# Windows Update looking for updates for 24 hours. Is this normal?



## morlaine (Aug 26, 2010)

The computer is a Compaq15 64-bit, running Windows 8.1. *It has 2g memory and a 500gb hard drive with plenty of available space.
I'm trying to help a friend with his computer being extremely slow. *The language on his computer is Spanish. *He doesn't speak much computer and I don't speak much Spanish, so please bear with me. *
According to Task Manager, the problem seems to be caused by a task running continually and consuming from 51 to 57% of the CPU. *The task is Service Host Local System (13) this number varies from time to time but is usually in the teens. *I have been working with this problem for about five days now. *I think I'm safe in saying that I've tried at least 50 different fixes none of which has worked for more than a few hours and this task kicks off again. *I started out thinking it was a problem only with this task kicking off for no reason because nothing was running on the computer at the time. *At least nothing that I was aware of.*
Last night I seemed to have it fixed because the computer ran for about four hours without the task consuming the CPU. *It stayed down around 2 to 7 percent which I thought was acceptable. *
Then, before giving it back to him, I decided to take a look at Windows Update through the Control Panel.
The option was set so that the updates would be automatically installed. *But when I looked at the History of Installed Updates, the latest update was done in April 2018, so over a year ago. *I decided that had to be wrong, so I clicked on the option to have Windows Update look for Updates. *It has been running since last night and the Service Host Local System task is now back up to consuming over 50% of the CPU.
Now with that long explanation, would it be normal for Windows Update to look for updates for this long because they have not been updating properly? *And would this search for updates cause the Service Host Local System task to use that much CPU?
I think he turns his laptop on only when he uses it and then turns if off. *He does not leave it on all the time like I do with my laptop. *MIne is on 24x7. *We are on a very slow ISP so maybe the updates don't have time to download but are marked as updated on the Windows server. *That's a guess of desperation on my part. And if that is the case, how do I get all the missed updates to install? Will it all happen automatically if I leave the computer on continually for the next few days? 
Thanks so much for any help and suggestions.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

For now, just let it keep searching for Updates. If this doesn't work, there are other things we can do. What's his download speed? https://www.speedtest.net/


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## morlaine (Aug 26, 2010)

I got 87 Kbps for the speed which is surprisingly fast tonight. It's usually about 30 Kbps.


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## Gary R (Jul 23, 2008)

Did you say 30 Kbps ? :SHOCKED: Are you even able to browse with a connection like that ?

That's not just slow, that's glacial.

No wonder they're not properly updated.

To put things in perspective, an average Microsoft update these days is around 500Mb (or more), so at the download speed you're talking about, for that one single update it would take over 4 hours to download, and that's provided there wasn't any need to resend because of errors, which of course on a transmission of that duration there would be, so in reality we'd be talking even longer.

Multiply the one update by the number of months your friend's machine has not been updated for, and you get some idea of the length of time it would take to update fully using that connection.


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

You can manually download the Monthly Rollup of all the updates for Windows 8.1 from the Microsoft Catalog In one update Microsoft Update Catalog


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## Confounded Also (Aug 19, 2015)

Gary R said:


> Did you say 30 Kbps ? :SHOCKED: Are you even able to browse with a connection like that ?
> 
> That's not just slow, that's glacial.



If that's not a typo, it's below dial-up speed of 56K.


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## morlaine (Aug 26, 2010)

Nope, not a typo. I have a laptop that has 12gb memory and a 2T hard drive and is three times faster than his. A couple of days ago, on mine, I downloaded a crochet project instructional video from youtube that was 360mb. I started the download before I went to bed and it still had three hours left when I got up the next morning. So it's not just his computer. 
This is reminiscent of when I first started working from home on computers and the download rate was 800 baud. Anyone old enough to remember that?


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## morlaine (Aug 26, 2010)

A quick update. The Windows Update is still looking for updates but the Service Host task is now down to 32%. Not sure if that means anything significant.


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## SpywareDr (Jun 15, 2013)

If your internet speeds are significantly below your ISP's advertised speed for your account, you need to ask them to look into and resolve the problem.


