Windows 8.1 stuck on “Checking for updates…”

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Windows 8.1 doesn't appear to be updating. When I go to check for updates, it seems to just continuously check for updates without making progress. I have left it for a few hours with no luck.

I don't have any restore points and it is a genuine copy of Windows. It has been like this since I purchased my laptop. I have also ran Microsoft's basic troubleshooting tools and whilst it did say that some issues were fixed, nothing changed.

Any help on this situation?

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Best Answer

In my case, manually downloading and installing the "Windows Update Client" Update for Windows 8.1 (KB3138615) fixed the issue. All you need to do is download the update (see this answer if you don't know whether you are running 32-bit or 64-bit Windows), double click it to start the install, follow the instructions, and restart when prompted. After restarting, you can restart Windows Update Client and it should find the necessary updates after a few minutes.

Here's a similar Q&A for Windows 7 SP1: Windows 7 SP1 Windows Update stuck checking for updates

Note: you may also need to download and run the Windows Update Troubleshooter before installing the update.

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