Windows 10 update 99 is being prepared. What to do if your Windows installation freezes: five tips

There are currently three different issues that Windows 10 users are facing when installing updates. Firstly, there is an error downloading the update or the download process is frozen. Secondly, there are problems during the installation of the update, and finally, the system crashes with BSOD after a reboot. Below are several possible troubleshooting solutions.

Fixing Windows 10 update download problem

If the cumulative update does not download, try the following steps:

If a cumulative update freezes during download or the installation fails, something has gone wrong with the update files. After the folder containing the update files is cleared, Windows Update will try to download the update components again. Go to the following location:

C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download

Delete all files/folders, but do not delete the Download folder itself. Select all files and folders using CTRL + A and press Delete key to delete. Restart your computer and run the update process again.

If the cumulative update freezes during download, try the following solution:

Enter Services
Scroll to Service Delivery optimization.
Right-click on the service and select Properties.
Change the “Startup Type” to “Manual”.
Restart your computer.
If Windows 10 update still gets stuck, change the startup type to Automatic (Delayed Start).

Stop the Windows Update service

If stopping the Delivery Optimization service does not solve the problem, also try stopping the Windows Update service. If your Windows 10 update is stuck at the “Initializing...” step, try the following solution:

Click on the Start menu icon.
Enter Services and launch the classic application of the same name.
Scroll to Service Windows Update.
Right-click on the service and select Stop.
Restart your computer.
Check for new updates.
The update should proceed as normal.

Windows Update reset script

Completely reset the Windows Update client settings. It has been tested on Windows 7, 8, 10 and Server 2012 R2. The script will configure services and registry keys related to Windows Update, restoring the default settings. It will also clean up files related to Windows Update.

Fixing Windows 10 update installation problem

In some cases, you may encounter a problem while installing the update. If the update installation is stuck at some point, try the next solution.

If your computer is frozen at the stage, then follow the instructions below.

While holding the power button, turn off the machine.
Restart your computer and boot into Safe Mode.
Sign in to your account (if required).
Make sure all virus scanners are disabled before continuing.
From the Start menu, type Recovery and select the appropriate desktop app.
Click Running System Restore.
Select an earlier restore point, and then click Next.
Follow the instructions to begin system recovery.
Wait while your computer completes the system restore process.
Regardless of whether the restore is successful or fails, you will most likely get rid of the error stuck at the moment “Preparing to set up Windows. Don't turn off your computer."
Sign in to your account if required.
Disable virus scanners before continuing.
Start the Windows update process.
The update should now install without problems.

Some users may encounter a stop error that causes a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) to be displayed during a system reboot.

If you encounter a BSOD crash when upgrading Windows 10, check out this article:

Disabling Windows 10 updates and drivers

Sometimes you may need to disable the installation of Windows 10 updates on your computer. Windows 10 Pro users can defer updates for a certain period of time, but Windows 10 Home users do not have this option.

Microsoft has provided a separate "Show or Hide Updates" tool to disable cumulative updates or even drivers.

DISM commands to check for problems with Windows 10

You can use the official DISM commands to restore a Windows image to fix any problem with your updates. Before you start, it's a good idea to take a full system backup or create a system restore point in case something goes wrong.

Using the CheckHealth option in DISM

Team /CheckHealth DISM allows you to detect potential corruption. This command is used only to find damage, but does not perform any repair operations.

Command line, right-click on the link that appears and select "Run as Administrator" because running DISM requires device administrator rights.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

UsageoptionsScanHealth inDISM

Team / ScanHealth DISM allows you to scan your Windows image for any damage. Unlike /CheckHealth, the /ScanHealth check can take up to 10 minutes.

To run this command follow these steps:

1. Search for Start menu Command line

2. In the "Command Prompt" type the following command and press Enter:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

UsageoptionsRestoreHealth inDISM

Team /RestoreHealth DISM allows you to automatically repair damaged Windows images. Unlike /ScanHealth, the /RestoreHealth scan can take up to 10 minutes.