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## Gary R (Jul 23, 2008)

Service Host activity doesn't really tell you anything. It is used by a number of Windows Services, and its activity, or lack of it, at any one time, is really just a reflection of how many Services it was interacting with at that time.

See ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svchost.exe ... for more detail.


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

> I started the download before I went to bed and it still had three hours left when I got up the next morning. So it's not just his computer.


Unplug the power adapter for the modem and router or combo device, wait 15 seconds and plug them back in. While waiting for that to come up, restart each device (computer, tablet, phone) on your network. After all the lights are on, do a speedtest. If you stil have slow internet, press the *Windows* key*+S *in the search box type* CMD*. right click the CMD results and *Run As Administrator*. Here type 
*Ipconfig /all> 0 & notepad 0* and press Enter. _Copy_ the text in the Notepad results and paste them into your next post.
As stated, if you are not getting the advertised internet speed from your ISP, have them test the lines.


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## Confounded Also (Aug 19, 2015)

morlaine said:


> *We are on a very slow ISP





morlaine said:


> I got 87 Kbps for the speed which is surprisingly fast tonight. It's usually about 30 Kbps.



I don't see where OP says anything about getting 'below advertised' speeds. There are many places in the US that only get dial-up speeds and we're not even sure the OP is in the US.


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## morlaine (Aug 26, 2010)

Here's the scoop. I am currently in Costa Rica, trying to sell my beach house, if anyone is interested. 
I am supposed to be getting 125kbps. I've talked to the ISP provider and they say they will look into it. But for now, it is what it is. 
And the Windows Update is still running and the Service Host task is continually running in excess of 50%. 
I ran the Ipconfig command and here's what I got. Sorry about it being in Spanish but I did say his computer only speaks Spanish.

Configuraci¢n IP de Windows

Nombre de host. . . . . . . . . : Smith
Sufijo DNS principal . . . . . : 
Tipo de nodo. . . . . . . . . . : h¡brido
Enrutamiento IP habilitado. . . : no
Proxy WINS habilitado . . . . . : no

Adaptador de LAN inal*mbrica Conexi¢n de *rea local* 1:

Estado de los medios. . . . . . . . . . . : medios desconectados
Sufijo DNS espec¡fico para la conexi¢n. . : 
Descripci¢n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Adaptador virtual directo Wi-Fi de Microsoft
Direcci¢n f¡sica. . . . . . . . . . . . . : 1E-E0-10-C2-4F-CF
DHCP habilitado . . . . . . . . . . . . . : s¡
Configuraci¢n autom*tica habilitada . . . : s¡

Adaptador de LAN inal*mbrica Wi-Fi:

Sufijo DNS espec¡fico para la conexi¢n. . : 
Descripci¢n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Qualcomm Atheros AR9485 802.11b/g/n WiFi Adapter
Direcci¢n f¡sica. . . . . . . . . . . . . : AC-E0-10-C2-4F-CF
DHCP habilitado . . . . . . . . . . . . . : s¡
Configuraci¢n autom*tica habilitada . . . : s¡
V¡nculo: direcci¢n IPv6 local. . . : fe80::8d74:38f1:14ed:3888%4(Preferido) 
Direcci¢n IPv4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.20.10.9(Preferido) 
M*scara de subred . . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.240
Concesi¢n obtenida. . . . . . . . . . . . : mi‚rcoles, 14 de agosto de 2019 07:18:22 a. m.
La concesi¢n expira . . . . . . . . . . . : viernes, 16 de agosto de 2019 02:59:08 p. m.
Puerta de enlace predeterminada . . . . . : 172.20.10.1
Servidor DHCP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.20.10.1
IAID DHCPv6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 78438416
DUID de cliente DHCPv6. . . . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-23-70-3A-92-B0-5A-DA-5C-B5-64
Servidores DNS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.20.10.1
NetBIOS sobre TCP/IP. . . . . . . . . . . : habilitado

Adaptador de Ethernet Ethernet:

