---
title: Windows 7 updates keep installing, restarting and failing
date: 2011-05-11
topics: Windows problems
---

Over the past week and a half, my Win 7 laptop has been trying to automatically
install the same set of updates and failing over and over again. Sometimes the
automatic install/restart cycle would happen in the middle of the night when the
dumb thing was supposed to be sleeping. It would restart, say “Configuring
Windows Updates”, then “Updates Failed, Reverting Changes” (or something like
that).

The update history showed they mostly failed with error `80071A90`. The help
file on that error recommended running Windows Update manually after starting
Windows in safe mode with networking, but the Windows Update service will not
run in safe mode.

I found the solution in [this Microsoft Answers
article](http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_update/unable-to-update-windows-7-pro-error-80071a90/0304f6a2-0174-e011-8dfc-68b599b31bf5):

> Assuming the updates-in-question include KB2515325, KB2492386, KB2506928,
> KB2512715 and/or KB982018, and all is well with your computer otherwise:
>
> 1. Run a manual check for updates per
>    [http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/How-can-I-tell-if-my-computer-is-up-to-date](http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/How-can-I-tell-if-my-computer-is-up-to-date)
> 2. Select (check) only `KB2515325`, `KB2492386`, `KB2506928` and/or
>    `KB2512715`, and install them; follow all prompts.
> 3. Now run another manual check for updates, if necessary, and install
>    `KB982018` by itself; again, follow all prompts.