Why can't I update windows? The computer froze with the error “Windows updates could not be configured” - what should I do? If your computer does not complete undoing changes and keeps restarting

Some Windows users like to reinstall the operating system when they are unable to cope with the situation and find a solution to the problem on their own. For example, if an attempt to deploy an update fails, the computer goes into a looping reboot mode, followed by the message “We were unable to configure Windows updates. Changes are being rolled back" or "We were unable to complete the updates. Cancel changes. Don't turn off your computer." The legs of one and the other have been growing since Windows 7 and they still won’t be cut off in the “top ten”. But you can still overcome them, and to do this it is not at all necessary to tear down the system and install it again. Just read these instructions, which describe what needs to be done if the OS is unable to install the Windows 10 update.

Cleaning out the SoftwareDistribution folder with Windows 10 updates

Before installing updates, the system downloads them to a separate directory. In most cases, cleaning it or moving it will help overcome the mentioned errors. This can be done either from under the system (if you have access to it) or using a USB drive with files for installing Windows 10.

Cleaning up the SoftwareDistribution folder in

This method is suitable if you were able to log in.

Using a bootable Windows 10 USB flash drive to clean SoftwareDistribution

If you cannot get into the system, then to clear the folder you will have to use the drive with the files to install the operating system. you can do it in several ways, but one way or another you will need a second computer with a stable operating OS.

After creating the boot drive, do the following:


Fixing Windows Update Could Not Complete Error with Update Center Diagnostics

As you may know, Windows has its own set of diagnostic and troubleshooting tools. You've probably come across it often, but never used it. Now you have a great opportunity to use it to solve the problem.

If you are unable to penetrate the system, then you should try another option.


Removing a duplicate profile to fix Windows updates could not be completed error

In some cases, the Windows 10 update installation process may fail due to a duplicate user account. The Registry Editor will help you fix this problem. Be careful and do not touch anything unnecessary so as not to harm the system.


If there is no change for the better after applying all the described methods, you can try saving the data.

One of the common problems of Windows 10 users is the message “We were unable to configure Windows updates. Changes are being rolled back" or "We were unable to complete the updates. Cancel changes. Do not turn off the computer" after restarting the computer to finish installing updates.

This instruction provides details on how to fix the error and install updates in this situation in various ways. If you have already tried a lot, for example, methods related to cleaning the SoftwareDistribution folder or diagnosing problems with Windows 10 Update, below in the guide you can find additional, little described options for solving the problem.

Note: If you see the message “We were unable to complete the updates. Cancel changes. Do not turn off the computer" and you are watching it at the present time, while the computer reboots and again shows the same error and you do not know what to do - do not panic, but wait: perhaps this is a normal cancellation of updates, which can occur with several reboots and even several hours, especially on laptops with slow hdds. You'll likely end up in Windows 10 with your changes undone.

Clearing the SoftwareDistribution folder (Windows 10 update cache)

All Windows 10 updates are downloaded to the folder C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download and in most cases, cleaning this folder or renaming the folder SoftwareDistribution(so that the OS creates a new one and downloads updates) allows you to fix the error in question.

There are two possible scenarios: after canceling the changes, the system boots normally, or the computer restarts endlessly, and you keep seeing a message that Windows 10 updates could not be configured or completed.

In the first case, the steps to solve the problem will be as follows:

In the second case, when the computer or laptop constantly reboots and the undoing of changes does not complete, you can do the following:

After that, you can go to Settings - Update & Security and check if the updates download and install without errors. If Windows 10 updates without telling you that the updates could not be configured or completed, go to the folder C:\Windows and delete the folder SoftwareDistribution.old from there.

Troubleshooting Windows 10 Update

Windows 10 has built-in diagnostic tools to help fix update problems. Just as in the previous case, two situations may arise: the system boots or Windows 10 constantly reboots, all the time reporting that the update setup could not be completed.

