Windows Update Not Working, So I Decided To Perform A System Restore To Earlier Date. This Failed.

[davidkung]

Hello, Everybody!

For the past several weeks Windows Update has not been working. I performed a troubleshoot on windows update but got a message to restart. I had restarted the computer several times over several days but got an error message that said that the updates had not completed and that it is being undone. So I decided to perform a system restore to earlier date. This failed as it seems to take forever for system restore to finish. I unplugged the CPU, but now I get a black screen and can't get the desktop back. Please help!!!

[WAWood]

@davidkung 

System Restore is not the form of "time machine" that folks think it is -- it does NOT return your PC to the state it was in on a previous date.  When you do a Windows Update, that saves off a copy of all the system routines changed or deleted.  When you do a system restore using that date, all it does is overwrite the current system routines with the old ones that were saved.  As you can  guess, that does not always end well.

When Windows Update does not work, it usually provides an error code with the update that failed.  If you do online searches with that error code, you can often find out what needs to be done to fix that problem.

If that does not work, then your next option would be to reset Windows Update -- which like everything else associated with Windows, also does not always work.

But, you mentioned system restore taking a long time -- and that is bad news.  This issue is often due to a failing drive. So, let's check that first, because if it is failing, it would need to be replaced and there is no point then in doing anything else until we confirm that.

If your PC is new enough to support UEFI, you can use these steps to test the hard drive: http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00439024

If not, to check the drive you have to follow these steps:
1) Press Esc key repeatedly, several times a second, while rebooting the laptop. Do NOT hold the key down, just press it over and over.
2) Eventually, you will see an HP Startup Menu
3) Press the Function key for testing the hard drive (usually F2) and let it run.
If the drive checks out OK, then report that and I can provide you options for reinstalling Windows on your PC.