Estado de los medios. . . . . . . . . . . : medios desconectados
Sufijo DNS espec¡fico para la conexi¢n. . : 
Descripci¢n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller
Direcci¢n f¡sica. . . . . . . . . . . . . : B0-5A-DA-5C-B5-64
DHCP habilitado . . . . . . . . . . . . . : s¡
Configuraci¢n autom*tica habilitada . . . : s¡

Adaptador de t£nel isatap.{2F22E219-3FC2-48F0-95F7-5F3E38FA79A8}:

Estado de los medios. . . . . . . . . . . : medios desconectados
Sufijo DNS espec¡fico para la conexi¢n. . : 
Descripci¢n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Adaptador ISATAP de Microsoft
Direcci¢n f¡sica. . . . . . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP habilitado . . . . . . . . . . . . . : no
Configuraci¢n autom*tica habilitada . . . : s¡


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

OK so, your wireless signal is weak and fluctuates. Try plugging the problematic computer directly into the router with an Ethernet cable. Then go to https://www.speedtest.net/and do a Speed Test this will give you the best indication of your Internet Speed from your ISP. Did you try downloading the Update Rollup instead of doing the Windows Update?
You also can download WiFi Inspector. This will show you your wireless strength. It also will show you your neighbors strength and what channel they are broadcasting on, if it is the same as yours, you can change it in the router setup.


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## morlaine (Aug 26, 2010)

Since I have such a weak signal, I have to use my old iphone as a router and there isn't any way for me to plug my computer into it. 

After the Windows Update searching for updates for 30+ hours, the ISP must have lost power or turned off their servers because all connections were lost. I turned off the router, computer, and printer and when I turned them back on I got a message saying if I wanted to install my updates, I needed to restart the computer. I restarted my computer but didn't find that any updates had been installed. I checked in Windows Update and it didn't show any new updates. That is when I decided to install from the catalog.

The download was 468mb and it took 9 hours to download. I double clicked on it, hoping to go to the download folder but it seems like that caused it to start running. It is showing a message saying it is looking for updates in the computer. I'm not exactly sure what that indicates or why it is looking in the computer. It has been showing that message for about 10 minutes now.

Will this update install all the updates that have been missed over the past year? Or what else do I have to do? Thanks so much for your help.


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

> Since I have such a weak signal, I have to use my old iphone as a router... I turned off the router, computer, and printer.


Can you explain this? 
Your first statement is you use your iPhone as a _Router_ because you have a weak WiFi signal, so you can't plug a cable into it. 
Your next statement is, you restarted your computer_ And _*Router*? If you have access to your Router, then you can plug a cable into it. this would eliminate your slow WiFi connection going thru your iPhone. Unless you do not have an ISP and are using the Cellular connection of your iPhone and tethering your iPhone to your computer for an internet connection?


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## morlaine (Aug 26, 2010)

I'm obviously not using the correct terminology as I don't understand how all this networking, modems, routers, etc work. The ISP gave me a little box that was supposed to pick up their wireless signals and send them to my computer. I'm guessing that is a modem. I don't understand the difference between modems and routers and I tend to use those terms interchangably. This little box could not find a signal. I went back to the ISP office and a lady there showed me how to use my iphone as a Hotspot. She called it a Hotspot Router. Again, I don't know if that is the correct term or not. I turn the Hotspot on in the iphone and it picks up the signal sent out by the ISP and I can access the internet. There is no other box, (modem or router or anything) between my computer and the wireless signal coming from the ISP, only my iphone.

When I said I turned off my router, I meant that I pushed the off button on the iphone and turned it off. I'm sorry for the confusion.


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## morlaine (Aug 26, 2010)

Here's another update. I said in a previous post that I was updating from the MS Catalog after a power failure ended the Windows Update task. I downloaded the 458mb file and double clicked on it and it said it was looking for updates on the computer. That was at 10:30pm last night and it is still running or looks like it is, 14 hours later. Is this normal? Or should I Cancel it and try something else?

