Windows 10 won’t finish updating at 0% download

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I am new to this forum, but a few years Windows Secrets newsletter customer.

I have upgraded my VAIO from Windows 7 Home 64bit to Windows 10 almost three weeks ago. The only software I kept from Windows 7 was Microsoft Office, no Antivirus installed yet. I prefer this route while I have many customized settings on the Office programs, as well as on the Windows. I use Clonezilla for my ISO’s and I started the Windows 7 with a clean install as well.

I do like my privacy and I disabled many services I will never use. My tablet is more than 4 years old; I am not on a network, nor do I have another PC to share anything with.

I noticed that I had to restart the laptop three times for Microsoft to acknowledge my setting’s changes and two three times to get Windows updates installed. The last updates are from January 31st.

I realize that Windows 10 Home doesn’t give us the option to install our self-pending updates; therefore I set it up to Metered Connection. It’s been since January 31st, 2016 and even though Microsoft states there are updates available, nothing downloads and nothing installs.
sfc /scannow didn’t find any issues. I tried registry editing, resetting updates via Command Prompt – all I could find on the Internet; I worked on it daily ending up at a stopping point.

Clicking reclaimed Download results in a message: “we couldn’t download some updates because you were signed out of your account. Sign in with your account, try the update again, and stay signed in during the download.” I do not want to use any Microsoft account.
I am thinking to install the Windows 7 ISO again and do another Upgrade to Windows 10 at a later time if there is no other option.

PS: The Store Settings are not available anymore.

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The “System Update Readiness tool” may help.

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Thank you for the link CLiNT.
I’m sorry, that did not help. The message states” ‘dims.exe’ is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

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That should be Dism not Dims.
Jerry

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Thank you Jerry, I run the dims: The restore operation completed successfully; so did the operation. I restarted the laptop; clicked Download Updates; however, it is stuck @ 0% again.

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Thank you Jerry, I run the dims: The restore operation completed successfully; so did the operation. I restarted the laptop; clicked Download Updates; however, it is stuck @ 0% again.

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Thank you Jerry, I run the dims: The restore operation completed successfully; so did the operation. I restarted the laptop; clicked Download Updates; however, it is stuck @ 0% again.

I got the “we couldn’t download some updates because you were signed out of your account. Sign in with your account, try the update again, and stay signed in during the download.” when I was signed in to a Microsoft account all alone.This was just 2 days ago. I tried a heap of things that would not work and in the end I signed into the hidden admin account and got it to work.

To activate the inactive administrator account, copy and paste the command net user administrator /active:yes in a “Command Prompt (admin)”Then click on Start Then click on your account name and you should see Administrator Account. You don’t need a password for it.

To disable it afterwards,use the following command:
On an elevated command prompt: net user administrator /active:no

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Thank you for the tip KIWIpeteW. While activating net user administrator, the Update still didn’t do anything, still stuck @ 0%. I even restarted the laptop few times and disabled the metered connection and set the updates to install automatically and put it back on.
I think I had to change something down the road around January 31st that stopped the updates downloading. It has to do something with me not using Microsoft account.

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I got the “we couldn’t download some updates because you were signed out of your account. Sign in with your account, try the update again, and stay signed in during the download.” when I was signed in to a Microsoft account all alone.This was just 2 days ago. I tried a heap of things that would not work and in the end I signed into the hidden admin account and got it to work.

To activate the inactive administrator account, copy and paste the command net user administrator /active:yes in a “Command Prompt (admin)”Then click on Start Then click on your account name and you should see Administrator Account. You don’t need a password for it.

To disable it afterwards,use the following command:
On an elevated command prompt: net user administrator /active:no

Thank you for the tip KIWIpeteW. While activating net user administrator, the Update still didn’t do anything, still stuck @ 0%. I even restarted the laptop few times and disabled the metered connection and set the updates to install automatically and put it back on.
I think I had to change something down the road around January 31st that stopped the updates downloading. It has to do something with me not using Microsoft account.