In the first case, follow these steps:

The second situation is more complicated:

  1. Follow steps 1-3 from the section about clearing the update cache (go to the command line in the recovery environment launched from a bootable USB flash drive or disk).
  2. bcdedit /set (default) safeboot minimal
  3. Reboot your computer from your hard drive. Safe mode should open.
  4. In Safe Mode, at the Command Prompt, enter the following commands in order (each will launch the troubleshooter, go through one first, then the other).
  5. msdt /id BitsDiagnostic
  6. msdt /id WindowsUpdateDiagnostic
  7. Disable safe mode with the command: bcdedit /deletevalue (default) safeboot
  8. Restart your computer.

Maybe this will work. But, if the second scenario (cyclic reboot) has not been able to fix the problem by now, then you will probably have to use a Windows 10 reset (this can be done while saving the data by booting from a bootable USB flash drive or disk).

Windows 10 updates failed due to duplicate user profiles

Another, little described cause of the problem “Unable to complete updates. Cancel changes. Don't turn off your computer" in Windows 10 - problems with user profiles. How to eliminate it (important: what is below is at your own risk, you can potentially ruin something):

Once the procedure is complete, restart your computer and try installing Windows 10 updates again.

Additional ways to fix the error

If all the proposed solutions to the problem of undoing changes due to the fact that Windows 10 updates could not be configured or completed were not successful, there are not many options left:

  1. Run a Windows 10 system file integrity check.
  2. Try to clean boot Windows 10, delete content SoftwareDistribution\Download, download the updates again and start installing them.
  3. Remove third-party antivirus, restart the computer (needed for the removal to complete), install updates.
  4. Try the long way to restore Windows Update components to their original state, described on the official Microsoft website

And finally, in the case when nothing helps, perhaps the best option is to perform an automatic reinstallation of Windows 10 (reset) while saving the data.

One of the common problems of Windows 10 users is the message “We were unable to configure Windows updates. Changes are being rolled back" or "We were unable to complete the updates. Cancel changes. Do not turn off the computer" after restarting the computer to finish installing updates.

This instruction provides details on how to fix the error and install updates in this situation in various ways. If you have already tried a lot, for example, methods related to cleaning the SoftwareDistribution folder or diagnosing problems with Windows 10 Update, below in the guide you can find additional, little described options for solving the problem.

Note: If you see the message “We were unable to complete the updates. Cancel changes. Do not turn off the computer" and you are watching it at the present time, while the computer reboots and again shows the same error and you do not know what to do - do not panic, but wait: perhaps this is a normal cancellation of updates, which can occur with several reboots and even several hours, especially on laptops with slow hdds. Most likely, you will end up in Windows 10 with the changes undone.

Clearing the SoftwareDistribution folder (Windows 10 update cache)

All Windows 10 updates are downloaded to the folder C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download and in most cases, cleaning this folder or renaming the folder SoftwareDistribution(so that the OS creates a new one and downloads updates) allows you to fix the error in question.

There are two possible scenarios: after canceling the changes, the system boots normally, or the computer restarts endlessly, and you keep seeing a message that Windows 10 updates could not be configured or completed.

In the first case, the steps to solve the problem will be as follows:


In the second case, when the computer or laptop constantly reboots and the undoing of changes does not complete, you can do the following:


After that, you can go to Settings - Update & Security and check if the updates download and install without errors. If Windows 10 updates without telling you that the updates could not be configured or completed, go to the folder C:\Windows and delete the folder SoftwareDistribution.old from there.

Troubleshooting Windows 10 Update

Windows 10 has built-in diagnostic tools to help fix update problems. Just as in the previous case, two situations may arise: the system boots or Windows 10 constantly reboots, all the time reporting that the update setup could not be completed.

In the first case, follow these steps:


The second situation is more complicated:

  1. Follow steps 1-3 from the section about clearing the update cache (go to the command line in the recovery environment launched from a bootable USB flash drive or disk).
  2. bcdedit /set (default) safeboot minimal
  3. Reboot your computer from your hard drive. Safe mode should open.
  4. In Safe Mode, at the Command Prompt, enter the following commands in order (each will launch the troubleshooter, go through one first, then the other).
  5. msdt /id BitsDiagnostic
  6. msdt /id WindowsUpdateDiagnostic
  7. Disable safe mode with the command: bcdedit /deletevalue (default) safeboot
  8. Restart your computer.

