Operating systems must be regularly updated to fix bugs
and close security holes. So if Windows 10 doesn't update properly, you have a
serious problem. Worse still, failure to update could be a symptom of a malware
infection.
A quick note: I had to deal with this situation myself
recently, but I didn't think about taking screen images at the time. So some of
the images below are fake.
Try these solutions until one of them works:
1. The Microsoft troubleshooter
This rarely works, but it's so fast and simple it's worth
a try. Download, install and run Windows Update Diagnostics.
Even if you can't fix the problem, this program can
provide a useful description that you can search the Web for.
2. System restore
If you can restore Windows to a time before the problem
started, chances are you will fix it. But first you need to find out when the
problem started.
Click Start> Settings> Update & Security. On the
Windows Update tab, click Advanced Options.
In the new window, click View your update history. Scroll
down until you find the latest update successfully installed.
Leaving that window up, go to the search field on the
taskbar, type restore and select Create a restore point. In the resulting
dialog box, click the System Restore button. Check Show more restore points, if
option available.
You will want a restore point prior to the last successful
update. If you find one, complete the system restore and wait for it to work
(it might not work).
3. Scan for malware
Malware is often protected by blocking certain services,
including Windows Update, System Restore, and your antivirus program. A good
scan can help the problem.
Restart in safe mode with network functions. Then scan
with ESET Online Scanner and Trend Micro’s HouseCall. These are online and
unlikely to be compromised by an infection. After scanning with one, try the
other.
If that doesn't solve the problem ...
4. Restore from image backup
If you backed up the image when Windows 10 was healthy,
try restoring Windows from there.
But first back up your libraries and other data files to
external media. Of course you do that every day, right? Law?
Well, do it this time.
5. Reinstall Windows 10 from scratch
If you don't have a good image backup, try installing Windows
just using Microsoft's Windows 10 Installation Drive. Just to be safe, set this
up on another computer.
I discussed the details to create this unit near the
bottom of a previous article. Pay special attention to the part on how to
obtain your product identification number before beginning the reinstallation.
As with the image backup option discussed above, be sure
to back up your data beforehand.
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