Absolutely for all operating systems, regardless of their versions and assemblies, Microsoft Corporation with enviable consistency produces update packages and service packs. The seventh and tenth versions in this regard are no exception. But more often than not, the standard version mainly installs Windows security updates and some specific platforms necessary for their correct operation.
System Update Options
Based on the fact that “seven” and “ten” will be considered now, we will try to suggest the main versions of updates encountered in practice. There are only three of them:
- Install updates for Windows 7.
- Installing the same elements for Windows 10.
- Updating the "seven" to the "tens."
We consider each option separately. And at the same time, we will analyze some of the problems that may arise in a particular situation, especially since many of them are absolutely identical to each other (even errors have the same codes).
Upgrading Windows 7 to Windows 10
Quite a lot has been written about how the system of the seventh version is updated to the tenth. Initially, it was assumed that a user who expressed a desire to install Windows 10 on top of the “seven”, after registering on the Microsoft website, enters the queue and waits in the wings when the upgrade becomes available to him. Installation took place completely automatically and did not require special user involvement.
Along the way, a special utility called Media Creation Tool was developed. It allowed not to wait for the installation of Windows 10 to be activated, but to install it immediately. It is noteworthy that even now this utility works fairly well. Only the period during which you can return to the old system has decreased. Now it is 30 days.
If the user had problems with the new system, or if he simply didn’t like it, the reverse transition can be done quite simply by canceling the installation of the “tens” using the system itself. Provided that the files of the old Windows 7 were not deleted. If the new Windows did not start, you could return by restoring the system from the console on the boot disk. But now let's talk about the updates of working systems. After all, it is they who deliver the most trouble. If the upgrade does not occur at all, first you need to update the "seven" itself, and only then put the tenth version.
Windows 7 or 10 system update
By default, after installation on any Windows OS, automatic update installation mode is enabled. For this, the main condition is the presence of a permanent or at least temporarily active Internet connection.
At certain times, Windows 7 informs the user that a system update has been found and is ready to install. It remains only to activate the installation process of updates by clicking on the corresponding message in the form of a pop-up window in the system tray.
Windows 10 is updated in a slightly different way. Readiness Notification is disabled here. A confirmation of the installation is not required. Only after installation does the system report that such and such packages have been installed. In particular, this applies to situations when a PC or laptop is in sleep mode. Sometimes, when the user is going to turn off the computer, a shutdown suggestion with the installation of updates may appear. Here you just have to agree. Further, everything will be done automatically.
Common upgrade errors
Unfortunately, not one of the existing versions of Windows is safe from the appearance of crashes when installing update packages. In the best case, a message appears stating that a system update error has occurred. It also indicates the failure number. At worst, the system does not work at all. The most common are failures with error numbers 643 and 800b0100 (they will be discussed a bit later).
The easiest solution to resolve the problems is to enter the update center section and check for updates manually. If the search succeeds, just press the install button and wait for the end of the process. Along the way, it’s worth checking the Internet connection, otherwise it can cause a failure.
If the system update was unsuccessful and the error code 643 was indicated in the message, the reason for this is an outdated version of the Microsoft.NET Framework. It needs to be updated by first downloading the latest version from the company's website, and then completely removing the old one from the programs and components section or using a third-party uninstaller for this.
The appearance of a failure with the code 800b0100 indicates that the system has a problem with the update center itself. You can, of course, use a rollback to the previous state, but there is no guarantee that it will be restored. Therefore, the easiest way is to turn to automated utilities like Microsoft Fix It! or Microsoft System Update Readiness Tool, which will fix problems without user intervention.
After the update, the system does not work: what to do first?
But there are absolutely unpleasant situations when, after updating Windows, the system does not start (and generally “hangs” at the boot stage). This can also be dealt with.
The simplest thing is to use recovery. If the system does not automatically issue an offer, you can select the boot option used to enter safe mode. For Windows 7, this is the F8 key, for Windows 10 it is a more complicated process (this is not the case now). In the action selection window, the recovery string of the last successful configuration is used.
If this method does not help, you can first boot in safe mode. And then restore the system from the appropriate section already in the “Control Panel”. If this does not work, experts advise using any installation disk. From it, when loading, access to the console is selected (R key), and then the command line is called. It registers rstrui.exe. After entering this command, you enter the rollback section to the previous state.
Removing updates
Quite often, the cause of failures can be the system update itself, or rather, some installed packages. They must be removed and refuse to re-install.
This is done all in the same section of the update center, where you choose to view installed updates. Alternately, you need to delete each of them, overloading the system to verify its operation. As soon as the update that caused the malfunction is found, it must be isolated by re-setting the manual search, and then placing the "bird" in front of the desired package. After that, install all other updates.
Installing fresh drivers
Finally, updating the system as new packages may conflict with device drivers. It turns out that their version simply does not meet the technical requirements of the updated system components. Engaging in manual search and installation of new versions of drivers, and even not knowing which one is conflicting, is a thankless task. For these purposes, it is best to use utilities like Driver Booster. Such programs find updated drivers and integrate them into the system without user intervention. Moreover, the download is made from the official resources of equipment manufacturers on the Internet. In addition, in this way you can update absolutely all outdated drivers, as they say, in one fell swoop.
Conclusion
Here is a brief summary of all that can be said about Windows updates and solutions to some of the problems associated with them. The above methods are universal for all versions. However, issues related to viruses, damage to the Windows boot loader and some other aspects were not considered here, and only the most common situations are given as examples.