Windows Update Archives - Page 3 of 4

Q&A: Why is Windows Update stalling at 35% on the reboot?

Posted on January 4, 2014

Question from Brenda G: Hi Rick. I desperately need your help! I have an Acer Aspire AS5733Z-4477 laptop running Windows 7 Home Premium. I’ve never had a problem with it installing Windows Updates before, but this time it won’t finish installing them.

What happens is the updates will install within Windows, then it tells me to reboot the computer. It then tries to finish installing the updates during the reboot, but it always gets stuck at 35% and just sits there. How can I get it to finish the process and boot on up into Windows?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Why won’t my new laptop let me upgrade to Windows 8.1?

Posted on December 20, 2013

Question from Shannon W.: I bought a brand new Gateway laptop with Windows 8 based on the promise that I could upgrade to Windows 8.1 for free. But when I go to the Windows App Store I don’t see any way to download the upgrade.

I called Microsoft Tech Support and they’re apparently unable to help me. I’d just return the laptop and buy a different one, but the return period has expired.

Can you tell me what I need to do in order to upgrade my laptop from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Is it possible to uninstall a bad Windows Update?

Posted on October 12, 2013

Question from Brandon H.: The other day I checked to see if there were any Windows Updates available for my PC and saw that there was an optional update for my video card available.

I installed the update and immediately after the reboot my PC began running very slowly. Programs take forever to load, web pages open slowly if at all, and none of my games will run correctly.

Is there any way to uninstall a bad update or will I need to reinstall Windows 7? What really sucks is this was an optional update which means I didn’t really have to install it in the first place!

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

How to prevent your PC from automatically rebooting after installing Windows Updates

Posted on July 28, 2013

Have you ever lost important work that you had intended to finish when you returned to your PC because the system rebooted after installing Windows Updates? I’m guessing that we all have, and it’s certainly no fun when it happens.

You can make sure that you never again lose work in progress because of an automatic restart by following the steps listed below. But first, I need for you to read and agree to my semi-standard disclaimer…

Important: This tip involves editing the Windows Registry, a process that could render your Windows installation unstable (or even unable to boot up properly) if performed incorrectly.

Therefore, if you choose to follow the steps listed below, you do so at your own risk. You also agree that if the Moon flies out of its orbit and knocks Saturn for a loop, the waters of the Mississippi turn into clabbered milk, or your PC becomes unstable or refuses to boot, it won’t be the fault of your humble tech blogger (namely ME).

If you agree with everything I said above, feel free to follow these steps to disable automatic restarts after Windows Updates have been installed: [Read more…]

Q&A: Why doesn’t Windows Update install all available updates at once?

Posted on June 24, 2013

Question from Eric: Rick, I have a question about Windows Update. I just got back from a business trip, and when I turned my PC on it had 11 updates waiting to be installed. After they were installed the computer rebooted, then informed me that there were 4 more updates that needed to be installed.

Why didn’t Windows Update just install all of the available updates at once? Just curious…It’s a hassle having to wait through two update procedures (and reboots) when it seems that one should have been sufficient. If it makes any difference, I have a Lenovo desktop PC running Windows 7.

Rick‘s answer: Eric, the Windows Update process can be a real head-scratcher sometimes. There are a couple of possible reasons why the Windows Update process is sometimes split into two events: [Read more…]