Windows Update Hangs

A far better setting is to inform you that updates are available. That will not start the download process but should inform you that updates are available. Sometimes there are 'out of sequence' security updates that really should be installed ASAP. The setting of 'never' means you will miss those until you next manually check, leaving the computer potentially vulnerable.

So I strongly recommend the setting being Inform instead of automatic or never.

Canadian Tech

It may now be 'normal' but it is just not acceptable. Why should it take so long to just get the list of updates intended for Windows 7? And then take hours to download the data files?

My W8.1 installation updated in about 20 minutes total, that's acceptable. My W10 install took about 15 minutes for the last update cycle, That's OK too. Our W7 laptop has now been running 16 hours just looking for the list - that is unacceptable.

First time to ever post here as have never had any Windows issues that necessitated a post.

I had 8 Windows 7 machines but now have only 3 and 2 of those are going to get wiped and I'm installing Linux on them after setting and waiting for 3 hours and 50 minutes checking for this months updates. Only reason I'm not wiping all 3 is one is wife's computer, but I WILL be trying to persuade her to Linux. Wifes computer has now been checking for updates for 4 hours and 30 minutes! I can install AND update Linux in the time it takes to JUST check for updates now a days.

I've had this issue of checking for updates since about last November and can not tolerate it anymore. It has been taking longer each month to check for these stupid updates.

I know MS wants to try and force people to that miserable thing called Windows 10, but I despise that piece of garbage.

I see that about the only solution to this problem is patience, but that is an absurd solution. I think switching to Linux is a heck of a lot better solution!! :)

Edit:

Wife's computer finally finished checking for updates. 6 hours and 24 minutes! Ridiculous!!

17 minutes to download/install and reboot!

We just experienced this issue this morning on several work systems we still have running Windows 7. Svchost.exe was consuming >95% CPU on the systems rendering them unusable making it impossible to get any work done on them, so we temporarily disabled Windows Updates on the systems and rebooted them and now Scvhost.exe is down to 0% and our users can work on them again. We'll continue to monitor this thread and other news sources until a fix has been announced by Microsoft and then we'll re-enable WU on the systems.

Cheers, Mitch

I am afraid you do not completely understand how these settings work.  Never is the only setting that will give you control.  In my original post, I explained this.  You can test it for yourself to see it.

If you choose “check for updates, but let me choose whether to download and install them”, Microsoft will download “important” updates like KB3035583 to your computer.  It will be pre-checked — selected.  Unless you check Windows Update (WU) and discover this BEFORE you shut down, it will install it during the shut-down process.

So, inspite of your strong recommendation, I would insist on the Never setting. 

Never does not mean you will never check for updates.  I strongly recommend you do this once a month sometime shortly after the 2nd Tuesday.  Never means Microsoft is never allowed control and only you have that control.

The WU process does not use more than 25 to 50% if CPU.  When you see 100% it is because someone has rebooted and re-started the process, thereby creating two processes.