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Thank you for the tip KIWIpeteW. While activating net user administrator, the Update still didn’t do anything, still stuck @ 0%. I even restarted the laptop few times and disabled the metered connection and set the updates to install automatically and put it back on.
I think I had to change something down the road around January 31st that stopped the updates downloading. It has to do something with me not using Microsoft account.

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Didn’t you set Metered connection to stop getting Windows Updates? :confused:

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Yes, metered connection will stop the auto updates in the night, but I should be able to install them at my own. While this should be true, I had the problem with Windows not installing updates since January 31st – before I changed my settings to metered connection just this week. Everything else seems to work fine.

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Yes, metered connection will stop the auto updates in the night, but I should be able to install them at my own.

Who says?

While this should be true, I had the problem with Windows not installing updates since January 31st – before I changed my settings to metered connection just this week.

That’s not how it sounded in your first post:

… therefore I set it up to Metered Connection. It’s been since January 31st, 2016 and even though Microsoft states there are updates available, nothing downloads and nothing installs.

Patch Tuesday was this week anyway.

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I learn from the Internet by myself (windowssecrets; arstechnica; askvg; networkworld; sevenforums; tenforums…) As I understand metered connection is the only way to stop Windows updating itself in the night around 3AM. In my case that is the only time I get the Download option.

I do leave stuff on over the night without saving once a while and except with the Office stuff, I lose it all when windows decides to restart my laptop. I lost 1gig book drive full of backups three years ago due to Windows deciding to restart my former laptop. These files (lots of family pictures and videos) are gone while I don’t have hundredths of $ to have the drive recovered. Linux could not recover the files; even they are visible with 0 values. [Microsoft offered to scan the book the next morning after the self-update-restart when it happened, and I stupidly said OK. That is why I do not trust the updates anymore, even though; I will not make this scanning mistake again.]
I do leave files without saving on if I get interrupted by family members or due to being too tired in the late night. I shouldn’t have to save my stuff just to be afraid that Microsoft will decide to restart my laptop because of their updates.

I am sorry I was not clear in my original post, English is not my native language. I mentioned I changed it to metered because I didn’t get the updates since January 31st.

Microsoft doesn’t patch things when they need to be patched anymore?
Also, doesn’t Defender update the definitions every second day? At least that what it was in Win7.

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“Windows 10 generally won’t download any updates over a metered connection.”
Automatic Updates at AskWoody.com

“Microsoft security bulletins are released on the second Tuesday of each month.”
Microsoft Security Bulletin at Security TechCenter

“Another effect of having the connection set as metered is that you have to tell Windows Defender to check for definition updates using the Windows Defender UI.
It will not automatically update its definitions on a metered connection.”
Metered Connections at Microsoft Community

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Thank you BruceR.
I think it would be the best for me to start from scratch again. I noticed some of the options in settings are not available anymore if I set things different than the Microsoft’s default. It would be too much headache for me to fix it while I am not an IT; I just love to use and learn about the computers, androids…

I had no problems in Win7. I would really like to use Win10, but all this snooping, restricting, not being able to update when I want it makes me dislike Win10.
Maybe I should stay using Win7 till July, and try again at that point. If Microsoft won’t give their users basic rights back by that time; I might even have to learn Linux.

I was also posting an answer to KIWIpeteW; however, it doesn’t show up. So here it is
Thank you for the tip KIWIpeteW. While activating net user administrator, the Update still didn’t do anything, still stuck @ 0%. I even restarted the laptop few times and disabled the metered connection and set the updates to install automatically and put it back on.
I think I had to change something down the road on or shortly after January 31st which stopped the updates downloading. It has to do something with me not using Microsoft account while I set up the metered connection February 8th. I keep records of major changes.

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If you want updates you should not set metered connection.