And the Service Host task in Task Manager is still running in excess of 50% all the time.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

Forget what the lady at the ISP said. It's clear your router/modem is not set up. The ISP Tech support should be able to take you through the steps or send someone out to do it for you. All the other problems will become mute once you have a proper high (or even low) speed connection. This will apply to both Ethernet and WI-FI.


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## SpywareDr (Jun 15, 2013)

Hey guys, I know what the OP referring to when they refer to their cellphone as a router. Bear with me a sec. and I'll try to explain.

When my wife and I are up at our lake cottage in the woods in northern Michigan we do not have wired internet, (or a landline telephone or even a mailbox for that matter). 

The only access we have out to the world (besides our car) is our (rather spotty) AT&T cellphone service. When the weather is good either of our cellphones can communicate with an AT&T celltower and we can then talk on our smartphones. So far so good.

Our AT&T account also includes a DATA plan which means that we can use our smartphones to surf the internet ... through an AT&T celltower. (No WiFi access required).

Our smartphones themselves also include the capability to allow nearby WiFi devices to connect to them and then share their AT&T celltower access out onto the internet. 

IOW, the smartphone is acting as WiFi router because it is capable of handing out IP addresses. This WiFi-to-smartphone-to-celltower-to-internet is usually referred to as using your smartphone as a "Hotspot". 

Some smartphones also allow sharing their internet access throuogh a wire connected to there charging port. This is usually referred to as "Tethering". But here again the smartphone is acting as a router in that is able to hand out an IP address so that another device can share the smartphone's access out onto the internet through a celltower.

Make sense?


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

Yes, we now know that the OP is tethering his iPhone for an internet connection. But his Internet Router that he is paying his ISP for internet is not setup and hence not working.
Now a days, ISP's include a Router/Modem combo device when you sign up for Internet Service. A Modem, by itself, will have a DSL or Coaxial cable input from your wall (your internet service) and one Ethernet jack out that would go to your device or a Wireless Router that has 4 Ethernet jacks in the front and Wireless Capabilities. 
A Combo device will have the DSL phone or Coaxial cable Input and 4 Ethernet Jacks out the front and has Wireless., you do not need two devices. The Router and Modem names are used interchangeably for both Combo and independent devices
Once the Router is setup you should have internet and you can plug up to 4 devices Wired into the Router/Combo device. When you go into the Router setup you set up the Wireless, or it may be already pre-configured. it should have the Wireless Network Name (SSID) on the side of the combo device, or in your instructions. It may already have a Password too in the same place. You can always change either one in the Setup of the Router. 
WiFi does not come from the ISP, it comes from _your_ Router. So,if you are getting Internet thru a wired connection and the WiFi is setup. Go to the WiFi Icon in the Task Bar by the clock, click it and you will see *Available Wireless Networks*, you choose *your *network (SSID) on the side of the device or in your Router Setup) and then type in your WiFi password (the one on the side or the one you chose) and you will be connected WiFi, no iPhone needed.


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

spunk.funk said:


> Yes, we now know that the OP is tethering his iPhone for an internet connection. But his Internet Router that he is paying his ISP for internet is not setup and hence not working.
> Now a days, ISP's include a Router/Modem combo device when you sign up for Internet Service. A Modem, by itself, will have a DSL or Coaxial cable input from your wall (your internet service) and one Ethernet jack out that would go to your device or a Wireless Router that has 4 Ethernet jacks in the front and Wireless Capabilities.
> A Combo device will have the DSL phone or Coaxial cable Input and 4 Ethernet Jacks out the front and has Wireless., you do not need two devices. The Router and Modem names are used interchangeably for both Combo and independent devices
> Once the Router is setup you should have internet and you can plug up to 4 devices Wired into the Router/Combo device. When you go into the Router setup you set up the Wireless, or it may be already pre-configured. it should have the Wireless Network Name (SSID) on the side of the combo device, or in your instructions. It may already have a Password too in the same place. You can always change either one in the Setup of the Router.
> WiFi does not come from the ISP, it comes from _your_ Router. So,if you are getting Internet thru a wired connection, you should be able to have Wireless connection, If the WiFi is setup. Go to the WiFi Icon in the Task Bar by the clock, click it and you will see *Available Wireless Networks*, you choose *your *network (SSID) on the side of the device or in your Router Setup) and then type in your WiFi password (the one on the side or the one you chose) and you will be connected WiFi, no iPhone needed.


