed the July service stack (Christer mentioned this too), and now, after a brief search, I am downloading 17 (Windows & Microsoft Office) updates via Windows Update.
     
    Last edited: 2016/10/16
    James Martin,
    #19
  21. 2016/10/16
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    I just read a negative newspaper article concerning Windows 10. One PC user even sued Microsoft and won $10,000.00 for upgrading their system behind their back - thereby making their computer unusable for their business.

    I look for a class-action suit in the near future for these behind-your-back installations. Course, a savvy user could have caught this early and stopped it, but most folks don't have time for that I guess.
     
    Last edited: 2016/10/16
    James Martin,
    #20
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