{"id":54904,"date":"2018-09-29T18:39:01","date_gmt":"2018-09-29T10:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/?post_type=knowledgebase&p=54904"},"modified":"2026-02-06T11:31:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T03:31:19","slug":"windows-7-update-stuck","status":"publish","type":"knowledgebase","link":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/windows-7-update-stuck\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Fix Windows 7 Update Stuck"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Get stuck<\/strong> when you perform a Windows update on your Windows 7<\/strong> PC? Don’t Worry! You’re not alone. Many people are reporting this annoying issue. We’ve put together some fixes to help you resolve this issue. You should be able to fix this problem easily with one of the fixes in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fixes to try:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t have to try them all; just work your way down the list until you find the one that works for you.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Restart your Windows Update service<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Change the DNS server settings<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Run System File Checker<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Download updates from Microsoft Update Catalog manually<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    <\/a>Fix 1:\u00a0Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Running the built-in Windows Update troubleshoote<\/strong>r is the easiest fix you can try. Follow the steps below to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key<\/strong> and type troubleshooting\u00a0<\/strong>in the search box. Then select\u00a0Troubleshooting\u00a0<\/strong>in the list of search results.
      \"\"<\/figure><\/figure><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. In the\u00a0<\/span>System and Security<\/strong>\u00a0section, click Fix problems with<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>Windows Update<\/strong>.
      \"\"<\/figure><\/figure><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. In the pop-up window, click\u00a0<\/span>Advanced<\/strong>.
      \"\"<\/figure><\/figure><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Check<\/strong> the box next to Apply repairs automatically<\/strong> and then click\u00a0<\/span>Run as administrator<\/strong>.
      \"\"<\/figure><\/figure><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. Click Next<\/strong>.\u00a0Windows will detect and fix the problems automatically.\u00a0The process may take a few minutes.
      \"\"<\/figure><\/figure><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      When the process is done, see if the Windows 7 update stuck issue is resolved. If not, try the next fix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/a>Fix 2: Restart your Windows Update service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Try restarting the Windows Update service manually<\/strong> to see if you can fix the Windows 7 update stuck issue. Here is how to do it:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. On your keyboard, press\u00a0<\/span>the Windows Logo key<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>R<\/strong>\u00a0at the same time to open the Run dialog, then type\u00a0<\/span>services.msc<\/strong>\u00a0and press\u00a0<\/span>Enter<\/strong>\u00a0to open the Services window.
        \"\"<\/figure><\/figure><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Right-click\u00a0<\/span>Windows Update\u00a0<\/strong>and select\u00a0<\/span>Stop\u00a0<\/strong>if its current status is \u201cRunning\u201d. If the Windows Update service is not running, please skip this step.
        \"\"<\/figure><\/figure><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. On your keyboard, press\u00a0<\/span>the Windows Logo Key<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>E<\/strong>\u00a0at the same time to open\u00a0File Explorer<\/b>.\u00a0Copy the path below and paste it in the address bar, then press\u00a0<\/span>Enter<\/strong>\u00a0on your keyboard to go to the\u00a0<\/span>DataStore\u00a0<\/strong>folder.C:\\Windows\\SoftwareDistribution\\DataStore<\/span><\/code><\/span><\/span>
        \"\"<\/figure><\/figure><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. Delete all the files in the folder\u00a0<\/span>DataStore<\/strong>.
        \"\"<\/figure><\/figure><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      5. On your File Explorer, copy the path below and paste it in the address bar, then press\u00a0<\/span>Enter<\/strong>\u00a0on your keyboard to open the\u00a0<\/span>Download\u00a0<\/strong>folder.C:\\Windows\\SoftwareDistribution\\Download<\/code><\/span><\/span>
        \"\"<\/figure><\/figure> <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      6. Delete all the files in the folder<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Download<\/strong>.
        \"\"<\/figure><\/figure><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      7. In the Services window, right-click\u00a0<\/span>Windows Update\u00a0<\/strong>and select\u00a0<\/span>Start<\/strong>.
        \"\"<\/figure><\/figure><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Go and check Windows Update again to see whether the issue persists or not. If the issue reappears, don’t worry, there are more fixes for you to try.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        <\/a>Fix 3: Change the DNS server settings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        If your Windows 7 gets stuck when it is checking for updates, this may be a network issue. You can try changing the DNS server in your PC to the Google Public DNS addresses<\/strong>. <\/span>Google Public DNS provides you with<\/span> <\/span>a speed boost<\/strong> and<\/span> <\/span>an increased security.<\/strong> <\/span>Here is how to do it:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        1. On your keyboard, press\u00a0the Windows logo key<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0R<\/strong>\u00a0at the same time to open the Run dialog. Then type\u00a0control<\/strong>\u00a0and press\u00a0Enter<\/strong>\u00a0to open the Control Panel.
          \"\"<\/figure><\/figure><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. View<\/strong>\u00a0the Control Panel\u00a0<\/span>by Category<\/strong>. Click\u00a0<\/span>View network status and tasks<\/strong>.
          \"\"<\/figure><\/figure><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. In the pop-up window, click\u00a0<\/span>Change adapter settings<\/strong>.
          \"\"<\/figure><\/figure><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        4. Right-click<\/strong>\u00a0your current network and then select\u00a0<\/span>Properties<\/strong>.
          \"\"<\/figure><\/figure><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        5. Double-click\u00a0<\/span>Internet Protocol Version 4(TCP\/IPv4)\u00a0<\/strong>to view its properties.
          \"\"<\/figure><\/figure><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        6. Select\u00a0<\/span>Obtain an IP address automatically<\/strong>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0Use the following DNS server addresses<\/strong>. <\/span>\n