Why are Windows updates so slow (and long) with Windows 7

Anonymous
2012-01-02T23:18:56+00:00

original title: We'll search the Windows forum for an answerWhy are Windows updates so slow (and long) with Windows 7

I have a new netbook with windows 7 starter.

Last night when I tried to shut down, I got a message about updating and not to shut down.  If I recall correctly, the download consisted of 49 items.

Today when I turned the computer on, after I entered my password, the computer told me to not shut down and stage 3 was in process.

Then it switched to a "Windows 7 Starter" screen (Windows 7 Starter with the windows logo at the bottom of a patterned blue screen, the same screen I get when booting up before the password screen appears.)  There is no other info on the screen.

It has been a couple of hours since the screen appeared and nothing else appears to be going on.  For the first 40 minutes, the hard drive light was on almost constantly, since then there is an occasional "blink" of the hard drive light.

Is this normal?

If so how long should I expect the process to take?

If not, (how would I be able to tell), what happens if I turn the computer off (assuming I can), and is there any way of recovering?

Anything else I should do?

Suggestions:

1.  Provide the user with some indication that something is happening, and show progress so we know its not just locked up.

2.  Offer an option where the user can delay the long configuration (or whatever is happening) so that if the computer is needed for critical work related use, the user won't get fired.

Thanks

tom

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

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Anonymous
2012-01-03T15:00:42+00:00

Hi,

 It seems to be an issue with the updates installation.

Please follow the article mentioned below:

An update is not installed successfully when you try to install the update in Windows Vista and Windows 7

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949358

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-09-23T16:36:45+00:00

    I agree with you 100%.

    I performed a clean install of Windows 7 Home 32 bit on an older PC for my daughter.

    I had to manually download SP1. Action Center is reporting that updates are good but this is a clean install.

    There have to be at least 100+ updates with a clean install. 

    Next plan is to leave PC in sleep mode (I usually shut down) and see if it pulls anything.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-10-09T12:44:30+00:00

    Though this may sound like a very nice answer, it really does not explain why when you look at the Windowsupdate.log file the delay is NOT during the download or install phases but during the search.  You can see the time delay happen consistently as the system is communicating to https://fe2.update.microsoft.com/v6/ClientWebService/client.asmx

    I ran my own test on three equal virtuals with Win7x64 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate.

    All from the same source, same RAM/CPU, etc.

    The Pro and Enterprise on empty systems during a "Check for Hotfix"  NOT AN INSTALL, took over an hour, while the Ultimate took about 3 minutes.  

    This all started to slow down the same day Windows 10 was released.  

    So, what is the difference with Ultimate that MSFT will allow it to patch at normal speeds, but throttle down the lower versions?

    I'm looking now at a windows Defender update in the log and the Search took nearly 1:45hours to run:

    2015-10-09 05:48:45:224 9696 27d8 COMAPI -------------

    2015-10-09 05:48:45:225 9696 27d8 COMAPI -- START --  COMAPI: Search [ClientId = Windows Defender]

    2015-10-09 05:48:45:225 9696 27d8 COMAPI ---------

    2015-10-09 05:48:45:603 9696 27d8 COMAPI <<-- SUBMITTED -- COMAPI: Search [ClientId = Windows Defender]

    2015-10-09 06:24:06:449 1024 26e8 Agent  * Added update {B8994878-0FA7-435E-BDF4-4DBF8A64CCE5}.100 to search result

    ......

    Try again, Microsoft.  This appears too coincidental and much too subversive to suddenly be just a large number of patches.  We would have seen a gradual increase in the time delay, not go from 3-15 minutes to over an hour on the same day Windows 10 was released.

    Bruce Orand

    Tampa FL

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-10-14T18:47:29+00:00

    Updates for older versions are all located on a single 286 machine somewhere in Bangalore and if you try to "Search" for your update, you have to stand in line till someone over there actually gets up from his bed desk and goes to the back room and looks for your update and starts typing it in !

    Try downloading a single update from download center, use google to search for KB code, and see how long that takes. My guess is that some one in MSFT is getting paid to push people to Lynux !!! So far it's working just great !

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-10-15T11:41:41+00:00

    Even when updating in the background it takes that much CPU that your machine is paralysed.

    Switching to Linux could be an option, if the software diversity is as abundand as with Windows but it still remains an Idea!

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