[SOLVED] Windows failed to update

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Blingbo

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May 21, 2015
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This has been going on since May. I've tried many of the suggested solutions to fixing the "failed to update undoing changes", but none have worked so far. I will list the steps I remember trying: disabling bits, deleting the update files in safe mode, deleting them not in safe mode, deleting MS edge files, running DISM, chkdsk, running the troubleshoot, running update assistant, enabling .NET frameworks, disabling firewall, disabling my AV, stopping the update service, enabling update & repair on secondary apps (i think its how its called), etc. Windows also gave me error code 0x800f0922 today

Edition Windows 10 Pro
Version 20H2
Installed on ‎06-‎May-‎21
OS build 19042.928
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.551.0
Failing to install (KB5004237)
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
how about this?
On another PC, download the Windows 10 media creation tool and use it to make a win 10 installer on USB

once you have USB, put it in pc that won't update while windows is running
go to file explorer (win +e)
navigate to USB and run setup
agree to update current pc
it will run a wizard, restart and update PC to 21H1

that should fix the updating problem as version updates replace windows.
 

Blingbo

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May 21, 2015
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how about this?
On another PC, download the Windows 10 media creation tool and use it to make a win 10 installer on USB

once you have USB, put it in pc that won't update while windows is running
go to file explorer (win +e)
navigate to USB and run setup
agree to update current pc
it will run a wizard, restart and update PC to 21H1

that should fix the updating problem as version updates replace windows.

I have one ready from the last reinstall and it "has the updates installed/downloaded, restart and resume process" and after that it "cant determine if your PC can run Win10, try again". I'll make a new USB and try again
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
oh great, its stuck thinking its updating

See if this clears it

If Windows' own troubleshooter doesn't work (see step 4) then you can try and carry out the same process yourself manually: stopping the Windows Update service, deleting the temporary files it's created, then starting Windows Update again. It's a little more involved, but it's not difficult to do.

First, boot up into Safe Mode (see step 5), then access to the command prompt, the most basic of Windows interfaces: right-click on the Start menu, choose Command Prompt (Admin), and a text box should appear. Type "net stop wuauserv" and hit Enter, then follow that with "net stop bits" and hit Enter again.

Back in Windows proper, navigate to the C:\ Windows\ SoftwareDistribution folder, and delete everything you find therein. You're not going to break anything by doing this – these are just temporary files Windows creates so it knows where it's up to, and Windows Update will create them again from scratch.

With that done, go back to your command prompt window and type "net start wuauserv" (Enter) then "net start bits" (Enter) to get Windows Update and its related background services up and running again; hopefully this trick should be enough to kick-start the update that was previously stuck.

source (I showed steps 7 & 8)

that might let you run the USB then, or the update but USB might have a newer version depending when you made it.
 

Blingbo

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The more I tackle this issue the worse it gets, I tried entering safe mode but there was no selectable OS from msconfig so I had to mark my one and only partition as active which caused windows to fail to boot due to some boot data error which I fixed with cmd and the USB. Entered safe mode deleted the update files, now the USB does not let me choose if to upgrade win or reinstall and defaults to install win10 keep all. I'll give update assistant one more chance before writing it off and creating a new media tool and report back in a few
 
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