Windows "checking for updates"

Hootsmon

I dusted down my old laptop today, it's not been used for some 18 months or so...

when I check for updates it just searches for hour after hour with no result until I switch the bloody thing off

Skipped

If it is Windows 7.....there is a known problem.
I could not fix it and I tried everything.

Hootsmon

Yup 7

Mick

Have a look here, http://www.askvg.com/fix-windows-7-keeps-checking-for-updates-for-hours/

MtB

Turn the updates off. I am running 7 on my desktop, and it hasn't has any MS updates since May 2015 - and it runs just fine.
I did check tho, and there's about 1.5GB that I should have installed. That's why the PC is still running well !! 

Gizmo

Drop by http://www.wsusoffline.net/ and download there offline update app it will allow you to pull down updates for any of the 7/8/10 windows OS's without having to use M$'s shitty give you no info "windows update" app (pos) you can also black list any of the sneaky windows telemetry updates by just adding there KB's to an exclude txt file.

Its totally safe no ad/malware or doggy "set your homepage" bullshit is installed with it,ive used it for a fair old while now and it's a massive timesaver 

Skipped

hootsmon said:

Yup 7

Most Windows 7 laptops can be upgraded to Windows 10.
The free upgrade to Windows 10 ended in July 2016.

However....if you feel able to pretend that you sometimes take advantage of assistive technologies, the free upgrade is still available to you. Link below.
If you do this...my advice to you would be.
1. Back up all your Windows 7 drivers onto a usb stick using free software Double Driver.
2. Back up your Windows 7 Installation to an external USB drive or stick using free software Macrium Reflect.
3. Upgrade to Windows 10 for free using the link below.
4. Select Keep Nothing. This will be the same as a Fresh Install. You will lose everything in your Windows 7 installation so put your personal stuff somewhere safe. IMO a fresh install is best. Let the installation finish. Could be a couple of hours. If a driver is missing or is problematic because you have an older laptop....just point Device Manager at your Double Driver backup on your usb stick. Windows 10 will accept your old W7 driver until it finds a better one....
5 Try Windows 10 for a week. If you like it use Disc Clean up to remove the huge "Windows Old" file which contains your old W7 installation. This is just to free up space.
6. If you don't like W10 use your Macrium Reflect back up to restore W7.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/accessibility/windows10upgrade

Just an idea for you.

rpr

I had this problem a couple of year back-and I'm struggling to remember how I sorted it.... Try manually updating Windows Explorer from the Microsoft download page, restart it and try again, cos it was something like that....

Hootsmon

^ I'm listening

Axe_meister

Delete contents of softwaredistribusion folder start and stop update service this should force and update

Emp_Fab

+1 to Axe_meister

tampadragon

TLDR: Microsoft actually released two fixes for this:
kb3172605 - https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/kb/3172605
kb3177467 - https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/kb/3177467

The first is a security update, but installing both of them has fixed this issue on all our PCs in the office. When I joined here no updates had been done since 2012, so there were a lot of them to go through and this was a major pain! After some research and googling I found the above two fixes! 
Tried it on 25+ PCs and it's worked like a charm