Update a laptop

Hi, unfortunately it seems you didn't see the forum prompts to specify the full build number.
Nor have you posted a screenshot of its Update History

That means no one can even begin to guess whether the laptop is processing an upgrade or an update.

Nor do we know whether the disk is ok, how much free space there is, or anything about the quality of the internet connection, or whether you're using a VPN for example.

Nor do we know whether there's some integrity issue - no checks mentioned in your post.

So if you want an answer to your question 'why' - you would need to provide a lot more information and/or do some checks.

Thanks.

MorganBilbo said:

Hello. I am registered with my desktop. But I also have a Dell laptop. Windows 10, have the capability to get W 11. I use the laptop 99% offline, going online only to update/MS and Dell.
OK. So when I try to update the laptop. I go online. Type in Windows Update in the search box. It sits and sits for an ;hour till it shows some updates being downloaded. There again, an hour or so. What the heck? It downloaded ONE update and wants me to reboot. With more updates showing. Some even still downloading. ??
So, I wait till the machine has "apparently" downloaded all available. I then reboot.
When I open, must sign back online. Type in WU in SB. And guess what? There's more updates. So I go through the whole wait period.
The last time, July 13th, the 3rd Wednesday/I wait one day after the monthly MS "supposedly updates". And go through this whole shindig again. This time, it took 3 days. One day to do the first set of updates, and the subsequent days to finish them all.
What I want to know is: WHY?
The desktop always gives me the notice to update in the start menu under power. It always says "update and restart or shutdown". But the laptop never does that. It's always up to me. I have set the settings for auto, but it apparently don't work.
Is there any remedy?

"Why" is because you clearly don't go online often enough to keep up with updates.

MorganBilbo said:

Hello. I am registered with my desktop. But I also have a Dell laptop. Windows 10, have the capability to get W 11. I use the laptop 99% offline, going online only to update/MS and Dell.
OK. So when I try to update the laptop. I go online. Type in Windows Update in the search box. It sits and sits for an ;hour till it shows some updates being downloaded. There again, an hour or so. What the heck? It downloaded ONE update and wants me to reboot. With more updates showing. Some even still downloading. ??
So, I wait till the machine has "apparently" downloaded all available. I then reboot.
When I open, must sign back online. Type in WU in SB. And guess what? There's more updates. So I go through the whole wait period.
The last time, July 13th, the 3rd Wednesday/I wait one day after the monthly MS "supposedly updates". And go through this whole shindig again. This time, it took 3 days. One day to do the first set of updates, and the subsequent days to finish them all.
What I want to know is: WHY?
The desktop always gives me the notice to update in the start menu under power. It always says "update and restart or shutdown". But the laptop never does that. It's always up to me. I have set the settings for auto, but it apparently don't work.
Is there any remedy?

I don't think you don't understand the complexity of this. When an update is released they show up on people's computers in a staggered fashion. This may take a month or more for all computers in the world to get them so as to not overwhelm the Microsoft's servers. They may not even show up at the same time on computers in the same household.

This is the way automatic updates was designed. As I have shown it may take time to get all your updates in a timely manner. However, if you are not online every day like you are or impatient like I am sometimes manual updates can get you updates faster. I am perplexed how you are doing this. Why don't you do it the way Windows intended you to. Go to Settings > Update and Security. Then click on Check for updates. If it finds any it will download and install them. When all the updates are installed click on Check for updates again. Keep doing this until no more updates are found. There are times when I have to do this several time before all the updates are found, downloaded and installed.

MorganBilbo said:

Mr Ed: That's what I have to do with the laptop. Those exact same steps. This last time, it took 3 days to get all those updates. 4. The first one updated and said restart. It wouldn't update anything else until I updated. The next one did the same. And so on. Each update took over an hour. I spent the day/off and on, doing those updates. That's what took 3 days. Not exactly what I would think MS should do.
When I do that on the desktop, it downloads all updates at once and I restart once. Done. If I do another update search, it comes up "none".
But not the laptop. And the funny part is that the laptop has a newer W 10. And has the capability to get W 11. The desktop is older and don't allow update to W 11.
I'm getting tired of trying to update the laptop. Since I don't need to go online with it, how dangerous is it to stop updating completely and never go online again?

I have 5 desktops, 3 of which have Windows 10. I try to run them all as much as possible so the updates aren't as much. Only one of them is Windows 11 capable. I will update it to Windows 11 when I am ready. BTW, 2 have Windows XP. They can go online but I try to keep that to a minimum. I mainly use their network connection to communicate to other computers on my home network.

I have 3 laptops. One came with Windows 10 while a 2nd came with Windows 11. A 3rd came with Windows XP. I just fixed and installed Windows 7 on it. I did the free upgrade to Windows 10. Not bad for a 17 year old laptop.

I suggest you run the laptop at least once a week so the updates don't take that long. If you never have a need to connect to the Internet then getting updates may not be necessary. However, I suggest if you go that route then make it permanent and stop connecting to the Internet. Note if you do that then you can't even connect the laptop to your home network.

I don't know what you mean by newer Windows 10. All your computers with Windows 10 should be on version 22H2. All my computers with Windows 10 no matter how old are running the release 22H2. Note version 22H2 came out last fall. It is the final version of Windows 10. Subsequent updates will only be newer builds for that that version.

For example, to see what version of Windows 10 your computers has go to Start > Run and enter and run the following command: winver.

Here is what my 17 year old laptop shows: