Solved Windows update checks for updates for hours without any actions

[mblue]

I did a fresh install of Win7 Ultimate x64 and after WU found the SP1 update, applied it, and rebooted, it no longer seems to be working.

What it does: "Checking for updates..." runs for hours (over 3 now) without continuing. If I look in my task manager, svchost.exe has a Commit size of 2,020,309K and is taking 100% of one of the cores.

 

[BorisTheAnimal]

Hi mblue,

I would recommend that you run this and report back!
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/gp/windows-update-issues/en-us

Cheers!
Boris

 

[Layback Bear]

Even if your system is working properly at your end; waiting time to get Windows 7 Updates is 8 to 48 hours.
Millions of people are going through the same thing sense W-10 came out.
Just leave your computer on and let it just continue to search and download.

 

[mblue]

I would recommend that you run this and report back!
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/gp/windows-update-issues/en-us

I tried the manual method first, but no change following a reboot. I then tried the fixit utility but it sat indefinitely when it was checking online for updates just like windows update does

Even if your system is working properly at your end; waiting time to get Windows 7 Updates is 8 to 48 hours. Millions of people are going through the same thing sense W-10 came out. Just leave your computer on and let it just continue to search and download.

This can't be the issue unless microsoft has underestimated and underfunded the infrastructure of a core feature of their OS. Surely, there are mirrors that get employed behind the scenes... I can say that updating my friend's PC (W7) only took ~1 min of waiting. Updating my work laptop (W7) also took 1-2 min of waiting.

 

[UsernameIssues]

Even if your system is working properly at your end; waiting time to get Windows 7 Updates is 8 to 48 hours. Millions of people are going through the same thing sense W-10 came out. Just leave your computer on and let it just continue to search and download.

This can't be the issue unless microsoft has underestimated and underfunded the infrastructure of a core feature of their OS. Surely, there are mirrors that get employed behind the scenes... I can say that updating my friend's PC (W7) only took ~1 min of waiting. Updating my work laptop (W7) also took 1-2 min of waiting.

You seem to have interpreted Layback Bear's post as saying that there is a server capacity issue. Layback Bear said no such thing. Layback Bear simply stated a fact this lots of users have seen long WU search times since W10 was rolled out via WU. Layback Bear did not theorize as to the root cause of the increased wait time.


You mentioned the time that it took to update your friend's computer and your work computer. Were those computers fresh installs? If not, then they probably have the latest Windows Update Client installed.

The WU search time can be long for a fresh install or it can be normal. Some have theorized that it depends on which WU server that you happen to connect to. Some users claim that restarting the computer and restarting that search for updates connected them to a better server and the WU search time was normal.

Be sure to let us know if you find a definitive root cause for long WU search times for some fresh installs.


Manually installing this update might help your CPU usage issue...
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3102810
...but it has been superseded with December's update to the WU client. The latest WU client should include the same CPU usage fix. See my ramblings in this long post: http://www.sevenforums.com/windows-updates-activation/385734-update-issues.html#post3177298

 

[jamis]

I'm in the process of re-installing the 12/08/15 updates, one at a time, and I see variable download times. It's not due to the size of the update, nor the time of day. WU uses 25 - 75 percent of the CPU during the downloads, but only 2 - 3 GB of memory. I am guessing the variances are due to which server I get on each individual download.

 

[UsernameIssues]

I'm in the process of re-installing the 12/08/15 updates, one at a time, and I see variable download times. It's not due to the size of the update, nor the time of day. WU uses 25 - 75 percent of the CPU during the downloads, but only 2 - 3 GB of memory. I am guessing the variances are due to which server I get on each individual download.

I don't think that download time is a part of the discussion. The issue at hand seems to be that some fresh installs search for updates for 20+ hours (instead of the norm of about 20 minutes).

As for the WU CPU and RAM issue that you see, have you been avoiding updates to the Windows Update Client due to telemetry? If so, then you can expect the WU client to continue to use more CPU and RAM resources than it should.

Do you have KB3112343 installed? It was issued on 02 December.

 

[jamis]

I'm in the process of re-installing the 12/08/15 updates, one at a time, and I see variable download times. It's not due to the size of the update, nor the time of day. WU uses 25 - 75 percent of the CPU during the downloads, but only 2 - 3 GB of memory. I am guessing the variances are due to which server I get on each individual download.

I don't think that download time is a part of the discussion. The issue at hand seems to be that some fresh installs search for updates for 20+ hours (instead of the norm of about 20 minutes).

As for the WU CPU and RAM issue that you see, have you been avoiding updates to the Windows Update Client due to telemetry? If so, then you can expect the WU client to continue to use more CPU and RAM resources than it should.

Do you have KB3112343 installed? It was issued on 02 December.

I guess I was just stating that the time was variable. I realize fresh install updates will run much longer that my system that has only a few. Yes, I am totally avoiding the telemetry related updates Including 2343.

 

[mblue]

You seem to have interpreted Layback Bear's post as saying that there is a server capacity issue. Layback Bear said no such thing. Layback Bear simply stated a fact this lots of users have seen long WU search times since W10 was rolled out via WU. Layback Bear did not theorize as to the root cause of the increased wait time.

You mentioned the time that it took to update your friend's computer and your work computer. Were those computers fresh installs? If not, then they probably have the latest Windows Update Client installed.

I stand corrected. No, neither of these were fresh installs. I left it run on Friday just before dinner... nothing overnight (14 hours) but it did find 170ish updates sometime between the 14-18 hour mark so all is well. Thank you all who have replied.

<gets out soapbox>

I am a bit perturbed with that wait time to download core updates. By contrast, itunes to update the wife's laptop is nearly instantaneous for checks/queues to download; ditto for their iOS on phones. Every linux distro I run is also instantaneous in this regard so long as the mirror is up.

</gets out soapbox>

 

[RedIndy]

Having the same problems over here!

After a fresh install of W7 it took over 12 hours to have the first updates.
Than downloading and installing them is the same problem: waiting for many hours, all the time the indicator stays at 0%, not doing anything while the machine is working fine and no problems are reported.

I have been installing on several different systems and all had the same problem.

It has been several months now that this is happening so we can rule out that this is a glitch of the download site otherwise they would have repaired it already.

I think it is part of MS policy to push ppl into using W10 and they stated as much, wanting all users to convert to W10.

Because of W7 being so vulnerable to SQL injection they want to eradicate it completely, I think they even wanted they never made the damn thing and are now in the process of undoing their mistakes.

But still they sold W7 and made lots of money with it, so they do have a responsibility towards their customers and users, so I think they are panicking and doing everything to eradicate it, this time over the back of their users which isn't a very nice thing to do at all!!!

RI.

 

[UsernameIssues]

~~~
I am a bit perturbed with that wait time to download core updates.
~~~

It is annoying and perplexing. I've spent way to much time looking into possible causes and workarounds. See my ramblings in this post: http://www.sevenforums.com/windows-...uck-scanning-updates-forever.html#post3191432

 

[Layback Bear]

@ mblue

If you are not doing Windows Updates after a Clean Install or a Repair Install, why in the world would you be getting so many updates? (170ish updates)
From post #9

I stand corrected. No, neither of these were fresh installs. I left it run on Friday just before dinner... nothing overnight (14 hours) but it did find 170ish updates sometime between the 14-18 hour mark so all is well. Thank you all who have replied.

 

[UsernameIssues]

Layback Bear,

I think that mblue was talking about 3 different computers in the part that you quoted:

"No, neither of these* were fresh installs. I left it** run on Friday just before dinner...


*from post #4:
I can say that updating my friend's PC (W7) only took ~1 min of waiting.
Updating my work laptop (W7) also took 1-2 min of waiting.


**the fresh install in the OP
The 170+ updates were for that computer

 

[RedIndy]

I am still in the process of downloading and installing updates on a fresh install.

The latest one started last Saturday and yesterday there were some of the downloads that were installed but again taking loads of time.

What I noticed however was that, while in the process of searching for updates, the processor use was at 100% all the time.

(you can check this by running task manager/processes at the same time you start updating, you will see processor use going way up to 100%.

So I searched on the internet for posts that reported similar problems and found this:
Searching for updates takes ages on freshly installed Windows 7 Pro - Super User

It gives links to updates that should eliminate the problem.

Download Update for Windows 7 (KB3050265) from Official Microsoft Download Center

Download Update for Windows 7 (KB3102810) from Official Microsoft Download Center

So MS seems to be aware of these problems and even has updates for it, at least that is what they want to make us believe because after installing this the problem wasn't gone and processor use stayed as high.
The first one, addressing a svchost.exe problem, even had the same problem, it kept “searching for updates on this computer” for hours and failed to bring up any positive result.

Also I tried other different fixes relating to slow download of updates that MS offers but none of them gave any relief.

After these updates failing to do what they were supposed to do I shut down the PC and will wait updating until I found a solution to this processor use problem because it probably isn’t very healthy for a processor to run for days at end on a 100% use, who knows what problems that might bring and maybe even physically damaging the PC.

So we can be quite sure that the problem lies with svchost.exe but the way to fix it did not yet work for me on this PC but maybe it will do the trick on any of yours on this thread.

Please let us know.


RI.