Windows Updates

Essential tips & fixes you’ll need EVERY TIME there’s a new update

Make them install smoothly Stop them slowing your PC Restore tools updates remove Uninstall problem updates Set the EXACT time to install

There’s no two ways about it – updates are a colossal pain in the posterior. Every time you switch on a device these days, it seems like there’s some new update or fix to install. Windows 10 is one of the worst offenders. Updates are supposed to help your PC run smoothly, but they’re often disruptive and problematic.

I speak from personal experience here. Late last year, Microsoft released an update that required a reboot, but it refused to install properly on my PC, causing Windows to freeze up on every shutdown or restart. The usual fixes didn’t work, so my temporary solution was to leave the PC switched on. But the failed update just sat there in Windows Update, clogging it up like a blocked drain and stopping other important updates from installing. In the end, it took a complex series of obscure steps to force the update to install correctly.

For a while, everything was fine. But then, just the other day, Cumulative Update KB4056892 – the patch to fix Meltdown (see page 42) – arrived and blocked Windows Update all over again. Updates are an ongoing headache for me, but at least I haven’t encountered (as many Computeractive readers have) one that has broken crucial Windows tools or stopped my PC from starting altogether. At least, not yet.

So what exactly are Windows updates? Why are there are so many of them? And why do they cause problems? We’re going to answer these questions and more in this special extended guide. We’ll also provide fixes for when Windows updates go wrong, and offer tips on how to manage them so they don’t ruin your day.