If you have Windows Update set to automatically run, you probably already know the hassle of waiting on it to do its job. The good news is that when it is updating, it is doing great things for your computer, like installing patches and safety measures to protect your machine. However, what happens when it completely freezes up? This generally happens when the updating process is in shutdown or startup and it can leave you wanting to pull your hair out. Before you call for computer help, though, let’s talk about some things you could do to deal with the issue.
How to Know That It Is Frozen
There are certain messages you will see during Windows Update, and if they don’t seem to go away anytime soon, this could be a sign that the computer is frozen up. It’s a good idea to note if you have seen any of these messages so that you can report them to computer support if you decide to call the professionals. The most common times it may freeze include:
- “Preparing to Configure Windows”
- “Configuring Updates”
- “Installing Update”
There are several things that could be causing Windows Update to freeze, and you need to make sure it is truly stuck before you try to do anything or contact computer repair services. If nothing goes on with your computer for more than three hours and if the hard drive activity light is doing nothing, then the computer is likely frozen.
The Steps to Take
If it is, before you contact computer help, try doing this:
Press control + alt + delete and see if your computer will do anything. You may be able to log in as normal at this time.
If that doesn’t help, then hold the power button until the machine turns off and then power it back on.
If for some reason, the computer is still having problems, then it is a good idea to start it in safe mode and do some diagnostics to determine what may be causing issues. It may be that in diagnostic mode, the update will be able to finish on its own.
If worse comes to worst, then you may need to do a system restore on your computer to a time before you started the Windows Update. In this case, you can try the restoration process on your own, or you could contact computer help for advice on how to do this. If the computer is having serious issues, then you may need to do the system restore from safe mode or from advanced startup options.
Windows Update normally does a good job at getting patches and important updates to your machine. However, there are some cases when it may freeze up. Before you panic, ensure it actually has frozen and then go through the steps above. If none of this works, then contact a computer support service. Here at computer-help.com, we will be glad to assist you with many of your computer issues, including problems with Windows Update.
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