What to Do When Windows Update Gets Stuck or Is Frozen

How to recover from a frozen Windows Update installation

Most of the time, Windows Update does its job with little if any attention from us.

While we might check and install updates manually from time to time, most Windows 10 computers are configured to apply important updates automatically, while older versions like Windows 7 and Windows 8 usually apply these fixes the night of Patch Tuesday.

Sometimes, however, when the patch, or maybe even service pack, is being installed during shutdown or startup, the update installation gets stuck—freezes, locks up, stops, hangs, clocks, whatever you want to call it. Windows Update is taking forever and it’s clear something needs to be done.

The installation of one or more Windows updates is probably stuck or frozen if you see one of the following messages persist for a long time:

• Preparing to configure Windows. / Do not turn off your computer.
• Configuring Windows updates / x% complete / Do not turn off your computer.
• Please do not power off or unplug your machine. / Installing update x of x.
• Working on updates / x% complete / Don’t turn off your computer
• Keep your PC on until this is done / Installing update x of x.
• Getting Windows ready / Don’t turn off your computer

You might also see Stage 1 of 1 or Stage 1 of 3, or a similar message prior to the second example. Sometimes Restarting is all you’ll see on the screen. There might also be some wording differences depending on which version of Windows you’re using.

If you don’t see anything at all on screen, especially if you think the updates might have been installed completely but could be the cause of whatever you’re experiencing, see our How to Fix Problems Caused by Windows Updates tutorial instead.

Cause of a Frozen or Stuck Windows Update

There are several reasons why the installation or finalization of one or more Windows updates can hang.

Most often, these types of problems are due to a software conflict or a preexisting issue that simply wasn’t brought to light until the Windows updates started installing. Much more rarely are they caused by a mistake on Microsoft’s part regarding the update itself, but it does happen.

Any of Microsoft’s operating systems could experience freezing issues during Windows updates including Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and others.

There’s an actual issue with Windows that can cause Windows Update installations to freeze like this but it’s only applicable to Windows Vista and only if SP1 hasn’t yet been installed. If your computer fits that description, install Windows Vista SP1 or later to solve the problem.

Make Sure the Updates Are Actually Stuck

Some Windows updates can take several minutes or more to configure or install, so you want to make sure the updates are truly stuck before moving on. Trying to fix a problem that doesn’t really exist might just create a problem.

You can tell if Windows updates are stuck if nothing happens on screen for 3 hours or more. If there’s any wonder after that long, take a look at your hard drive activity light. You’ll see either no activity at all (stuck) or very regular but very short flashes of light (not stuck).

Chances are that the updates are hung before the 3-hour mark, but this is a reasonable amount of time to wait and longer than we’ve ever seen a Windows update take to successfully install.

How to Fix a Stuck Windows Update Installation

Press Ctrl+Alt+Del. In some situations, the Windows update might be hung at a very particular part of the installation process, and you could be presented with your Windows login screen after executing the Ctrl+Alt+Del keyboard command.

If so, log on as you normally would and let the updates continue to install successfully.

If your computer restarts after Ctrl+Alt+Del, read the second Note in Step 2 below. If nothing happens (most likely) then move on to Step 2.

Restart your computer using either the reset button or by powering it off and then back on with the power button. Windows will start normally and finish installing the updates.

If the Windows update installation is truly frozen, you have no other choice but to hard-reboot.

Depending on how Windows and BIOS/UEFI are configured, you might have to hold down the power button for several seconds before the computer will turn off. On a tablet or laptop, removing the battery may be necessary.

If you’re using Windows 10 or Windows 8, and you’re taken to the sign-in screen after the restart, try tapping or clicking the power icon on the bottom-right and choosing Update and Restart, if available.

If you’re automatically taken to the Advanced Boot Options or Startup Settings menu after restarting, choose Safe Mode and see the comments in Step 3 below.

Start Windows in Safe Mode. This special diagnostic mode of Windows only loads the minimum drivers and services that Windows absolutely needs, so if another program or service is conflicting with one of the Windows updates, the install might finish up just fine.

If the Windows updates do install successfully and you continue to Safe Mode, just restart from there to enter Windows normally.

Complete a System Restore to undo the changes made so far by the incomplete installation of the Windows updates.

Since you can’t access Windows normally, try doing this from Safe Mode. See the link in Step 3 if you’re not sure how to start in Safe Mode.

During the System Restore, be sure to choose the restore point created by Windows just prior to the update installation.

Assuming a restore point was made and System Restore is successful, your computer should be returned to the state it was in before the updates started. If this problem occurred after automatic updating, like what happens on Patch Tuesday, be sure to change Windows Update settings so this problem doesn’t reoccur on its own.

Try System Restore from Advanced Startup Options (Windows 10 & 8) or System Recovery Options (Windows 7 & Vista) if you’re not able to access Safe Mode or if the restore failed from Safe Mode.

Since these menus of tools are available from «outside» of Windows, you can try this even if Windows is completely unavailable.

