Cannot complete Windows Update Windows 7 Home Premium

[Piita]

I am at my wit's end. I cannot complete Windows Update, I keep getting prompted to restart my computer to install important updates. When I restart, that message is still there, I'm stuck in a loop. I have followed so many different fixes that I've lost track. I am attaching the screenshot of the message I keep getting.

I have run the Windows Update Troubleshooter and am attaching a screenshot of the result.

I have done the process of stopping Windows Update, deleting the files under C:/Windows/SoftwareDistribution/DataStore, and the files under C:/Windows/SoftwareDistribution/Download, restarted Windows Update, got the same problem.

I reviewed my installed updates, and I have not had a successful Microsoft Windows update since 9/10/2015, I am attaching a screenshot of that list of updates.

I have tried running Windows Update in a clean boot state, that didn't work either.

No matter what I try, whenever I click to restart the computer to complete the updates, it restarts and comes back to the same message. I can't tell you what order any of these fixes were tried, I just know that I tried the first solution Windows Help gave me, that didn't work so I Googled it, none of those ideas worked, and I have no idea where to go from here.

Before I pay an exorbitant fee to have some kind of tech support come to my home office, is there anything anyone out there can suggest?

FYI, I have Avast Premier Program Version 11.1.2253 installed, as well as Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Version 2.2.0.1024 (this one was installed on 10/14/2015). Could either one of these be the problem?

Also, I somehow accepted the Windows 10 Upgrade invitation (I suspect it may have been a misclick by someone else in my office, but it could have been me), and it keeps popping up a schedule date and time and I keep having to reschedule out by the max of 3 days that it will allow me, but it will not give me an option anywhere on that screen to cancel the upgrade. Whenever I try to find a way to get rid of it, everything I find says to click on the Windows 10 Upgrade icon in the system tray...but I don't have that icon in my system tray.

FINALLY - SHOULD I JUST ALLOW THE UPGRADE TO WINDOWS 10 TO GO THROUGH? WILL THAT GET RID OF ALL THIS CRAP?

Thank you so much for dealing with me on this, I'm sure it's probably going to be frustrating!

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Some things get too broken to be worth the effort.

Perhaps you need a 'do-over'. Buy a new hard drive with new connecting cable. Remove the old hard drive and old cable for now. Install the new drive and cable. Put your current operating system on the new drive and enter the key. Be sure to turn on firewall and security essentials before you connect to the internet. Get all the updates downloaded and installed. Download and install the drivers for your system. If you wish, this is a good time to install a stronger AV / Firewall / etc.

Now that everything is working properly, install the old hard drive as drive E:. Run your AV on the E: drive. Root out all the nasties. Copy any data files you wish to keep. Do a complete wipe on the E: drive (CCleaner does this nicely with zeroes in a utility called 'Drive Wiper') and reformat it. You can use this in an external case ($20-30 at newegg) for backups.

 

[bazz2004]

It does sound very strange. How about trying this? I'm assuming that you can actually use the computer and that it is just the Windows update process that is messed up. Download the free Microsoft media creation tool. This handles an upgrade to Windows 10 and I've found it very good. It downloads, installs and validates Windows 10. As it doesn't depend on the Windows update path this might just sidestep your issues.

 

[Piita]

Well, here is what I have learned in the interim. It seems that the culprit causing all this upheaval is, in fact, the Windows 10 upgrade. I found the attached http://www.infoworld.com/article/2974479/microsoft-windows/how-to-get-rid-of-the-your-upgrade-to-windows-10-is-ready-lock-on-windows-update-in-win7-and-8-1.html article, and he does say that his fixit steps work for some but may not work for all...and in my case, it didn't work. However, I have decided that perhaps the best approach is going to be to allow the Windows 10 upgrade to complete (if it will) rather than continuing to push it out, and then restoring my system back to Windows 7, which I am supposed to have the option to do for up to 30 days after the upgrade. Literally NOTHING else has worked, including having a technician try to fix it. So, I officially give up. Microsoft wins again.

 

[bazz2004]

Did you download and try the Microsoft media creation tool to install Windows 10 or are you still focused on Windows update problems? There are a number of ways of moving to Windows 10. Microsoft have been pretty thorough.

 

[Piita]

Did you download and try the Microsoft media creation tool to install Windows 10 or are you still focused on Windows update problems? There are a number of ways of moving to Windows 10. Microsoft have been pretty thorough.

I am just going to let the upgrade happen and then revert to W7. I haven't had a chance to try it to see if I need to use your suggestion, but as soon as I have time I will try it. Thank you!

 

[bazz2004]

Sorry, I misunderstood you. It sounded like the problem was that Windows upgrade isn't working and you are unable to progress. When that happens it can take a long time to sort out. I've been there.

 

[Setfree]

I have not been able to install ANY Win 7 updates (even one at a time) on 3 of my pc's (10/12/2016). None of the "tips" to fix Win 7 updates worked for me, I could not even update lackluster Security Essentials. So I use Malwarebytes. Looks like they pulled the plug of support for Win 7 a month sooner than they were gonna. When I found out about a year ago of the Windows 10 fiasco, I took a hint, shunned the Win 10 "update" and started to dual boot with Linux Mint to ween myself off Windows with no regrets. No surprise, Windows 10 is now fowling up peoples older pc's. Good old Microsoft, looking just at their bottom line.

 

[DelJo63]

With all the prior updates on the win/7 base, it does take forever to get updates found. once found the process runs well enough.

disable sleep or hibernate, set screen to a dim setting, run Updates manually and go on a date or go to bed.

 

[Setfree]

Tanks jobeard. I never use sleep or hibernate, it just locks up my system. Like your P-47 avatar jobeard. Will hang onto Win7 for a bit longer.

 

[DelJo63]

Tanks jobeard. I never use sleep or hibernate, it just locks up my system. Like your P-47 avatar jobeard. Will hang onto Win7 for a bit longer.

That's post WWII Grumann Bear Cat F8F-1, out of the box original; flys @ Reno races, stationed Camarillo, CA

 

[Setfree]

That's post WWII Grumann Bear Cat F8F-1, out of the box original; flys @ Reno races, stationed Camarillo, CA

That's post WWII Grumann Bear Cat F8F-1, out of the box original; flys @ Reno races, stationed Camarillo, CA

OK, when I looked at a larger version of it, I could see it was not the "Jug", but the venerable Bear Cat. I have seen the P-47 at the air show in Oshkosh but they had no Bear Cats there.

 

[DelJo63]

Camarillo also has a Mitchel B25, North American P51d, the China Lady C46, and a Mitsubishi Zero