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## SpywareDr (Jun 15, 2013)

There is no Cable/DSL Modem(/Router) at their location.


All they have is Laptop'sWiFi-->Cellphone-->CellTower-->Internet


That's it.


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## morlaine (Aug 26, 2010)

Thank you for that explanation. That helped me to understand it. That is what I have. I am only 10 miles from town but in a very rural area with very few signal towers. I have no cell phone service on my Samsung phone in my house. I have to walk out to the beach to get a good signal. Thankfully, that is only 100 yards away. Wish I could afford to buy another iphone but it's not in the budget.

When I first got the little box, modem, from the ISP and couldn't get it to work a guy came out and worked on it and moved it all over my house for hours and could never get it to pick up a signal. When I went in to complain, that was when I was told about the Hotspot. And I've been using that for years now.

My house is concrete block filled with rebar and cement for all the exterior and interior walls so that doesn't help matters any. It's very sturdy during earthquakes but not good for wifi signals.


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## morlaine (Aug 26, 2010)

All they have is Laptop'sWiFi-->Cellphone-->CellTower-->Internet

Yes, that is exactly what I've got.


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## morlaine (Aug 26, 2010)

Thank you all for helping me understand my internet connection. I appreciate that.

Does anyone have any more ideas about my new problem with updating from the Microsoft Catalog? Here are my comments from earlier.

Here's another update. I said in a previous post that I was updating from the MS Catalog after a power failure ended the Windows Update task. I downloaded the 458mb file and double clicked on it and it said it was looking for updates on the computer. That was at 10:30pm last night and it is still running or looks like it is, 14 hours later. Is this normal? Or should I Cancel it and try something else?

And the Service Host task in Task Manager is still running in excess of 50% all the time.


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## SpywareDr (Jun 15, 2013)

If it's a reasonably new computer, I'd cancel, reboot and then try something else ... on a faster internet connection if at all possible.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

I would look into an ISP offering Satellite service.


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## morlaine (Aug 26, 2010)

I think a clean install would be a nightmare for him since he has had this computer for a while. I know I would certainly not want to do that to mine.

And I did check into an ISP with satellite service. It was $1500.00 for them to install a dish or whatever equipment it is they have to install and then it is $350.00 per month for the service. Trust me, if I can't afford another iphone, even an old one, I can't afford that. And I'm sure my friend can't either.

Is there a way for me to stop the Windows Update from running? I turned off the update option in the Control Panel/Windows Update but when I rebooted the computer Windows Update started running again. I have no problem making changes to the Registry File, if that is what it takes. I've had to do that on my computer and I am very careful.

Or is there someplace that I can go and download one update at a time as the one I downloaded from the catalog is still searching this computer for updates. And that makes absolutely no sense to me. I thought it would just install what I downloaded, not look for something that doesn't exist on this computer. And it has been looking for updates for almost 24 hours.


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## Gary R (Jul 23, 2008)

Disabling Windows Update is not something I would normally recommend, however if you really feel you wish to do so, the following will do it.


Press your *Windows Key* (the one with the 4 white squares on it) and at the same time press *R
*
This will open a *Run* box
Now in the *Open:* box type *Services.msc* then click *OK*
A Services window will open
Scroll right to find a service named *Windows Update* and double click on it to select it
A properties window for that service wil open
If *Service Status* is not showing *Stopped* then click on the *Stop* button to stop it.
Now set *Startup type:* to *Disabled* by selecting it from the drop down menu
Click *OK*
Now exit out of all open Windows.

You have now permanently disabled Windows Update.

