Windows 7 Takes Forever To Check For Updates

This post was originally published on November 21, 2016
The latest update to this post was made 7 years ago.

Windows 7 Takes Forever To Check For Updates

In Windows 7, if you have not updated for a long time (been offline) or freshly re-installed from an older CD/DVD or thumbdrive – you may notice that Windows Update takes forever to run.  It can take hours, days or simply never actually finish  ‘checking for updates’.  This can apply whether the machine is established or freshly reloaded.

The issue occurs when two required hot fixes are not present on the computer, specifically KB3020369 and KB3172605, for both x86 (32bit) and x64 (64bit) machines.  You can download either directly from Microsoft, or use the Blog Encounters mirror.  You should follow BOTH of the steps below to resolve.

STEP 1:
You must have the April 2015 servicing stack update installed (KB3020369).  Download the version for your operating system from the mirror of your choice:

• 32 Bit KB3020369 For Windows 7 (x86) -> [Microsoft Mirror] [BlogEncounters Mirror]
• 64 Bit KB3020369 For Windows 7 (x64) -> [Microsoft Mirror] [BlogEncounters Mirror]

You must STOP the Windows Update service BEFORE installing this update!  (Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services -> Windows Update). 

STEP 2:
You will need the July 2016 Update Rollup (KB3172605) to address the long hangs at Windows Update scan.  Download the version for your operating system from the mirror of your choice:

• 32 Bit KB3172605 For Windows 7 (x86) -> [Microsoft Mirror] [BlogEncounters Mirror]
• 64 Bit KB3172605 For Windows 7 (x64) -> [Microsoft Mirror] [BlogEncounters Mirror]

You must STOP the Windows Update service BEFORE installing this update!  Note, it may have auto restarted from the patch above.  (Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services -> Windows Update). 

Once the above have installed, you should restart the computer and check for updates again.  In our experience, these steps have resolved the issue.  Please note:  YOU MUST STOP the “Windows Update” service BEFORE installing the above updates or they will fail!

Tags: #kb3020369 #kb3172605 #microsoft #windowsupdate #techsupport