Windows 7 Checking for Updates for Hours.

Ever since Microsoft started pushing windows 10 my win 7 started acting funny, hanging up on things accessing hard drives slow and freezing. So I figured its been 2 years since a fresh install was done, so i loaded a fresh Win 7 64 bit on a formatted drive. re doing a computer is a real pain for me since i have so much stuff on it. I am no stranger to computers, i'm no expert but i know them pretty good.


After my fresh install before doing anything I started the windows update, its been stuck searching all day Saturday and all night, and in the morning still nothing, I am so tired of this Windows BS, why won't it just update, I have done fresh installs with this before and it updated immediately, why not now??

Anyone know what to do??

Thank you.

a reply to: enament

Can you control alt delete and open task manager and stop Windows update? Reboot!

a reply to: Quantum12

I can open and close the update utility its not frozen just stuck searching for updates. I have tried restarting and a shut down and restart numerous times to try to get it to update and still nothing. I was trying to get all the updates before installing my antivirus because its good practice to do it that way. but my computer has been vulnerable for way too long.

a reply to: enament

I think we've all run into the same thing. I purged the Windows 10 upgrade thing on my Windows 7 computer per instructions found here on ATS. I also went to Manual check for updates.

I haven't been able to update my Windows 7 in 6 months............same thing, searches but can not find.

I've given up.

Wow thats crazy,Are they refusing service to those who wont upgrade to win 10?? I have installed this before without these problems.

Had just the same problem last night as did my son......57 updates..which normally takes 5mins or 10 at tops was still at 0% after 4hrs. Rebooted...restored....tried downloading each one individually and it still took till 8am this morning to download. Svchost.exe was taking up 70% of cpu!

There was an update for 7 some time ago that for some reason some systems did not download . And one of the next updates relied on that one. So therefore those systems were eternally searching for that next update

There is a MS KB article that provides information as to what to do. Google the issue and look for Microsoft links (not the sucky wanna be sites)

a reply to: enament

I use a Mac. I bought a Windows 10 laptop last month. It never had Windows 7. I just turned it on. It says Windows cannot up date to Windows 10! Lol I am going to trash it!

a reply to: Gothmog

Mines a fresh install.

Common issue.

Download the patch from MS here.

Once you install that reboot, go to windows update and it will be back to normal speeds for checking updates.

Knowledge Base Article

a reply to: enament

Yeah it needs to be installed on fresh installs as well, It's the 1st patch I install before checking for windows updates.

use an update package, like this

I am using only the NoWin10.reg, downloaded the package after a fresh install, and i can download updates from microsoft without any problems now.

a reply to: PhyllidaDavenport

Same issue as the OP, check the links I have provided above.

a reply to: mclarenmp4

cheers for that I'll have a look and check it out. Hope this isn't going to happen with every bloody update!

a reply to: PhyllidaDavenport

Nah it's one time deal, you'll be ok after that. I build custom media centers for people and I noticed it was taking forever to get the windows updates installed so did a bit of research, came across the patch and bingo windows updates on every system I build is back to normal.
The windows update service was causing 1 core of the CPU to max out so people with only 1 or 2 cores were getting very high cpu usage. When you install this patch you can see that the trustedinstaller process is doing a lot more work than the windows update service which frees the windows update service to do it's job.
That's why you were seeing svchost.exe maxing out your cpu.

originally posted by: enament
Ever since Microsoft started pushing windows 10 my win 7 started acting funny, hanging up on things accessing hard drives slow and freezing. So I figured its been 2 years since a fresh install was done, so i loaded a fresh Win 7 64 bit on a formatted drive. re doing a computer is a real pain for me since i have so much stuff on it. I am no stranger to computers, i'm no expert but i know them pretty good.


After my fresh install before doing anything I started the windows update, its been stuck searching all day Saturday and all night, and in the morning still nothing, I am so tired of this Windows BS, why won't it just update, I have done fresh installs with this before and it updated immediately, why not now??

Anyone know what to do??

Try talking to Bill's mosquito update, that's also a pain in the ass, the DNA sequence is challenging. Wait ..... did you say Windows??

Thank you.

NVM, i tried

originally posted by: Quantum12
a reply to: enament

I use a Mac. I bought a Windows 10 laptop last month. It never had Windows 7. I just turned it on. It says Windows cannot up date to Windows 10! Lol I am going to trash it!

I'll take it! Mail it to me please!

You can download the never10 app, it will disable windows 10 and delete all the hidden downloaded files, works very well

a reply to: neomaximus10

This is what happened to my gateway with XP after a update wrecked the hard drive. I ripped off the screen. Lol