Windows 8.1 - Windows Update stuck at "checking for updates"

Anonymous

Hi. I see this issue has been brought up by many people. I've tried applying as many suggested methods to fix the issue as I could find on the Microsoft.com site, but so far nothing has worked. I bought the Windows 8.1 Pro full disk, formatted my old hard drive, installed it on there, and the updates were working fine. However, that hard drive had an issue that I couldn't seem to fix, so I purchased a new hard drive. I installed Windows 8.1 on the new hard drive without any problems. The very first thing I tried to do on here is apply Windows Updates, but it just keeps "checking for updates" even when I leave it on overnight. My internet is working, of course, since I am using it to post here. I thought maybe there was an issue with the Windows 8.1 installation on the new hard drive, so I formatted it and reinstalled Win8.1 again. The same problem is still happening with Windows Update. I ran the Update troubleshooter, and it detects problems and claims to have fixed them, but it still keeps "Checking for Updates."

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Anonymous

To resolve the issue, please follow the suggested methods below:

Method 1. Run the scan again.

If the scan freezes and doesn't complete when Windows Update is scanning for updates, try to run the scan again.

Method 2. Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter.

You can download the troubleshooter from this link: Windows Update Troubleshooter.

Method 3. Perform a System Restore.

Turn off your computer manually by pressing the power button.
Start your computer by pressing the power button.
At the logon screen, tap or click the power icon in the lower-right corner.
Press the Shift key, and then tap or click Restart.
On the Choose an option page, tap or click Troubleshoot, and then tap or click Advanced options.
Tap or click System Restore. The computer will restart to System Restore. Select your account to continue.
On the System Restore page, tap or click Next.
When the restoration process is complete, tap or click Restart.

These steps are also available on this link: Windows Update freezes when you install updates in Windows 8, Windows 7, or Windows Vista.

Keep us posted.

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Anonymous

I formatted my new hard drive again, and reinstalled Windows. It took a few hours of testing to figure out what the problem was. Long story short, the Windows installation would get stuck at one point every time. It only happened on my new hard drive. If I tried a force restart, Windows would start up fine but Windows Update would not work. I was trying to split the hard drive into two partitions. After trying to install on a halved partition, I figured I'd just try not making a partition. I don't know what the heck the problem could be with partitions (other than the hard drive is faulty), but the installation FINALLY went through completely normally. Windows Update works just as it should.

Thanks for all your help!

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Anonymous

I recently bought new laptop and windows 8.1 came with it. I have same problem that windows keep checking on updates for very long time without finding anything to download.

Method 2 worked for me :)

Had the same problem with fresh install of W8.1 pro with the 2014 April update 1 rollout installed. Tried everything and only 1 thing worked. Solved

open command prompt using "run as administrator"
type in "net stop wuauserv" (without inverted commas) (this stops windows update)

download KB3102812 for W8.1 (I had 64bit) from Microsoft catalog

click on downloaded file and install update
Restart computer
open command prompt using "run as administrator"
type in "net start wuauserv" (without inverted commas) (this starts windows update again)
then run windows update again

Should only be about 10-15 mins before windows update finds about 1 gig of updates

All credit goes to this link where I found the answer

http://superuser.com/a/1120656

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79 additional answers

Anonymous

2014-08-16T11:28:58+00:00

Hi,

When you try to install the latest Windows updates, you receive the following error message: Windows Update Cannot Check For Updates, Because The Service Is Not Running. There are 2 section in the following article. you may try to run the fixit or try the manual steps from the article.

"Windows Update Cannot Check For Updates" error message when you try to install updates

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2730071/en-us

Post us the results after you try the above steps.
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Anonymous

2014-08-13T05:32:16+00:00

Thanks for your reply. I followed all the instructions on your page and indeed the updates worked in PowerShell. When it prompted me to restart, I did so. I checked the regular Windows Update but it still kept "checking for updates." I tried your PowerShell update again and it found new updates. I downloaded/installed them, then restarted when prompted. Again, I tried the regular Windows Update but it still had the same problem. Once again I used your PowerShell update to download new updates. I tried Windows Update again but, unfortunately, it keeps checking. I tried your PowerShell again but this time, after the Get-WUInstall command, nothing happens (after "running the script"). I assume this is because there are no new updates to download.

I certainly appreciate your assistance in getting updates installed, but I don't want to have to do it through PowerShell every time. Can you think of anything else? I don't know if this is unusual, but I feel like I've been prompted way too much to run things as an administrator. I only have one user account on the PC and it's the administrator. I don't recall having to run so many things as admin on my former hard drive. Why do programs have a "Run as Administrator" option when I am on the administrator account? Even when I check the users and my account is listed, it says it's the admin. By the way, when I open Windows Update it says Never for both last checked and last time updates were installed. However, all the updates installed through PowerShell are listed under Installed Updates.

EDIT: I don't know if this matters, but without formatting my old hard drive (i.e., Win8.1 is still on it, and all updates), I installed the old hard drive into the second slot in my PC and put the new hard drive in the #1 slot. Could that be causing an issue? Having a previous Win8.1 installed on the same computer, although that is not the current hard drive being used to start the computer? I formatted my old hard drive now, but only after I had set up Win8.1 on this new hard drive.
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