Windows 7 Windows 7 Update Fix?

Cbeigle54

New Member
Hi Guys:

I want to ask you all what you think about repairing Windows 7 Update. I re-installed
Windows 7 and lost the ability to access and download updates. Now, I have watched
Youtube Videos and Googled this subject endlessly. It seems that everyone has an
opinion and way to do it. I'm looking for one way to do it. If you have a solution, please
let me know. Thanks.
 
Before you go doing anything manual or crazy may I suggest you try the Microsoft Fixit located here. If that does not resolve the issue, come back and we can talk about manual ways of resetting Windows Update :)
 
You have to wait it out. Realize it could take 24 hours to have the available updates show up and make sure that power management settings are set to "never" so that the unit doesn't go to sleep while waiting.
It is either the amount of time taken by free Windows 10 downloads or possibly payback from Microsoft who want everyone to upgrade to Windows10.
 
You're not getting an error number or message? Are there errors in your WindowsUpdate.log file?
 
It would be very helpful if you could tell us the Make/Model of this computer with the Win7 update problem. Is it a desktop PC or laptop? How old is the computer? Is it an OEM computer (Dell, HP, Acer, Gateway, Toshiba, etc.)? or did you build this system yourself (custom-rig) from parts you purchased? If so, we need full hardware specs.

If Josephur's suggestions don't work, you should consider testing your hardware as the next logical step. Post back and we can give you some links....

Bear in mind if you are running a Windows7 computer, it's about 8-9 years old and likely to have outdated or failing hardware components such as RAM memory and Hard Drive.

<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>
 
Bear in mind if you are running a Windows7 computer, it's about 8-9 years old and likely to have outdated or failing hardware components such as RAM memory and Hard Drive.
I did a factory restore and now I am having trouble getting my updates. Should I have my updates before I download windows10 or can i wait till I download windows 10, then update. I know I was waiting forever for updates, and so I did go in and reset my time so my computer can't sleep. I might try it again, just to see. Any information would help
 
Hi buffy,
Sorry, I had lots of errands to do today so am just getting back online now.

There are a couple of factors at work here, and since you didn't tell us the Make/Model of your exact computer, we're kind of guessing. But, generally speaking, Win7 needs all of the updates in to get it to essentially Win8.1 level on your existing computer otherwise the W10 update will never work. This also pre-supposes that your Win7 factory restore has everything working again with Internet, wifi if a laptop/notebook, etc. We have done Win7-->W10 upgrades directly, but these almost are all problematic. o_O

The thing to do is to go into Windows Update and make sure it's set to Automatically download & install all updates. Save those settings if not already set to them. Make sure your computer has a good Internet connection (a wired connection for instance is much better to get updates on that a wifi connection since it's often subject to random signal interruptions), and let the udpates come in and install. Additionally, if you are running any kind of antivirus, antispyware, or personal firewall programs, make sure you disable all of those until you get all your updates downloaded and installed. Most of those programs will see the Microsoft updates, especially the security ones that include the Microsoft Malicious Removal Tool as potential threats to your computer and block them. If you are using Windows Defender or MSE (Microsoft Security Essentials) and not any 3rd party av or as or firewall programs, you'll need to disable those as well.

This process can take up to 48 hrs. or even longer depending on whether you have a desktop PC or notebook/laptop. Desktops will update faster, since they are typically faster with faster CPU chips, more RAM memory, bigger/faster hard drives, etc. I also suggest that if the updates appear to be working, but nothing seems to be happening, do a manual restart of the computer after 12 hrs. If the updates don't seem to be working after that reboot, or they still appear to be stuck, do a hard shutdown of the computer (hold the power button down for 5-7 seconds continuously). Then power your computer back on and that unsticks things in most cases (unless you have failed hardware).:up:

If you never get the W10 white flag in your computer's system tray in the lower right-hand portion of your desktop, you could have other problems with your computer such as failed hardware.:waah: You can test your hardware if you like; post back here and we'll give you some links that will help you accomplish this. If you don't have much experience with this, or just are not confident, you should take your computer into your local Computer Pro and pay him to do the W10 upgrade for you. In my experience over 90% of my Clients who attempt to upgrade to W10 from W7 or W8x usually fail to do it correctly. :ohno:

My procedure above will fix the majority of problems with any W10 upgrade or updates problems. Of course, if you have a bad RAM stick(s) or a failed hard drive, this solution will not fix it. *NO SOFTWARE ON THE PLANET CAN FIX BROKEN HARDWARE*. Keep in mind that Win7 computers are now 6-7 years old, and if you have never replaced the hard drive in that computer, it could be the source of your Updates failures and your inability to get the W10 upgrade to work. In desktop PCs; hard drives are only designed to last 3 years; in notebooks/laptops only 2 years. That means that since your computer is 6-7 years old, the hard drive is 85% likely to have failed or is failing and in either case needs to be tested and replaced!:eek:

Let us know how it goes.
Best of luck to you,:encouragement:
<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>
 
I did a factory restore and now I am having trouble getting my updates. Should I have my updates before I download windows10 or can i wait till I download windows 10, then update. I know I was waiting forever for updates, and so I did go in and reset my time so my computer can't sleep. I might try it again, just to see. Any information would help

You can download all the updates released since Windows 7 SP1 here:
Convenience roll-up for Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 (SP2)
 
Hi buffy,
Sorry, I had lots of errands to do today so am just getting back online now.