Maybe this will work. But, if the second scenario (cyclic reboot) has not been able to fix the problem by now, then you will probably have to use a Windows 10 reset (this can be done while saving the data by booting from a bootable USB flash drive or disk).

Windows 10 updates failed due to duplicate user profiles

Another, little described cause of the problem “Unable to complete updates. Cancel changes. Don't turn off your computer" in Windows 10 - problems with user profiles. How to eliminate it (important: what is below is at your own risk, you can potentially ruin something):


Once the procedure is complete, restart your computer and try installing Windows 10 updates again.

Additional ways to fix the error

If all the proposed solutions to the problem of undoing changes due to the fact that Windows 10 updates could not be configured or completed were not successful, there are not many options left:

  1. Run a Windows 10 system file integrity check.
  2. Try to clean boot Windows 10, delete content SoftwareDistribution\Download, download the updates again and start installing them.
  3. Remove third-party antivirus, restart the computer (needed for the removal to complete), install updates.
  4. You may find useful information in a separate article: Fixing Windows Update errors in Windows 10, 8 and Windows 7.
  5. Try the long way to restore Windows Update components to their original state, described on the official Microsoft website

And finally, in the case when nothing helps, perhaps the best option is to perform an automatic reinstallation of Windows 10 (reset) while saving the data.

We hope that this material will be useful to you. If you have any questions or additions, write in the comments.

To ensure stable operation of the operating system and reduce the number of vulnerabilities, developers constantly release updates. The Windows operating system is no exception. But sometimes there are situations when the update cannot be installed for one reason or another, and the operating system itself freezes during the update.

In this case, the user will see a message on the screen that says “Failed to configure Windows updates. Cancel changes." Such situations occur due to the release of incorrect updates. This article will discuss two ways to resolve this error.

Method 1: Perform a system restore

To do this, you need to boot from a flash drive or recovery disk and run System Restore during the process. First you need to insert the recovery disk or flash drive into your computer and reboot the system. Next, you need to go to the PC boot menu, often pressing the keys in turn F2 and Del. In the BIOS boot menu you need to select the boot device as the priority CD-Rom or USB-HDD, depending on the media used.

After the flash drive or disk boots up, you will need to select the “”.

After this, you will need to select the operating system you are using, after which a window with recovery settings will launch. In the window that appears, you must select a restore point, which must be created before installing the “unfortunate” updates.

Having selected the desired point, you need to press " Ready", after which the system will begin recovery. After this operation, the user will be prompted to restart Windows. After rebooting, the system should boot normally.

Method 2: Using LiveCD.

If the previous method did not help fix the problem, then there is a more difficult way.

To do this, you need to boot the system using a LiveCD boot disk to load the file manager from it and delete all information from the directory

In this case, you will need to stop the Windows Update service.

There are a lot of different kinds of LiveCDs on the Internet. You can also use the professional Microsoft Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset. After booting from this disk (flash drive), you need to select “”

Next you need to go directly to Microsoft Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset. In the window that opens, select “ Conductor» (Explorer), which will open a directory tree in which you need to go to the directory C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download.

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As a rule, the Windows 10 cumulative update procedure is completely painless during the shutdown and startup of the system, however, some users report that from time to time the Windows 10 update installation process fails and the procedure ends with a message. Naturally, downloaded update packages are not installed.


The reasons for the error can be different, but the most likely one is corruption of some system files.

If you happen to encounter this update error, try the steps below. You will need a Windows 10 installation disc 32- or 64- bit depending on the bit depth of your system.

Having exhibited in BIOS boot from external media, boot from the installation disk and wait until the first Windows Setup Wizard window appears. By pressing Shift + F10, open the command line and execute the following command in it, after replacing the line element "LetterDisk" letter of the partition in which the system is installed:

DISM /image:DriveLetter:\ /cleanup-image /revertpendingactions

Usually this is a letter D.

If you are not sure about the correct location of the system, run the command at the command line notepad and select from the menu File -> Save as. Click in the save window that opens and look at what letter your system partition has.

Wait until the utility completes DISM, close Command Prompt and restart your computer normally. The update installation error should no longer appear after this.

Note: after reboot, you will find a log file on the system disk at C:\Windows\Logs\CBS.



 

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