System Restore is only available from outside of Windows if you’re using Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, or Windows Vista. This option is not available in Windows XP.

Start your computer’s «automatic» repair process. While a System Restore is a more direct way of undoing changes, in this case of a Windows update, sometimes a more comprehensive repair process is in order.

• Windows 10 and Windows 8: Try a Startup Repair. If that doesn’t do the trick, try the Reset This PC process (the non-destructive option, of course).
• Windows 7 and Windows Vista: Try the Startup Repair process.
• Windows XP: Try the Repair Install process.

Test your computer’s memory. It’s possible that failing RAM could be causing the patch installations to freeze. Fortunately, memory is really easy to test.

Update BIOS. An outdated BIOS isn’t a common cause for this problem, but it’s possible.

If one or more of the updates Windows is trying to install is involved with how Windows works with your motherboard or other built-in hardware, a BIOS update could solve the issue.

Do a clean install of Windows. A clean install involves completely erasing the hard drive that Windows is installed on and then installing Windows again from scratch on that same hard drive. Obviously you don’t want to do this if you don’t have to, but it’s a very likely fix if the steps prior to this one were unsuccessful.

It might seem likely that reinstalling Windows, and then these same exact Windows updates, will cause the same problem, but that isn’t usually what happens. Since most lockup issues caused by updates by Microsoft are actually software conflicts, a clean install of Windows, followed promptly by the installation of all available updates, usually results in a perfectly working computer.

Still Having Stuck/Freezing Issues Related to Windows Update?

If updates are stuck installing on or just after Patch Tuesday (the second Tuesday of the month), see our Details on the Latest Patch Tuesday piece for more on these specific patches.

How to Fix Windows Update Freezes Computer with 7 Solutions

«Laptop Freezes After the Latest Microsoft 10 Update — My laptop updated the Microsoft automatically yesterday, but it froze when I turned on my laptop. I tried to shut it down forcefully by the power button and turned it on again three times, but it still froze after about 5 minutes after start up. I can’t do anything because it’s freezing, now I can’t use my laptop at all. What should I do? It still froze as I type this.»

What Should You Do If Windows 10 Freezes After Update

A significant number of Windows 10 users, who have installed the latest Windows update on their computers, report their computers crashing at downright odd times and rebooting. To fix Windows 10 freezing after update, you can follow the solutions below.

Workable Solutions	Step-by-step Troubleshooting
Fix 1. Update Device Driver	Go to «This PC > Manage > Device Manager». Expand «Disk drives». Full steps
Fix 2.Turn Off LSPM	Go to Control Panel, click «Power Options > Change plan settings». Full steps
Fix 3. Perform a System Restore	Install and run EaseUS Todo Backup on your Windows 10 PC or laptop. Full steps
Fix 4. Clear Temp Files	Press Windows key and R at the same time, then in the Run form, type temp and. Full steps
Other Fixes to Windows Freezing	Adjust Virtual Memory > Run Disk Check > Run System File Checker. Full steps

Fix 1. Updating all Device Drivers to the Newest

According to users, random computer freezing usually appears after Windows 10 update. And the reason might be an incompatibility of hardware and drivers. To correct it, update all device drivers. If Windows 10 won’t boot/start after update, you can create a WinPE disk to enter your OS and update drivers. The following operations apply to computers that start normally.

Step 1. Go to «This PC > Manage > Device Manager».

Step 2. Expand «Disk drives».

Step 3. Right-click the disk and choose «Update driver».

Fix 2. Turn Off Link State Power Management If Windows 10 Hangs

The PCI Express option Link State Power Management is part of the PCI-E Specification and works in conjunction with the active-state power management (ASPM) in Windows 10/8.1/8/7. If a Windows update freezes the computer, you can turn off Link State Power Management to fix it.

Step 1. Go to Control Panel, click «Power Options > Change plan settings».В

Step 2. Click «Change Advanced power settings».

Step 3. Switch «Link State Power Management» Off both in «Plugged in» and «On battery» under PCI Express.

Fix 3. Perform a System Restore or a Clean Install of Windows 10

If your computer still freezes frequently and randomly after Windows 10 update, you may try to either perform a system restore to roll back to the previous version or do a clean install of Windows 10 to find a fix.

Either a system restore, or a clean install of Windows 10 will erase all the data you have created on your PC. To avoid this issue, back up your data in advance. Here, EaseUS backup and recovery software is available for download to help. If your PC freezes and cannot boot properly, click to learn how to back up data without booting to Windows.

Support Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP

Now, follow the steps below to back up and restore Windows 10 with EaseUS Todo Backup.

To back up Windows 10

Step 1. Download and launch EaseUS Todo Backup.

Step 2. Click «OS» on the home screen to back up your Operating System (Windows 10/8/7). Then a mini window pops up, it will detect and display the operating system information automatically.

Step 3. Select the backup destination, the software will choose the most suitable location by default.

