Help! Windows Update Not Working, Stuck On Searching For Update

No matter what error you get on Windows, chances are there will be one or several possible fixes for it. If you need help because Windows Update is not working and it is stuck on searching for an update, you have come to the right place.

Here at Error Codes Pro, we cover all kinds of Windows error, included the dreaded blue screen of death errors, among other problems of a different nature.

In this case, we can say that the good news is that there are several possible fixes for this error. We have done all the necessary research so you do not need to.

This article is a tutorial on how to fix this error. Everyone who encounters this problem should be able to fix it by following any of the different methods that we will cover.

Why are they different possible fixes? This is often the case with Windows errors and the reason for it is that more often than not the same Window error can be caused by a host of different reasons. So, depending on the actual cause one method or another will work.

This is why it is important to understand the error as much as possible before attempted to resolve it. There are always a few things that you would need to know before you go ahead and try to fix this error.

“Windows Updates have sometimes been a pain point for users. The update pop-ups can interrupt a movie or a video game, and the automatic restarts can result in lost data or confused users.” – Ben Parr

If after reading the preliminary information you still have no idea what could be causing the error, I would strongly recommend that you follow all the possible fixes in the order in which they are presented here until you find the one that does the trick for you.

Having said all that, I would also suggest that you read this article through before you attempt to fix the error. Why? Because it is always a good idea to become familiarized with everything that is involved in fixing a problem. You can then choose whether you would prefer following the fixes in the order in which they are presented, attempt them in a random order, or go straight for the possible fix that you have reason to believe that will work for you.

Things That You Need To Know Before You Begin

Before I go into all the different possible fixes for this Windows update error, here are a preliminary few things that you need to know.

The first thing that you will need to ensure is that you have a fully functioning copy of Windows activated.

The second thing that you will also need to ensure is that you are connected to the Internet and that your Internet connection is working fine.

Finally, you will need to make sure that you have system admin rights, as you will need these to carry out the fixes. If you do not, then you will need to seek out this person, as only he or she will be able to follow the methods.

Now that we have gone through this preliminary information, we are in a position to go into the four different and fully proven methods to fix this error.

Possible Method Number One:

The first thing to do when the Windows update gets stuck on searching for an update is to take things into your own hands.

Sometimes, searching for available updates becomes hard for Windows computers because of the sheer amount of possible available updates.

One thing that you could do about it if your system becomes stuck would be to disable sleep. You will need to do this from your power settings. Why would you want to do this? Because disabling sleep will prevent updates from being interrupted.

The first thing that you will have to do is to get into the power options. The way in which you would need to do this would differ according to what version of Windows you are using. If you do not know how to do this, do not worry, here is how:

 

If you have a Windows 7 computer, you will need to follow these simple steps:

1. Grab your Window 7 computer.
2. Click on the Start button.
3. Then type in “power options” [not quotation marks].
4. Next click on the power options.

If you have a Windows 8.1 computer, you will need to follow these simple steps:

1. Grab your Windows 8.1 computer.
2. Go to the Start screen.
3. Then, choose the power options.

If you have a Windows 10 computer, you will need to follow these simple steps:

1. Grab your Windows 10 computer.
2. Right-click on the Start button.
3. Then, choose the power options.

Once you get to the power options, you will then need to follow these additional steps to disable sleep:

1. Select your chosen plan: balanced, high performance or power saver and click on it.
2. Then head over to the Put The Computer To Sleep option.
3. Next, set the option to Never.
4. Finally, click on Save Changes.

You will also need to make sure that your computer will be continuously powered during the update. Because the update could take up to an hour, if you are using a laptop, it is always recommended that you connect it to a power source.

Another aspect involved in this first method is to flush your DNS. If you do not know how to do this, the first thing you will need to do about it is open the command prompt (Admin).

If you have a Windows 7 computer, you will need to follow these simple steps:

1. Click on the start button.
2. Then type the following command: “CMD” [no quotation marks].
3. Next, right click on CMD.
4. Choose running CMD as admin.
5. Then if you are prompted to confirm, just click on Yes.

If you have a Windows 8 computer, you will need to follow these simple steps:

1. Go to the start screen.
2. Then type the following command: “CMD” [no quotation marks].
3. Right click on command prompt.
4. Choose running CMD as admin.
5. Then if you are prompted to confirm, just click on Yes.

If you have a Windows 10 computer, you will need to follow these simple steps:

1. Right click on the Start button.
2. Then choose the command prompt admin.

Then, type in the following command: “ipconfig /flushdns” [no quotation marks], and press the Enter key.

Finally, you will need to start the Windows Update again and let it run for an hour.

If this method did not do the trick for you, then you should move on to the next.

Possible Method Number Two: 

The second method to fix this error involves several things. The first one of which is to head over to the Microsoft website and download the new Windows Update Agent.

Once you have done this, you will need to disable the Windows Update Agent by following these steps:

1. Grab your computer.
2. Launch admin CMD (see how in the previous method).
3. Then, type in the following command: “wuauserv” [no quotation marks].
4. Finally, press the Enter button.

The final part of this method involves restarting your computer after you have installed the new Windows Update Agent. And let it run. If the update still gets stuck, then move on to the next method.

Possible Method Number Three:

Another option would be to head over to the Microsoft website and download the Windows Update Troubleshooter.

 

Once you have done this, you will need to restart your computer and let the Windows Update Troubleshooter run.

If none of the first three possible fixes worked for you, do not worry; there is one last possible fix that is guaranteed to work for you.

Possible Method Number Four: 

The final option involves downloading and installing the offline Windows Update Tool and using it.

Head over to Google or your favorite search engine and search for wsusoffline, and download it.

Once you have downloaded it, you will need to install it and run it. Just follow these steps to do so:

1. Extract the wsusoffline zip file.
2. Then, open the wsusoffline folder.
3. Next, click on the following file: updategenerator.exe
4. Then check your operating system version and its architecture.
5. Check all the definitions of Windows Defender.
6. Click on the Start button.

Then wait for wsusoffline to fully download and then follow these additional steps:

1. Launch your Clients folder.
2. Click on the following file: updateinstaller.exe.
3. Tick the Automatic Reboot and Recall. This is the action that will prompt the installation of the update.
4. Click on the Start button.

Once you have followed these steps, just let the update run. This should always bee your last choice but if nothing else on this tutorial fixed the update error for you, this should finally help your computer run all the updates without getting stuck again.

So, this has been Help! Windows update not working, stuck on search for update. If you have any feedback on this tutorial or would like to share your personal experience, please leave us a message in the comments section below!