Solution to ‘Windows Update cannot currently check for updates, because the service is not running. You may need to restart your computer’. Dec 2017

Anonymous
2017-12-11T20:19:37+00:00

I have seen many people experiencing the problem of ‘Windows Update cannot currently check for updates, because the service is not running. You may need to restart your computer’.

Today, 11th Dec 2017, I have had exactly the same problem with going in to Windows Update on Win 7 PC’s and getting this same scenario when I try to update windows.  I go in to Control Panel and Windows Update.  There is a red X in the box and when I click ‘Check for Updates’ I get the message

‘Windows Update cannot currently check for updates, because the service is not running. You may need to restart your computer’.

I restarted the PC and still had the same the same problem and I also checked the Update Service was running and it was.

I have One laptop and 4 PC’s at home all running Win 7 so I tried the same procedure of updating and all but one had the same issue as above.  I contacted a few friends whom I know have PC’s running Win 7 and when I asked them to try updating Windows they had the same problem I had.  The settings in Windows Update varied from ‘Download updates but let me choose when to install them’ ,  ‘Install updates automatically ( recommended)’, ‘Never check for updates ( not recommended)’ .  Ironically, the only PC I found I could check for updates was the one set to ‘Never check for updates ( not recommended)’. So we changed the settings on all the PC’s to‘Never check for updates ( not recommended)’ and then rebooted & then tried to check for updates and we could in all instances.**  We then changed the settings back to our preference of either *‘Install updates automatically ( recommended)’*or ‘Download updates but let me choose when to install them’ and all is well again. So, it looks as though there has been a common problem with a previous Windows 7 Update that caused this update problem recently.  

Can anyone from Microsoft please look in to this as there may be many people thinking their PC's are being updated and they aren't!

Since posting this a year ago it's obvious from the responses that the above fix doesn't work for everyone but it's certainly worth giving the above solution a shot as it's so simple, if it doesn't then follow one of the other solutions mentioned further on in the discussion.  Once you have the updates working again the problem does not reoccur so obviously Microsoft fixed the problem in a subsequent update. I also notice that one year on and some people are still only just discovering Windows has not been updating all this time, so guess it pays to check updates are being installed occasionally!

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-12-17T11:48:55+00:00

    Hi Rob

    ElderN is correct, you only get the option for adjusting Date/Time if you’re update settings are set to ‘Install Updates Automatically’.  I also avoid having updates install automatically and usually have them set at ‘Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them’. That way I could check each update before installing.  In view of this latest problem we are discussing, I have now changed to ‘Never check for updates’ because it would appear that my Update settings were affected just by windows checking!  Can’t see how else my settings were changed because it happened prior to updates being installed, but after checking for updates, if you see what I mean.

    I have 4 desktop PC’s, 3 are Win7 Professional 64bit and 1 is Win 7 Home Premium 64bit and I also have a laptop Win 7 Home Premium 32 bit, the only one that didn’t get affected was the Home Premium 64 bit, but that was also the only one that wasn’t connected to the internet.  All of them were set to ‘Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them’ but as mentioned above, I’ve now changed to ‘Never check for updates’ and will do manual checks every so often.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-12-17T11:51:01+00:00

    If you set WU to automatically install are you able to adjust date/time?

    Many times with Windows the product is working as designed but that may not be working as desired, as expected or how folks think it ought to work.  This concept of working as designed but not as desired applies to many consumer products.  How things actually work and how folks think it should work are often not the same.

    Microsoft has been finished/done with Windows 7 enhancements for almost 3 years so they are not going to change the way WU works because some folks think it should work differently.  They will not be entertaining any more Windows 7 enhancement ideas.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-12-17T13:25:08+00:00

    Hi ElderN,

    My settings are greyed out with  'Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install'. I agree with comments on not having automatic update on. I have administrator authority but a yellow highlighted box on settings page states 'some settings need administrator rights' and I am not able to change to never update or any other setting. How I overcome this so far has eluded me.

    Regards Rob

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-12-17T15:48:29+00:00

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  5. Anonymous
    2017-12-18T18:19:19+00:00

    To All:  my solution on 2-W7 laptops 1-W7 desktop that works:

    uncheck'm ALL and then request updates.  Update and reset to your specs/checks.

    RUN your new updates...  reboot...  reset to your specs/checks!

    These WUs are necessary and critical to many b/c they are NOT only for W7 'enhancements', but especially for updating apps like MS Excel, etc.

    happy updating!

    UPDATE to the UPDATE!

    IF after you have MS updates working again with the simple process shown above, make sure that your MS OFFICE updates are actually working too (provided you have Office - Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc).

    Mine was turned OFF because of a window choice i had in the process above.  SOOO, to get the OPTION back to make the selection for MS Office Updates, ron7000 had the simple answer back in 2014 and here's the link in case you find Office isn't being updated anymore:

    29 Sept 2014 ron7000

    https://www.sevenforums.com/microsoft-office/346784-not-showing-office-updates-thru-windows-update-office-2010-win7.html

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    20+ people found this answer helpful.
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