Possible fix for Windows Update errors/issues for Windows 7 (32&64bit)

Hi,

If you are having issues with your Windows update not installing or having issues installing (says it installs but on reboot it needs to reinstall the same updates) or needing to get SP1 to install; your antivirus program might be the reason for all your headaches.

I have had this issue for a long time and it took me a long while to figure out that it was my antivirus program causing my Windows updates to fail. I have AVG if anyone is curious, but it seems to be the cause for other brands as well.

What I use to do after formatting a PC and installing Windows, was to install my drivers and then my antivirus program before installing the Windows updates. Mainly because there are so many and with a slow connection, installing those updates can take forever. Little did I know, because I had installed my antivirus program before Windows could install all necessary updates, my antivirus program was blocking the installation process.

If you are having this problem, before trying the multi-step solutions that ask you install 5 different programs and mess with CMD; try uninstalling your antivirus program (disabling does not seem to work as the antivirus program restarts when you reboot which prevents installation) and make sure it is completely off your system. I normally do a few reboots with a defrag and system clean to make sure everything is gone. Then try installing your Windows updates. If this works, awesome but if it doesn't then you may need to do a fresh install.

If you happen do a fresh install, install all your drivers and then install all necessary Windows updates. Install your antivirus program last. It should be the last thing you install as it seems the newer the antivirus program the more picky it is about what gets installed onto the system. Which is a good thing but also a nightmare lol.

Now if none of the above has helped, then you may need to look into some of the other multi-step solutions or check to see if your HDD is okay and not corrupt.

Hopefully that helps a few people out there. I have not run into any Windows update issues since doing the above and I have installed over 100+ PCs (Windows 7 Pro and some Ult on both the 32&64bit) since first running into the problem and finding out it was my antivirus program causing me to turn into the Hulk. Best of luck.

Just wanted to add, that after doing the above, any small windows updates that come out afterwards rarely if ever failed. It seems the main Windows updates that are normally installed for a new system were the ones having issues. Any issue afterwards was fixable by completely disabling my antivirus program or adding exceptions for the Windows directory. Not sure why subsequent updates can be installed by disabling the antivirus program but initial necessary updates were unable to be installed. But as stated earlier, I have had no problems since. Knock on wood lol.

If you have a desire to have a anti virus program installed before Updating Windows 7, just install Microsoft Security Essentials and then do your Windows 7 Updates.

MSE will not block Windows 7 Updates.

Remove AVG first before installing MSE.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...tials-download

Jack

I was giving another option and I listed several different types of issues that i personally ran into and was able to solve by removing my antivirus program. Most people don't think about their antivirus program being the reason updates don't install properly.

For instance, I had the issue where my Windows update kept looping and wouldn't install the new SP that had come out and I had the old SP and all previous updates already on my PC. The new SP didn't stick and it never installed correctly and would constantly show that it was installing updates when I turned off/on my PC. It wasn't until I removed my antivirus program that it finally installed correctly. This incident was on a PC I had been using for months and had no prior issue with Windows updates.

I tried almost everything already listed on this forum and countless other forums and not one of them thought to mention the antivirus program as a possible suspect, which is why I thought I'd do it. It might not help for every case out there but it will help for some and that is better than none. It helped me and I have not run into that issue since and I've setup countless desktops and laptops.

A lot of a/v programs now do more than one function and sometimes it doesn't effect Windows updates from installing but other times it does. Anyone who plays video games online will know that sometimes anti-cheat systems get blocked by a/v programs which cause the games to not run, giving random errors and many headaches. This is kinda the same thing for some cases, not all, in which a PC that has had no prior issues with installing Windows updates starts to (which has happened to me several times). And it was because of my a/v program at the time was affecting the download/install process. Also I've noticed if one has spotty internet connection, a bad connection could cause the files to download incomplete or improperly, which is another thing I've run into and those instances I had to go into CMD and figure it out from there. Sadly, half the time it was almost impossible to fix so I'd have to back everything up and do a fresh install and everything installed perfectly afterwards.

Sometimes it's a conflict with drivers (mainly because they are outdated/corrupt if you are using a disk/cd) or a conflict with a program that has become corrupt on the system. It can be so many different things which is why I enjoy working on PCs and Macs. You never know what you'll get and sometimes the fix for the problem is the last thing you would have thought to check.