When downloading and installing updates, builds or Windows Insider preview builds in Windows Update, Windows Update progress bar may stuck and hang at 0% or any other numbers, such as 23%, 35%, 38% and so on, despite leaving it running for hours. To make matter worse, the issue happens every time even if you try to re-open Windows Update, or stop and restart the download of updates or builds.

The Windows Update stuck at 0% can happen in Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista and older versions, but commonly happens when downloading new Windows 10 preview builds. This may be the reason why Microsoft was releasing Windows 10 Build 10159 on the heels of Windows 10 Build 10158 to the Windows Insiders on the Fast ring. The pre-RTM flight of build 10158 was said to be a very stable and bug-free release, but nonetheless build 10159 was still pushed to flight via Windows Update with only mention of more than 300 bug fixes.

One of the bug in Windows 10 Build 10158 may be Windows Update issue in installing new preview builds. Some users have reported that the attempt to update to build 10159 from build 10158 through Windows Update is stuck or hang at progress percentage of 0% or any other digits. Some users also reported the same Windows Update not downloading updates and preview builds (remained at 0%) when upgrading from build 10158 or build 10159 to Windows 10 Build 10162.

Windows 10

For such an error, it appears that Windows Update is not fetching the new preview build or updates at all, even though it’s not the case in actual. Windows Update does download the preview build or updates to local computer for upgrade. However, despite waiting for a long time, Windows Update does not continue to prepare to install or actually install the updates.

If you’re facing with this issue, try one of the following solutions to fix the issue:

  1. Restart the computer, and then try to install the updates again. Note that you may need to make several reboots before Windows Update starts to show proper progress.
  2. Disconnect the Internet by unplugging the Ethernet cable or disconnect the WifFi, or disable network adapter of Ethernet or Wi-Fi in Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> Network Connections. Then, reconnect the network, and the download in Windows Update should start or continue with proper progress bar.
  3. Open Command Prompt as Administrator, and run the following command to stop the Windows Update service:
    net stop wuauserv

    Then browse to the C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download folder, and delete all the files and folders in the folder. You can press Ctrl + A to select all items inside the folder.

    Restart the Windows Update service with the following command:

    net start wuauserv
    Note
    You may also need to stop and start the Background Intelligent Transfer Service if Windows Update service doesn’t help. The command is as follow:

    Stop Background Intelligent Transfer Service:

    net stop bits

    Start Background Intelligent Transfer Service:

    net start bits

    Run Windows Update and check for updates. The download should start and complete quickly.

  4. For Windows Insider Only: Run Registry Editor (RegEdit), and navigate to the following registry key:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsSelfHost\Applicability

    Delete the following registry values:

    EnablePreviewBuilds
    FlightingOwnerGUID
    UserPreferredBranchName

    Then, restart the Windows Update service with the following command in elevated Command Prompt:

    net restart wuauserv

    Optionally, restart also the Background Intelligent Transfer Service:

    net restart bits

    Then, go to Windows Update in Settings app to check for updates again.

You May Also Interested In: