windows 7 update stuck at "checking for updates..."

says already installed for the updates. :-(

jdlweb said:

Just follow my above list, if it is already installed it will tell you it is.
This has "NEVER" failed and I own a computer repair shop. I, like many others have always looked for a way to streamline Windows 7 updates. This is the solution that will accomplish three things.
First KB3020369 is a prerequisite to install the roll up package
second (KB3125574) is a roll up package to reduce the total umber of updated needed at the end
Third (KB3102810) will help with the high CPU usage during updates
Fourth (KB3112343) is the update client first release
Fifth (KB3172605) is the next release
Sixth (KB3161664) is the September 2016 update client release

Although like some others have mentioned, you can cut some of these out and it will indeed update, however this will reduce our actual time needed for installing all security updates...

I’ve just joined the forum to say much thanks to jdlweb. I was having problems with Windows Update( last update was on Dec 2016) and had spent almost a week trying out multiple solutions without any success. Finally, I followed all the steps above. As my system had installed a couple of the updates, it prompted me and I moved on to the next update. Everything else went well.
After the final boot-up, Windows Update identified 30 new updates and they have all been installed. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Do you have a copy of these instructions for Windows 7 32-bit?

It is most likely the antivirus program causing the issue.

I have tried just about everything that is already listed on this post and it was the antivirus program that did me in.

I've had this issue for a long time and it took me a year of trying to realize that it was my AVG antivirus program that was causing the Windows update to error. I have tested this on both the 32bit and 64bit for Windows 7 Pro/Ult and I have not run into this problem ever again. Within a few hours of doing a format and reinstalling Windows and the updates, my computers have run smoothly with no major issues (I still get a random update that fails from time to time but it's a minor update that I personally did not require but I think that is a completely different Windows issue).

If you do a complete format/reinstallation of Windows, do not install your antivirus program until after all the Windows updates and drivers have been installed. The antivirus program needs to be installed last. I normally defrag and do several reboots to make sure everything sticks before installing my antivirus program. It is the last thing I install before doing another reboot and defrag.

I have found that even if you uninstall your antivirus (at least for me with AVG) that the issue can still be there and that a complete format was required, but that was over a year ago when I had last run into that issue. You may be able to just uninstall or disable your antivirus program; though i have found that disabling does not work or at least it never did for me.

Hopefully this helps a few of y'all out there. This problem was a nightmare for me. But because of it I have found out that a lot of issues I have is because of my antivirus program blocking or conflicting with what I'm trying to do or install.