To run this command follow these steps:

1. Search for Start menu Command line, right-click on the link that appears and select "Run as administrator".

2. In the "Command Prompt" type the following command and press Enter:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Note: While running /RestoreHealth or /ScanHealth, you may notice the procedure hangs between 20% and 40% - this is completely normal behavior.

Found a typo? Press Ctrl + Enter

Every second Tuesday of the month, Microsoft releases new Windows 10 updates. This has been happening for many years. Sometimes updates may include some new features, but most of them are minor. For example, one of the latest additions is a mini player in the Groove app and design choices in UWP apps.

Unfortunately, Windows 10 has a bad reputation with updates. Many users complain that updates freeze while downloading. The operating system does not provide an option to cancel the update or try again. What to do in such a situation? We know several solutions to the problem if the Windows 10 update is stuck.

Preparation

Before you start troubleshooting Windows 10 update, follow these steps:

Solution

If none of the above steps helped solve the problem with a frozen Windows 10 update, then download the special Reset Windows Update script. It helps fix many problems on Windows 10, including if the Windows 10 update is stuck.

To use this script you will need administrator rights. Make sure the Settings menu and Control Panel are closed.

1. Download and extract the script. Right-click on the file and select "Run as administrator" from the context menu. When prompted, enter your administrator password. The following screen will appear. Press the Y key.

2. The script will ask you what you want to do. Since we are trying to fix the Windows 10 update stuck problem, type 2 and press enter.

3. Then the script will solve the problem on its own. The command line will show you the entire process, which services are stopped and restarted. Wait until a message appears indicating that the process is complete.

4. Now open the Settings menu and check for updates. They should download and install without any problems.

Ready! Problem solved. If your Windows 10 update freezes again, you know what to do.

Now Windows 10 is a new operating system for users. But despite its capabilities, it still needs improvement, like any other system, for convenient use. If errors occur and updates freeze, you should not solve the problems yourself. In order not to aggravate the situation, it is better to use proven methods. Let's look at how to deal with computer freezes during Windows 10 updates.

Why does Windows 10 freeze when downloading updates?

The occurrence of this problem can be due to various reasons:

working with various programs that reduce PC performance;
a large number of applications running in the background;
the update conflicts with the antivirus;
lack of free disk space;
faulty RAM.

How to fix updates stuck at 32%

Some computers have a very poor Internet connection or poor performance.

Updating on older devices takes a very long time, so users with weak PCs can only wait patiently for the process to complete. The hard drive light will blink to indicate that updates are not yet complete.

Typically, the PC freezes at 32% when you try to update the system using Windows Update.

If Windows update has stopped at 32%, do not rush to interrupt the process - the computer can load the necessary files

The device may slow down for a long time, not responding to anything and showing no signs of finishing the updates. This error can be easily fixed. You need to download or install old update packages so that the new system can work stably and without problems. It is necessary to diagnose Windows Update:

Press Win + R buttons.
Enter the command msdt /id WindowsUpdateDiagnostic in the Run window. Click OK.
Click "Advanced".
Check the “Automatically apply patches” checkbox and select “Run as administrator.”
Click "Next". Once the steps are completed, you can safely upgrade the OS to Windows 10.

When a black screen appears and the mouse pointer has a blue circle, you might think that updates have stopped and the computer has simply frozen. In fact, it downloads dynamic updates for Windows 10.

The reason for the black screen is loading dynamic updates.

The process really seems very slow with little productivity. To speed up loading, check if you have connected any USB devices. Turn them off. Then the PC will work faster.

Reasons why your computer won't update after 99% (also applies to 91%)

After booting to 99%, the computer completely freezes, and the installation can take a long time. This happens because you have downloaded an unwanted program on your PC. The problem will be solved if the user performs a clean boot, which starts the Windows system using minimal sets of drivers and various programs, and thus reduces the chances of conflicts with system software. A clean boot will help get rid of unnecessary applications running in the background, which only slow down the operating system:

Press Win + R keys.
Enter the msconfig command. Click OK.
Open the Services tab.
Check the box "Do not display Microsoft services."
Click on "Disable All".

How to deal with update installation freezes at 71%

The computer stops at 71% of downloading updates due to a large cluster of programs running in the background. Be sure to look at which programs you no longer need and turn them off in the Startup menu:

Go to the Start menu. Enter the msconfig command. Wait for System Configuration to open.
Click the "Open Task Manager" button.
Go to the Startup tab in Task Manager. Right-click on any program and click “Disable”. Click “Apply” and “OK”.
Turn off Task Manager and restart your PC.

Video: how to disable autorun programs in Windows 10

Computer slows down by 75% when updating Windows

If your computer has more than one hard drive, then disconnect everything (including the external hard drive, USB key) except the target hard drive on which Windows 10 will be installed. Very often, when it freezes at 75%, the problem that occurs changes the system locale to English language. And the update is successful only in the non-English version of the OS. You should change the system locale to Russian. To do this, do the following:

Go to the Start menu. Select "Control panel".
Click on the “Clock, Language, and Region” section.
Select "Add a language" under "Language".
Click on "Add a language".
Find the desired language in the list and click on it.
Click on "Options".
Wait for the language availability check to complete.
Click "Download and install language pack".
Wait until the download process completes.
Go to the language settings (the “Options” button).
In the window that opens, click on the “Make this the primary language” button.
Restart your computer after changing the system locale.

Video: how to change the locale in Windows 10

A universal way to fix errors when updates freeze

You should use the Windows Update troubleshooter to help resolve update errors:

Press Win + X and go to Control Panel.
Click on the "Troubleshooting" section.
Under System and Security, click Troubleshoot using Windows Update.
Click on fix problems using Update Center
Wait for the wizard to complete the check and determine if the error has been resolved.

If none of the above solutions help you fix your Windows 10 upgrade problem, try deleting the Software Distribution folder:

Go to the path “C” - “Windows” - “SoftwareDistribution” - “Download folder” and delete all files from the last folder.
Go to the Start menu and select Command Prompt (Admin).
Type the command exe /update now and press Enter.
Go to Windows Update and check if the error is resolved.

Preparing to install updates freezes

Most often, updates getting stuck is due to a software conflict or a pre-existing issue that simply wasn't discovered until Windows updates started installing. Do the following:

Video: How to enter Safe Mode in Windows 10

Downloading updates freezes

Freezes occur due to a damaged OS distribution that does not have enough space on the hard drive, or due to incorrect settings in the BIOS settings. To correct the settings, do the following:

"Getting Updates" searches endlessly

Sometimes it happens that loading a new version of the OS starts to slow down when updates arrive. This process can search endlessly without producing any results.

The reason for this freeze may be the incorrect operation of the Windows Update Service, because it is this that causes the loading to slow down. To disable it, do the following:

Almost any problem or error related to a computer can be solved nowadays. Developers are always trying to improve the performance of the new operating system for the user, but many problems have to be dealt with alone. The most important thing is to use trusted sources so that the system is updated without problems.

Windows is a mature operating system and usually installs without any surprises, but sometimes the installation process freezes. Below are five ways to solve this problem that are relevant for.

1. Be patient

The advice is banal, but useful: if the installation freezes, do not rush to worry. Recently, I have had to deal more than once with the fact that on completely new computers the installation program stops after reaching . In all cases, the installation resumed by itself - sometimes after 10 minutes, sometimes after 45.

I have not yet been able to find any official explanation from Microsoft about the reasons for this freeze. But according to my observations, this most often happens when installing Windows on computers with Gigabyte motherboards and AMD processors.

The desktop screensaver isn't the only stumbling block for Windows Setup. Sometimes it freezes before displaying a screen asking you to select a hard drive to install the operating system on. True, in this case the installation process resumes much faster.

2. Disable the floppy controller

Although floppy disks have long since fallen into disuse, some manufacturers still provide floppy disk controllers on their motherboards. Sometimes Windows cannot be installed until you disable the floppy disk controller in the BIOS settings.

I recently had to deal with Windows Setup freezing for a long time on one of my computers. After disabling the floppy controller, the installation went much faster and without delays. Unfortunately, this is not a one-size-fits-all recipe because sometimes the Windows installation freezes even if there is no floppy controller on the motherboard.

3. Check the voltage of the memory modules

If Windows Setup freezes intermittently, it may be due to a memory problem. There are many ways to diagnose problems of this kind, and I will list some of them below, but I would like to mention one method in particular, since it is often overlooked.

Most motherboards provide for the use of memory modules with a voltage of 1.5 V. If the voltage is higher (even if only slightly), the system periodically freezes. However, this does not mean that such memory cannot be used: some motherboards allow you to adjust the RAM voltage.

4. Try removing or replacing memory modules

As mentioned above, most often Windows installation freezes due to RAM problems. In this case, try removing all memory modules except one and see if the freezing stops. If this does not help, replace the remaining module with another tested one to eliminate the possibility of defective memory. If this does not solve the problem, check the documentation for the motherboard: the memory may be operating at an unsupported frequency. Even if a module can be installed in a motherboard slot, it is not a fact that it will work.

At the same time, check other RAM requirements. Some motherboards only support certain brands of modules.

5. Try using an IDE or USB DVD drive

Finally, another reason for Windows installation to freeze can be a SATA DVD drive. This does not mean that such drives cannot be used, but the problem is that many motherboards have four to six SATA ports designed for creating RAID arrays. If you connect a DVD drive to one of these ports and try to create a RAID array with fewer hard drives than the system board provides, your Windows installation may freeze. In this case, it is preferable to use a DVD drive with an IDE or USB interface.

Windows 10 is an imperfect system and problems are common, especially when installing updates.

There are a lot of mistakes and ways to solve them.

First of all, it all depends on at what stage the problem arose and whether it was accompanied by code.

We will consider all possible cases.

The computer froze during the update process

If your computer freezes when updating Windows 10, you need to find the cause of the problem and fix it. To be able to do this, you need to interrupt the system update.

First you need to make sure that the computer is really frozen. If nothing changes at all within 15 minutes or some actions are repeated cyclically for the third time, the computer can be considered frozen.

How to abort an update

If the update starts to install, you most likely won't be able to simply restart your computer and return it to normal; the installation will retry every time you restart. This problem does not always occur, but it is very common. If you encounter it, you must first interrupt the system update, and only then eliminate the cause of the problem:

How to eliminate the cause of freezing

There can be many reasons for being stuck receiving updates. In most cases, you will see an error code message after 15 minutes of inactivity. What to do in such cases is described at the end of the article. However, it happens that no message appears, and the computer continues to endlessly try. We will consider the most popular cases of these.

Stuck at the “Getting updates” stage

If you've been seeing the "Getting Updates" screen for about 15 minutes without any progress, you shouldn't wait any longer. This error is caused by a service conflict. All you have to do is disable Windows Automatic Updates and start checking for updates manually.

Video: How to disable Windows Update service

Stuck at 30 - 39%

If you are upgrading from Windows 7, 8 or 8.1, updates will be downloaded at this point.

Russia is big, but there are almost no Microsot servers in it. Due to this, the download speed of some packages is very low. You may have to wait up to 24 hours for the entire update to download.

The first step is to run the Update Center diagnostics to prevent an attempt to download packages from a non-working server. To do this, press the Win + R key combination, enter the command msdt /id WindowsUpdateDiagnostic and click OK.

Press the Win + R key combination, enter the command msdt /id WindowsUpdateDiagnostic and click OK

Also try upgrading your current version of Windows (without upgrading to Windows 10). Once complete, try upgrading to Windows 10 again.

If this doesn't help, you have 2 options:

install the update overnight and wait until it finishes;
use an alternative update method, for example, download a Windows 10 image (from the official website or torrent) and update from it.

