The Windows 10 operating system requires constant updates for proper operation. With each new patch, Microsoft improves the system in terms of security, and also adds new features to it. But not always the Windows update runs smoothly, and sometimes users have to deal with errors. After downloading the operating system update, the computer must traditionally be restarted for them to be installed and take effect. However, during the installation of updates after a reboot, a user may encounter one of the following errors: Failure configuring windows updates reverting changes.
This error makes it clear that something went wrong during the system update process. In this article, we will look at what to do if these errors occur, and how to fix them.
What to do if you see failure configuring windows updates reverting changes
When the Windows update cannot be completed, the user sees a message on the screen that changes made to the system will be reverted. You just need to wait until the computer returns the system to the state in which it was before the installation of the latest update.
However, it often happens that the message “failure configuring windows updates reverting changes” hangs for a long time or appears even after the computer restarts automatically. In such a situation, turn off the computer only as a last resort.
It is recommended to wait until all changes are undone. This may require more than one, not two, or even three system reboots. Sometimes the cancellation of the changes delayed for several hours.
Please note: The duration of the cancellation of changes depends on many parameters, but, first of all, on the speed of the hard disk and the amount of information on it. For example, on laptops with slow hard drives, Windows update may take 5 hours or more to cancel.
How to complete the windows update if an error occurs
Leaving the computer without updating is not recommended – it threatens to create errors in the future when trying to launch applications, reduces the level of security and can lead to various problems. There are several options for what to do if you cannot configure the Windows update, and they will be discussed below.
Remove windows 10 update cache
The first thing to try, if you can’t configure Windows Update, is to clear the SoftwareDistribution folder in which the operating system update cache accumulates, or delete the contents from it. Depending on the “behavior” of the computer, it will have to do in different ways.
If the computer completes the cancellation of changes and allows the system to boot:
- Press Ctrl + I on the keyboard and select the “Update and security” item in the options menu that opens. Then, in the left part of the window, select the “Recovery” section and in the “Special download options” item, click “Restart Now”;
- The computer will restart in diagnostic mode. You will need to select “Troubleshooting” – “Advanced settings” – “Download options” and click the “Restart” option;
- A window will appear with a choice of options for restarting the system. Requires item number 4 – ” Enable Safe Mode.” To select it, press F4;
- When the computer restarts in safe mode, run a command prompt as an administrator;
- Type the following command on the command line to rename the Software Distribution folder: ren C: \ windows \ SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
- Important: If your system hard drive has a letter D, E or another, replace it with the letter C in the command mentioned above.
- After that, restart the computer in normal mode.
If the computer does not complete the cancellation of changes and it constantly reboots
- Get a flash drive or disk to restore the Windows 10 operating system. Note: If you do not have one, you can create it on a third-party computer ;
- Next, boot the system from the recovery drive. To do this, insert the USB flash drive or recovery disk into the computer, and then set up in the BIOS settings the initial boot from this drive;
- When the recovery panel is loaded, at the stage of language selection you will need to click on the “System Restore” item in the lower left corner;
- A blue menu will open in which you need to go through the following items: “Troubleshooting” – “Command line”;
- Enter the following commands in turn, pressing Enter after entering each of them:
- Diskpart
- List vol
- Exit
- Ren c: \ windows \ SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
Important: After entering the Liest Vol command, make sure that the system drive is given the name “C” or any other you plan to enter
- Next, apply one more command, which is necessary to cancel the Windows Update automatic download mode:
- sc config wuauserv start = disabled
- After that, close the command line and reboot the computer, having not previously forgotten in the BIOS settings to install the boot from the main system hard disk, and not from the boot drive;
- When the system starts, press the Windows key + R on the keyboard and enter the services.msc command to open the list of services. Locate the Windows Update service in the list, double-click it with the left mouse button, and select Manually in the Startup type column.
After performing the above steps in the first or second way, make sure that the system settings that Windows loads and installs the update without errors. Next, restart the computer to apply the update. Note: If there are no more errors, you can delete the SoftwareDistribution.old folder, which contains an unnecessary update cache.
Checking computer diagnostic tools for failure configuring windows updates reverting changes
If the method described above did not help fix the problem that prevents you from completing the Windows update, you could try using the built-in diagnostic utilities of the operating system. As with the solution above, actions will depend on whether or not Windows is able to boot.
If the computer completes the cancellation of changes and allows the system to boot
- Right-click on the “Start” and select “Control Panel”;
- In the window that opens, set the “Large icons” view mode and in the list of available categories, select the “Troubleshooting” option;
- Next, open the list of diagnostic utilities by selecting “View all categories”;
- You need to check your computer with two tools: Windows Update and Background Intelligent Transfer Service BITS;
- After checking, restart your computer and try installing Windows update again, there should be no errors.
If the computer does not complete the cancellation of changes and it constantly reboots
- Open the command line using a bootable flash drive (a detailed process on how to do this is described above in the instructions for deleting the update cache);
- Register and use the following command to restart the computer in safe mode:
- bcdedit / set {default} safeboot minimal
- When the computer is restarted in safe mode, execute commands to launch diagnostic tools via the command line.To do this, write one by one on the command line:
- msdt / id BitsDiagnostic
- msdt / id WindowsUpdateDiagnostic
- Next, enter the command to disable safe mode:
- bcdedit / deletevalue {default} safeboot
- After the reboot, the error “failure configuring windows updates reverting changes” should no longer be disturbed.
Checking user profiles for failure configuring windows updates reverting changes
Another reason for the error “Could not complete the update” in Windows 10 is a problem in the registry with user profiles. It can be eliminated in two ways. The easiest way is to restore the registry. A more sophisticated option involves self-editing the registry as follows:
- You must click on the keyboard combination of Windows + R and in the “Run” register regedit command to go to the registry editor;
- Next, proceed to the section:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ ProfileList
- The folder contains several other folders, some of which have short names, and some are long. It is necessary to analyze the folders with long names and look at the values of the available parameters.
- In the “Value” column, you need to make sure that the ProfileImagePath parameter from only one section refers to the user folder.
- If the second section is found, in which the parameter refers to the user’s folder, you need to remove the ProfileImagePath parameter.
- To determine in which section you cannot remove a parameter, you need to look at the value of the RefCount parameter.
- If its value is “0”, the ProfileImagePath parameter in this section is a duplicate of the main one and can be deleted.
- Also indicates that the ProfileImagePath parameter can remove the presence of the “.bak” postscript at the end of the section name.
Important: Before proceeding with the removal or change of registry settings, we recommend creating a restore point.
Other ways to fix the error failure configuring windows updates reverting changes
If none of the methods above helped to correct the error that occurs when trying to install Windows updates, you could try the following steps:
- Ensure the integrity of Windows system files ;
- Disable (or better uninstall completely) antivirus applications from your computer, with the exception of the official Microsoft antivirus. After removing the antivirus, do not forget to restart your computer before trying to install the Windows update;
- Run a clean boot of Windows.
If none of the tips mentioned in the article helped to cope with the problem. You can try resetting Windows or, in extreme cases, reinstalling it.
Here’s a video on fixing failure configuring windows updates reverting changes