There are a couple of factors at work here, and since you didn't tell us the Make/Model of your exact computer, we're kind of guessing. But, generally speaking, Win7 needs all of the updates in to get it to essentially Win8.1 level on your existing computer otherwise the W10 update will never work. This also pre-supposes that your Win7 factory restore has everything working again with Internet, wifi if a laptop/notebook, etc. We have done Win7-->W10 upgrades directly, but these almost are all problematic. o_O

The thing to do is to go into Windows Update and make sure it's set to Automatically download & install all updates. Save those settings if not already set to them. Make sure your computer has a good Internet connection (a wired connection for instance is much better to get updates on that a wifi connection since it's often subject to random signal interruptions), and let the udpates come in and install. Additionally, if you are running any kind of antivirus, antispyware, or personal firewall programs, make sure you disable all of those until you get all your updates downloaded and installed. Most of those programs will see the Microsoft updates, especially the security ones that include the Microsoft Malicious Removal Tool as potential threats to your computer and block them. If you are using Windows Defender or MSE (Microsoft Security Essentials) and not any 3rd party av or as or firewall programs, you'll need to disable those as well.

This process can take up to 48 hrs. or even longer depending on whether you have a desktop PC or notebook/laptop. Desktops will update faster, since they are typically faster with faster CPU chips, more RAM memory, bigger/faster hard drives, etc. I also suggest that if the updates appear to be working, but nothing seems to be happening, do a manual restart of the computer after 12 hrs. If the updates don't seem to be working after that reboot, or they still appear to be stuck, do a hard shutdown of the computer (hold the power button down for 5-7 seconds continuously). Then power your computer back on and that unsticks things in most cases (unless you have failed hardware).:up:

If you never get the W10 white flag in your computer's system tray in the lower right-hand portion of your desktop, you could have other problems with your computer such as failed hardware.:waah: You can test your hardware if you like; post back here and we'll give you some links that will help you accomplish this. If you don't have much experience with this, or just are not confident, you should take your computer into your local Computer Pro and pay him to do the W10 upgrade for you. In my experience over 90% of my Clients who attempt to upgrade to W10 from W7 or W8x usually fail to do it correctly. :ohno:

My procedure above will fix the majority of problems with any W10 upgrade or updates problems. Of course, if you have a bad RAM stick(s) or a failed hard drive, this solution will not fix it. *NO SOFTWARE ON THE PLANET CAN FIX BROKEN HARDWARE*. Keep in mind that Win7 computers are now 6-7 years old, and if you have never replaced the hard drive in that computer, it could be the source of your Updates failures and your inability to get the W10 upgrade to work. In desktop PCs; hard drives are only designed to last 3 years; in notebooks/laptops only 2 years. That means that since your computer is 6-7 years old, the hard drive is 85% likely to have failed or is failing and in either case needs to be tested and replaced!:eek:

Let us know how it goes.
Best of luck to you,:encouragement:
<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>

BIGBEARJEDI Thank you for the help. Everything you said to do, I did and it worked. Now I am in Windows 7 with all the updates. I am going to install the free upgrade of windows 10. After I do that, how do I uninstall all of windows 7.
 
Hi Buffy,
You're quite welcome! Very glad we could help.:D

I'd suggest you consider leaving the Win7 on your system for at least 30 days, as that's how long you have to do a free "reversion" back to Win7 should you run into problems with your new W10 or you just don't decided that you like it and want to go back to Win7.

Even after the 30 days, I tend to leave the Win7 on my Customer's computers where I've performed the W10 upgrade for them as it really doesn't take up much space on your hard drive; typically 3-9GB or so. Most folks with modern era computers, Win7 or newer, which were built in 2009 have hard drives of at least 200GB capacity or more. So that's less than 5% of your total disk space and even less if you had to replace the original hard drive that came with your computer when it was new due to failure.

If for some reason you have a drive in your computer < 200GB, you may still wish to remove it to conserve disk space and I certainly understand that as I have over 6TB of space on all my drives, and due to long-term storage of Customer backups, I'm constantly running out of room and having to buy more and larger hard drives--so I get it! :redface:

Anyway, here's a link to an easy to follow video with the Win7 removal steps you asked for if you decided to still go that way:
remove windows7 files after windows10 upgrade - Bing video

Lastly, I'd like to caution you that before proceeding with the removal of any folder or directory that contains windows systems files, it's ALWAYS a good idea to make sure you HAVE BACKED UP ALL OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA (DOCUMENTS, PHOTOS, MUSIC, VIDEOS, E-MAIL, ETC.) TO EXTERNAL MEDIA PRIOR TO DOING THE ABOVE OR ANY REMOVAL PROCEDURE!!!
This is the best way to prevent irretrievable data loss while doing any sort of maintenance task on your computer.;) An added benefit of doing this, if you haven't already done so, is that if you get a nasty virus or ransomware virus in your computer and you can't remove or repair it and you have to pay a Tech to fix it for you, at least you'll have most if not all of your personal data stored separately from your computer.:D This is also handy should you suffer a catastrophic hard drive failure which can happen anytime after your computer reaches 3 years of age or more.:teeth:
There are several free programs to do this. I'd like to recommend 2:
1.) Macrium Reflect-best Image Backup software-Free at: macrium.com
2.) AEOMI standard file/folder Backupper software-Free at: Download Free Backup Software and Disk Partition Manager – AOMEI Technology

If you have any questions or get stuck, feel free to post back.:)

Happy 4th of July,:usa:
BBJ
 
Hi Buffy,
You're quite welcome! Very glad we could help.:D

I'd suggest you consider leaving the Win7 on your system for at least 30 days, as that's how long you have to do a free "reversion" back to Win7 should you run into problems with your new W10 or you just don't decided that you like it and want to go back to Win7.

Even after the 30 days, I tend to leave the Win7 on my Customer's computers where I've performed the W10 upgrade for them as it really doesn't take up much space on your hard drive; typically 3-9GB or so. Most folks with modern era computers, Win7 or newer, which were built in 2009 have hard drives of at least 200GB capacity or more. So that's less than 5% of your total disk space and even less if you had to replace the original hard drive that came with your computer when it was new due to failure.

If for some reason you have a drive in your computer < 200GB, you may still wish to remove it to conserve disk space and I certainly understand that as I have over 6TB of space on all my drives, and due to long-term storage of Customer backups, I'm constantly running out of room and having to buy more and larger hard drives--so I get it! :redface:

Anyway, here's a link to an easy to follow video with the Win7 removal steps you asked for if you decided to still go that way:
remove windows7 files after windows10 upgrade - Bing video

Lastly, I'd like to caution you that before proceeding with the removal of any folder or directory that contains windows systems files, it's ALWAYS a good idea to make sure you HAVE BACKED UP ALL OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA (DOCUMENTS, PHOTOS, MUSIC, VIDEOS, E-MAIL, ETC.) TO EXTERNAL MEDIA PRIOR TO DOING THE ABOVE OR ANY REMOVAL PROCEDURE!!!
This is the best way to prevent irretrievable data loss while doing any sort of maintenance task on your computer.;) An added benefit of doing this, if you haven't already done so, is that if you get a nasty virus or ransomware virus in your computer and you can't remove or repair it and you have to pay a Tech to fix it for you, at least you'll have most if not all of your personal data stored separately from your computer.:D This is also handy should you suffer a catastrophic hard drive failure which can happen anytime after your computer reaches 3 years of age or more.:teeth:
There are several free programs to do this. I'd like to recommend 2:
1.) Macrium Reflect-best Image Backup software-Free at: macrium.com
2.) AEOMI standard file/folder Backupper software-Free at: Download Free Backup Software and Disk Partition Manager – AOMEI Technology

If you have any questions or get stuck, feel free to post back.:)

Happy 4th of July,:usa:
BBJ
 
BIGBEARJEDI , Not sure if you received this, so I am posting it again, it came back saying undelivered. I would rather leave windows 7 on as long as it will not conflict with the windows 10. So as of now that is what I am going to do. I will let you know if I have any problems after downloading windows 10. Thanks for the info.
 
Hi buffy,
nope, unless you PM'd me and I didn't get an alert notification from the PM bot.:confused: And no, the Win7 won't conflict with W10 as that directory ~Windows.old mentioned in the video link I sent you is restricted from interfering with live windows10 system files by several layers of security and access restrictions including ACL, and read/write/copy/modify deny restrictions. In fact, we have several folks who run W7 and W10 side-by-side in dual-boot configurations without problems. And you're welcome for the information, glad it was useful for you.

Have a Good week!:D
BBJ
 
Before you go doing anything manual or crazy may I suggest you try the Microsoft Fixit located here. If that does not resolve the issue, come back and we can talk about manual ways of resetting Windows Update :)

I found that anyone doing a clean install of windows 7 will find that updates screw up right after SP1, when the new 'update engine' is downloaded. Installing WindowsUpdateAgent-7.6-x64 won't help. Running WindowsUpdateDiagnostic is no real help as well. One update, Windows6.1-KB3138612-x64 will help for a bit, but not for long. good greif.
 
I have used the Microsoft Catalog Rollup Update recently with success but it takes forever but at least not 3 days with no results!
 
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