How to Schedule Restarts for Updates in Windows 10

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I did reinstall the Win10 from my backup ISO dated 2/5/16. While I had some privacy settings already done in this image, there was not a single WinDefender Definition in the History. I had no AV installed this time, just a fresh image with the MOffice as the only program.
When updating this time, even I had the option for the Windows Updates to install at a specific time for scheduled restart; I was not able to set it to 9 AM Tomorrow. I got this nonsense message: “That time is in the past. Choose another time“. How could be Tomorrow 9:00 AM in the past if it was 1 PM at the time I wanted to set it up? I chose the ‘Restart now’ and it installed the rest of the updates w/o the WinDefender Definitions. This does not solve the ‘Windows restarting itself when IT wants’ problem.

What about this WinUpdate tweak? Did anyone test it yet?

I checked the Microsoft security bulletins, thank you for the link. I didn’t see anything about Win Defender Definitions. It looks like the Defender definitions update every third day on Win7 system. I use eset as AV and don’t rely on Defender (which is not an AV); I just wanted to see what Microsoft is doing with their updates. For now it seems like Microsoft is spending too much time of tracking what people do with their PC’s or tablets or phones, instead of making sure they give their customers more security as they used to before.

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I didn’t see anything about Win Defender Definitions. It looks like the Defender definitions update every third day on Win7 system. I use eset as AV and don’t rely on Defender (which is not an AV); I just wanted to see what Microsoft is doing with their updates.

Windows Defender is an AV on Windows 10 and definitions are updated at least once each day.
Updating your Microsoft antimalware and antispyware software

Windows Defender is disabled if you install a third-party AV program.
How to protect your Windows 10 PC

For now it seems like Microsoft is spending too much time of tracking what people do with their PC’s or tablets or phones, instead of making sure they give their customers more security as they used to before.

Windows 10 is more secure than Windows 7 in many ways: Designed to be the most secure Windows yet

Even Google Chrome has better security on Windows 10: Chrome picks up bonus security features on Windows 10

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Thanks for all the help and links BruceR. You know your stuff. :thewave:
Me, as an end user, trying to find a way to be able to set up my computer as I used to be able since Win3 – I am getting lost more and more in the newer Win versions.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Win; however, because Microsoft is hiding more and more stuff (which I agree, is needed for the entry level users), I am starting to dislike it. Not everybody has extra money to upgrade to Pro for a computer that is already older and might die who knows how soon. Although, Pro wouldn’t make it for me either, but at least I could say when I want the updates to be installed.
I want to be able to see, what is going on, to be able to set it up at least the basic way most advanced users would like it to be set. Eliminating these basic features is not good for Microsoft; even they think, they can do what they want w/o consequences. Linux is getting more and more popularity due to this.

Windows Defender is disabled if you install a third-party AV program.

That is fine with me, because I trust eset more than Microsoft. I just wanted to see how often it is updated and why it doesn’t show updates when I have nothing else w/exception of Office installed on Win10 system.
BTW, Defender is still updating definitions on Win7, together with eset on my laptop and PC installed. So it doesn’t get fully disabled. I didn’t install it on Win10 yet as I am not ready to start using it due to the problem with updates.

Windows 10 is more secure than Windows 7 in many ways: Designed to be the most secure Windows yet

I don’t disagree, it gets better, but it gets also worse in the aspect of people having to do lots of tweaks in order to have it working their way. Although, the majority users are at the beginning lever, also due to kids starting to use tablets…

Even Google Chrome has better security on Windows 10: Chrome picks up bonus security features on Windows 10

That is one browser I am not looking to use. There is nothing better than Firefox for me. Again, I like to set things my way and Firefox is the leader in this aspect.

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BTW, Defender is still updating definitions on Win7, together with eset on my laptop and PC installed. So it doesn’t get fully disabled.

My Windows Defender comment and link were about Windows 10. On Windows 7 where Windows Defender is only anti-spyware it is not disabled if you install an AV program.

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