Video: What to do with the endless update to Windows 10

Stuck at 44%

Update 1511 was accompanied by a similar error for some time. It is caused by a conflict with the memory card. The bug in this update package has been fixed for a long time, but if you somehow encountered it, you have 2 options:

remove the SD card from the computer;
update via Windows Update.

If this does not help you, free up 20 GB of free space on the system disk.

Computer froze after update

As is the case with problems during the update process, you will most likely see one of the code errors, the solution to which is described below. But this does not always happen. In any case, the first thing you need to do is get out of the frozen state. You can do this in the same way as if you get stuck during the update process: press F8 when you turn on the computer and select “Safe Mode with Command Prompt Support.”

If you haven't seen the error code, try all the following methods in turn.

Getting error information

Before fixing the problem, you should try to find out some information about the error that occurred:

Video: Event Viewer and Windows Logs

Resolving Conflicts

The most common cause of freezing is that Start menu and Windows Search settings were not transferred correctly from a previous version of Windows. The result of such an error is a conflict with key system services, which prevents the system from starting.

Open the Start menu, type “services” and open the utility you found.
Open the Services utility
In the window that opens, find the Windows Search service and open it.
Open Windows Search
Select the startup type "Disabled" and click the "Stop" button if it is active. Then click “OK”.
Disable Windows Search service
Open Registry Editor. You can find it by searching “regedit” in the Start menu.
Open Registry Editor from the Start menu
Copy the path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\AppXSvc into the address bar and press Enter.
Go to the path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\AppXSvc
On the right side of the window, open the Start option.
Open the Start option
Set the value to "4" and click "OK".
Set the value to "4" and click "OK"
Try restarting your computer normally. Perhaps the steps taken will help you.

Change user

Start menu settings and Windows Search are the most common causes of conflicts, but there may be others. There is neither the energy nor the time to search for and correct every possible problem. It would be more intelligent to reset all changes, and the easiest way to do this is to create a new user.

Go to the "Options" window. This can be done through the Win + I key combination or the gear in the Start menu.
Go to the Options window
Open the "Accounts" section.
Open the "Accounts" section
Open the “Family and other people” tab and click on the “Add user...” button.
Click on the "Add user..." button
Click on the “I don’t have data...” button.
Click on the “I don’t have data...” button
Click on the “Add user...” button.
Click on the inscription “Add user...”
Specify the name of the new account and confirm its creation.
Specify the name of the new account and confirm its creation
Click on the created account and click the “Change account type” button.
Click the "Change account type" button
Select the Administrator type and click OK.
Select "Administrator" type and click "OK"
Try restarting your computer normally. If all is well, you will see a selection of accounts.

Video: how to create an account with administrator rights in Windows 10

Uninstalling an update

If changing the account does not help, you will have to roll back the updates. After this, you can try to update the system again.

Video: How to remove an update in Windows 10

System Restore

This is an extreme way to solve the problem. It is equivalent to a complete reinstallation of the system.

Video: how to reset Windows 10 to system settings

Black screen problem

The problem of the black screen is worth highlighting separately. If the display shows nothing, this does not mean that your computer is frozen. Press Alt + F4 and then Enter. Now there are 2 options for the development of events:

if the computer does not turn off, wait half an hour to prevent a delayed update, and proceed to restore the system as described above;
If the computer turns off, you have a problem playing back the picture. Do all the following methods in turn.

Switching between monitors

The most popular reason for this problem is incorrect identification of the main monitor. If you have a TV connected, the system can set it as the main one even before downloading the necessary drivers for its operation. Even if there is only one monitor, try this method. Before downloading all the necessary drivers, errors can be very strange.

If you have multiple monitors connected, turn off all but the main one and try restarting your computer.
Press the Win + P key combination, then the down arrow key and Enter. This is switching between monitors.

Disabling Fast Startup

Accelerated startup involves delaying the activation of some system components and neglecting preliminary analysis. This may cause an "invisible" monitor.

