The process of installing updates is usually accompanied by the message “Preparing Windows, do not turn off your computer.” But sometimes it happens that it hangs for a very long time – up to several hours. What to do in such a situation? We tell you in our material.
Why does the message hang for too long?
Usually Windows 10 installs all the latest updates on its own, and no action is required from the user. They can be downloaded in the background and installed automatically during the computer restart.
But during the installation of updates, a number of problems may arise, one of which is the system freezing, accompanied by a message about “preparing Windows”.
The following may be among the reasons for such a failure:
- Conflict during installation of the next update;
- There are viruses on the computer;
- The OS is preventing the installation of a certain update;
- Problem with hard drive or SSD drives;
- There was a failure in the system update service;
- The latest update is unstable in itself.
How to solve a problem
Below are several options offered to help solve the problem.
The first thing to remember is that it can take a long time to fully install individual Windows updates. Therefore, if the request not to turn off the computer has been hanging on the screen for at least half an hour, this is not a reason to start panicking and take any action. A hasty reaction in such a situation, on the contrary, can only do harm.
You can seriously think about solving the problem with freezing no earlier than a couple of hours after the message “Preparing Windows do not turn off the computer” appears on the monitor. But even in this case, one more condition must be met – the PC should not show any activity. This means that the hard drive indicator should either light up with rare blinks or not light up at all.
If more than three hours have passed and no progress has been observed, then you can use one of the methods presented below.
Restore system files
This is an effective tool that can often resolve issues with update failures. However, it requires a USB flash drive with the Windows installation file.
The algorithm of actions is as follows:
- Load OS from USB flash drive;
- Select the language and system on the screen;
- Click on the “System Restore” button;
- Select “Troubleshoot”;
- Enter the command line via additional parameters;
- There type the command sfc;
- Press Enter, wait for the process to complete and restart the computer.
Most likely the problem will be fixed.
Boot the OS in safe mode
Using safe mode will be relevant for diagnosing most failures, because the system uses a minimum number of services and drivers. In this case, this option will significantly unload Windows, which will make it possible to install all updates faster.
What to do:
- When starting the system, quickly press the F8 button;
- Once the system menu appears, select “Safe Mode” and wait until the system boots;
- Afterwards, restart your computer as usual.
This should help resolve the problematic message.
Stop the update process
You can try to interrupt the update process by pressing the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Del. However, it is worth considering that this option will not work in all cases. It all depends on which component is being updated right now. If everything goes as it should, the user will find himself on the account login screen. You need to log in and try to install the updates again.
Force reboot
If the previous method did not work, you can try to interrupt the installation of updates forcibly. To do this, press Reset or the power button on the laptop. After rebooting, the message may appear again, but for a short time. After which the user will be able to log in to the system.
Next, you will need to delete everything in the C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution folder. This is where the Update Center downloads all update files. Then you can try updating again. If the system does not allow you to clear the folder using the service management menu, you need to temporarily stop the Update Center.
Perform OS recovery
If none of the above helps, there is one more option – system recovery. After loading the disk with the OS installation file, you need to click on the line “System Restore”, then – “Troubleshooting”, and then select one of the proposed options:
- return to the previous build – the item will be available if a selection of files from the previous build was formed during the updates;
- System Restore – will roll back to the last restore point;
- System image recovery – available if there is a system backup;
- remove updates – all already installed updates will be removed from the device.
The frozen message “Preparing Windows, do not turn off your computer” may indeed indicate that there was some kind of failure during the update. However, you can only try to solve the problem after at least three hours. Even if you install heavy updates, the system usually does not require more time than indicated. If there are still no changes, you can try the options listed in the material. They will help you deal with the failure and get rid of the annoying message.