Windows update will not download updates - stuck at 0% downloading

thanks this worked wonderfully

I am no one working for Microsoft but I did isolate my problem that started on 10/10/2015 maybe even sooner I don't know for sure, as I usually don't install updates very quickly in my house-hold unless I am the one checking every update one by one for every persons pc including my own! For me it was one of the last -8 .Net-framework updates, plus the explorer 11 security update, which one? I uninstalled quit a few updates and now I have no problems, it even stopped my internet packets from sending and receiving for all my normal net usage. I don't know lol I am leaving all last 20 alone for now. I generally let everyone fight it out on these help forums and wait a month for someone else to use and send error codes to Microsoft, and....! big deep breath.... after that I go ahead and install me updates and run through them checking one by one to make sure they are fine again. Hope this helps! Someone! else!

Update problems came real bad with windows 8 & 10's arrival and the updates that's followed.

(( I am editing this post to include some things that may help more. Windows version: 7 ultimate and I am about to check my Win 10 pro to see if it was effected as well. For people having these issues for years.... You may want to really check reset switch wires? graphics card seating? FANs plus fan wires? <---- big one! Some power supply's do not like a change in current and will not show sign's of faulty activity other than simply windows won't update but it happens. Time and date in bios is another biggy just ask anyone here. I will stay posted here but there is so much of the update problem anymore that I am not entirely sure what the delay and **** is in updates nor the reasons why the sometimes just will not work. This is beating all I have ever seen. I promise you it's NOT MY COMPUTER!!

I found a solution to my problem when Windows would search for updates, but then when it started downloading it would stay at 0% forever. I started by stopping the Windows Update service (in my case the service proved to be frozen so I restarted my computer and disabled the service before it starts) and the Application Experience service. After that I went to the C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution folder and pressed ctrl+a and shift+delete to empty its contents. Mine contained more than 70,000 files so it took a while. I started Application Experience and enabled Windows Update. I let it check for updates and try to download them. It worked perfectly.

Do not worry about deleting important windows files in this case. The contents of SoftwareDistribution is used as a cache and data for Windows Update. When Windows Update starts again it rebuilds the cache repopulating it with up-to-date versions of the files and chewing up a ton of harddisk space again.

Really the only part that you need to do is restart Windows Update service.