If you wish to re-enable it at some time (when you have a better connection and can download and install the necessary updates) then simply follow the same procedure, but this time in *Service Status* click *Start* and set *Startup type:* to *Automatic*


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## Confounded Also (Aug 19, 2015)

There are also cell signal boosters/amplifiers available. They use an outdoor antenna on a pole above the roofline with a wire to an indoor antenna to rebroadcast the signal inside the building. Prices vary from around $100 to closer to $500 based on brand, frequency ranges and capabilities.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

This Satellite ISP provider Costa Rica Internet in San Jose, Central Valley, San Ramon, Grecia, Alajuela, and Puntarenas by CRWIFI Ltda. can give 1bps for $45 a month with a $150.00 installation charge. They cover most of Costa Rica.


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## Zoandar (Aug 18, 2008)

I am curious how many CPU cores are in this PC that is having trouble with Windows Update. If it is not a multi-core processor, that is certainly the problem. I learned this the hard way, and had to replace an older Dell notebook that runs Windows 7 just fine, but it is single core, and any attempt to access Windows Update with it through normal means will slam the CPU to 100%, and there it will sit for all eternity. 

Microsoft is now assuming every Windows PC is multi-core, and as such they have made Windows Update so aggressive it will stall any PC that is not, by hogging all its resources. 

This may ad another layer to the problem you are having.


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## morlaine (Aug 26, 2010)

Thanks for mentioning the CRWIFI Ltda wireless service. I checked it out. Unfortunately, they only cover the areas where the rich Americans live. I live in the real Costa Rica which they don't cover. 
His computer does have a dual processor but only 2gb of memory. 

I told him that he has to consult with me before he buys his next computer. And now his screen is developing dark spots (bad pixels) so a new computer may be sooner than he likes because I can't find a replacement screen for it anywhere. I spent hours looking. And in looking at his screen, I can't see how the screen could be replaced. There's no seam or bezel or any way to get inside to do it. I've replaced a screen on one of my old laptops years ago and it wasn't that hard but you have to find that replacement screen first.

I think and hope that I figured out his problem. As I said we both have the same ISP, government owned, so we both have the same slow internet problem. Plus he turns his computer off when he's not using it. And he only uses it for short periods of time and only a couple of times a week. I think his computer was never on long enough for the updates to download and they just kept stacking up. 

I looked back at the history of the Windows updates that have been done. As I said earlier the last update I saw was in April 2018. When I checked further, the update prior to that one, was done back in 2015. Yikes!

First, I tried to download all the missing updates at one time, hoping that Windows was smart enough to install them in the correct order. But when the download said it would take 16 DAYS to download, I canceled it. 

Then I managed to find the website that had each Windows Update as a separate file. I downloaded each update (starting back in 2015 and working my way forward) and installed it separately. There was something like 150 updates. It took a few days but that seemed to work. I turned the Install Updates Automatically option back on. I let his computer run for four days and it did one additional update during that time. 

I watched the Task Manager frequently during those days and the CPU usage was rarely above 25% which I considered acceptable. 

I told him he had to find a place in his house where he could leave it turned on so future updates could be downloaded and installed. 
I think this will solve his problems. 

Thanks for all the suggestions. I appreciate all the time you all spent with my problem.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

For the future, remember Cumulative Updates pick up all the intermediate ones so a little less catching up to do.


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## morlaine (Aug 26, 2010)

I thought that was the case and I tried to do the most recent update, actually twice, and it would not install either time. After it downloading for 8 hours the first time and then almost twice that the second time, I canceled the download and decided to do something else. Obviously something was stuck in the update process.

After looking at all the updates in the catalog where I found the individual updates, they were all different sizes from 500+mb down to less than 20mb. Evidently the updates weren't accumulative. That was when I decided better safe than sorry, and I wanted to mitigate my aggravation, so I just did them one at a time. 

I think there was something stuck in the Windows Update and when I managed to download and update one small update (only a few meg), it unstuck whatever was causing Windows Update the problem. Just a guess on a non-techies' part.


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## Zoandar (Aug 18, 2008)

You might also be interested in WSUS Update, a utility that can download and install updates manually, but it won't hog all your CPU cores in the process. I used it several times on the old single core Dell notebook I mentioned earlier, before I finally got a new notebook with multiple cores. It took a while to do its thing, even on a broadband internet connection, but it doesn't require you to interact while it is running.


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