What to do when Windows Update failed to run

I was making preparations for our first Free Computer Advice session at AgeUK. I decided to take the nice and small spare Lenovo Edge 11 laptop with me, it would be a good demo machine. Since it hadn't been used for a while, it would be good to get Windows and all the software up-tp-date. However there was a problem, Windows 7 failed to run Windows Update. It kept telling me "Windows Update cannot currently check for updates because the service is not running. You may need to restart you computer". I checked the basics, googled for some answers and tried many solutions including Windows Update Diagnostic (Fixit), but none worked.

Here is something that worked finally.

1. Click Start
2. Type: cmd
3. Right click on cmd in start menu and select 'Run as Administrator'
4. Type: net stop wuauser
5. Hit Enter
6. Type: ren c:\windows\SoftwareDistribution softwaredistribution.old
7. Hit Enter
8. Type: net start wuauser
9. Hit Enter
10. Type: exit
11. Hit Enter
12. Attempt to download updates

Great! It finally worked! Hope it works for you too!

Source: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-update-cannot-currently-check-for-updates/b250e431-cdfc-46ac-a044-eaaee17491cf?auth=1 by the legendary Sheldon Cooper ;)

#Windows7 #WindowsUpdate #TechTips