Step 4. Click «Schedule» option to open the Backup Scheme window, here you can create a scheduled backup plan to back up your OS later, daily, weekly, monthly or upon an event. Then, your OS will be automatically backed up.

Step 5. Save all of the changes. Click «Proceed» to start Windows 10 system backup.

To perform a system restore

Step 1. Open EaseUS Todo Backup, click theВ «Recovery» button on System Backup column.

Or click «Browse to Recover» to select the system backupВ you created in advance.

Step 2. Choose one History version of the backup image, after confirming the contents, click the «Next» button.

And select theВ target location to restore your Windows.В

Step 3.В Then click «Proceed»В to start backup recovery.

Wait for the process to complete, restart your computer and then you should be able to run Windows OS on your computer again.

Fix 4. Clear Temp Files to Fix Windows 10 Freezing After Update

Windows 10 could freeze if there is not enough space to store temp files. Thus, you can clean up temp files regularly. Here are the steps.

Step 1. Press Windows key and R at the same time, then in the Run form, type temp and hit «Enter».В

This will invoke Windows Explorer with your Temp folder open, showing you all the temp files on your computer.В

Step 2. Please select all the files in the Temp folder and delete them.

Fix 5. Adjust Virtual Memory If Windows Still Freezes

If Windows 10 is still randomly freezing after clearing your temp files, try this method. Virtual memory is a combination of your RAM and a portion of your hard drive. It is mainly used to extend your computer’s physical memory. If your PC runs out of RAM, you are faced with computer freezing after a Windows update issue. Follow the steps below to solve it.

Step 1. Press Windows + R and type sysdm.cpl in the Run dialog box, and click «OK» to open System Properties.

Step 2. Click «Advanced system settings».

Step 3. Then click «Settings» under the Advanced pane on System Properties.

Step 4. Go on to click «Change» under the Advanced pane.

Step 5. Uncheck «Automatically manage paging file size for all drives».

• Tick on «Custom Size».
• Then set «Initial size» and «Maximum size» by yourself. (The sizes you set should be moreover than the Recommended size.)
• Click «Set» and «OK».

Fix 6. Run Disk Check to If Windows Freezes Randomly

If you still haven’t solved the Windows 10 hanging after update issue, you can diagnose the hard drive for problems. Windows has a built-in tool for the job. Follow the steps below:

Step 1. Open This PC in File Explorer. Right-click the HDD/SSD you want to scan and choose «Properties».

Step 2. Under the Tools tab, click the «Check» button under the «Error checking» section.

Step 3. Next, you can choose to Scan drive if wanted or Repair drive if errors were found.

Step 4. When the scanning finishes, click on the Show Details link to see the CHKDSK log in Event Viewer.

If your hard disk drive is problem-free, you’ll see «Windows successfully scanned the drive. No errors were found.»

If you do see errors, В you will see this «We have found errors on this drive. To prevent data loss, repair this drive.» Then Windows will scan and repair the drive. When finished, reboot your PC and check to see if Windows 10 keeps freezing issue is resolved.

Fix 7. Run System File Checker When Windows Hangs

If some system files get corrupted or missing, Windows 10 can freeze randomly. Microsoft makes it easy for you to get your original system files back. It has an in-built tool called System File Checker that will restore and repair any broken or missing system files.

Step 1. Press Win + X to bring up the Power User menu and select «Command Prompt».

Step 2. Type: sfc /scannow and hit «Enter».

Windows will scan your system for corrupted files and attempt to fix them. You will see the final result when the process reaches 100%. If the scan finds no problems, you know your system files aren’t the cause of Windows 10 randomly freezing. You can perform a system restore in Fix 3.

Conclusion

That’s all about the best seven fixes to Windows 10 computer keeps freezing randomly from EaseUS How-to Articles. Go and have a try.

Windows 10 Update Frequently Asked Questions

Windows 10 update is reportedly freezing or crashing some PCs and even causing boot loops. You can fix the issue with these solutions above. If you still have problems, you can read the following Q and A.

Why is my Windows 10 keep freezing?

Here are the possible reasons:

1. Malware
2. Outdated drivers
3. Corruption with system files
4. Bad memoryВ
5. Failing power supply
6. Overheating CPU

How do I load Safe Mode in Windows 10?

Steps to enter Safe Mode in Windows 10:

• Hold the Power Button down for five seconds or until the computer shuts down.
• Press the Power button again to turn it on.
• The PD should say Windows failed to start or something along those lines.
• Choose «Advanced Repair Options > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Start up Settings».
• Click «Restart» and choose «Safe Mode» to enter safe mode.
• Log in and then reboot.

Can a bad SSD cause freeze?

A bad SSD can cause almost any mal-function, just as a bad hard drive can. The system freezing up would be very common for either storage method.

Why does my computer have a black screen?

If the device hasn’t been charged, there might be a problem with its power cord, adapter, or electrical outlet. If the device has power, you may have a problem with the screen.