Video: How to turn off Fast Startup in Windows 10

Resetting an incorrect driver for a video card

It may be Windows 10 or you may have installed the wrong driver. There can be many variations of errors with a video card driver. You need to try several ways to install it: by removing the old driver, manually and automatically.

Restart your computer in safe mode (how to do this was described above), open “Control Panel” and go to the “Hardware and Sound” section.
Open Control Panel and go to Hardware and Sound
Click on "Device Manager".
Click on "Device Manager"
Open the “Video Adapters” group, right-click on your video card and go to its properties.
Right-click on the video card and go to its properties
In the “Diver” tab, click on the “Rollback” button. This is driver removal. Try restarting your computer normally and check the result.
In the “Diver” tab, click on the “Rollback” button
Install the driver again. Open Device Manager again, right-click on the video card and select Update Driver. Perhaps the video card will be in the “Other devices” group.
Right-click on the video card and select "Update Driver"
First, try automatic driver updates. If the update is not found or the error persists, download the driver from the manufacturer’s website and use manual installation.
First, try automatic driver update
When installing manually, you will just need to specify the path to the folder with the driver. The checkbox for “Including subfolders” should be active.
When installing manually, you just need to specify the path to the folder with the driver

Video: how to update the driver for a video card in Windows 10

Code errors, their causes and solutions

Here we will list all the code errors that are associated with updating Windows 10. Most of them can be solved quite simply and do not require detailed instructions. The last resort, which is not mentioned in the table, is to completely reinstall Windows 10. If all else fails, use it and install the latest version immediately to avoid a problematic update.

Instead of "0x" the error code may read "WindowsUpdate_".

Table: Update related errors

Complex solutions

Some of the methods listed in the table are complex. Let's look at those with which difficulties may arise.

Reconnecting the problematic component

To disable, for example, the Wi-Fi module, it is not at all necessary to open the computer. Almost any component can be reconnected through the “Task Manager”.

Clearing lists of scheduled tasks and startups

If an unwanted process is included in the startup list, its presence may be equivalent to the presence of a virus on your computer. A scheduled task to start this process can have a similar effect.

Standard Windows 10 tools may be useless. It's better to use CCleaner right away.

Video: How to disable autorun applications using CCleaner

Disabling the firewall

Windows Firewall - built-in system protection. It is not an antivirus, but it can prevent some processes from accessing the Internet or restrict access to important files. Sometimes the firewall makes mistakes, which can result in one of the system processes being restricted.

Video: How to disable the firewall in Windows 10

Restarting the Update Center

As a result of the Update Center operation, critical errors may occur that will interfere with the main processes of this service. Restarting the system does not always help solve this problem; restarting the Update Center itself will be more reliable.

Defragmentation

During operation of the hard drive, bad sectors may appear on it. When the system tries to read information from such a sector, the process may take a long time and freeze.

Defragmentation redistributes disk files to provide an uninterrupted sequence of clusters. It may last an hour or more.

Defragmentation of a hard drive includes searching for such sectors and prohibiting their use:

Video: How to Defragment Windows 10

Registry check

The registry is a hierarchical database that contains all settings, presets, information about all installed programs and system processes. An error in the registry can have a variety of consequences: from an undeletable shortcut to damage to key services and complete system crash.

Video: how to clean the registry manually and using CCleaner

Alternative update methods

Due to various circumstances, updating Windows 10 in the usual way may not be possible. Among the methods that can help in such cases, two can be distinguished:

DNS check

The cause of the connection problem with the Microsoft server is not always the Internet connection. Sometimes the error lies in broken DNS settings.

Activation of the "Administrator" account

An “Administrator” account and an account with administrator rights are two different things. There is only one “administrator” on the computer and it has more capabilities than an account with administrator rights.

The Administrator account is disabled by default.

Video: how to activate the Administrator account in Windows 10

Windows 10 update freezing is a common event, but this problem can be solved quite simply. Not all cases are straightforward, but in extreme cases, everything can be fixed by simply uninstalling the updates.