Although Windows is a widely used system, it is not perfect. Therefore, Windows rolls out updates regularly to fix some errors in the operating system & associated software and bring some new features. Some of you might wonder if it is safe to turn off PC during a Windows update or not. If you don’t know the answer, follow this guide from MiniTool Website to get more information now!
How Long Does a Windows Update Take?
Microsoft releases new Windows updates with new features, bug fixes, and security improvements continuously to make your computer perform more effectively. Usually, the process will take 10 to 20 minutes on a computer with a solid-state drive and a little longer on a conventional hard drive. The time might vary from computer to computer depending on the types of updates and system configuration.
Microsoft advises you not to interrupt the updating process and a blue screen will display during the process with one of the following warning messages:
Getting Windows ready, don’t turn off your computer.
Working on updates. Don’t turn off your PC. This will take a while. Your computer will restart several times.
If you don’t update your Windows for a long time, the updates might pile up with time, making it take a long time to download and install. What happens if you gradually lose patience and shut down your computer while updating? What impact does it have on your system and data? In the second part of this post, we will show you what happens if you turn off your computer during an update.
What Will Happen If You Shut Down Your Computer While Updating?
The Windows Update process is divided into two stages – the downloading stage and the installation stage. Since different stages perform different operations, the affects will also be different when encountering a shutdown.
- The downloading stage – the update client downloads the update components from the server. If you shut down your computer at this time, your system will either discard the incomplete update files or keep them. On the next boot, the download progress might start to download these files from scratch or continue from the previous download.
- The installation stage – your system will install the individual update modules one by one while keeping track of this process. Once a shutdown occurs at this stage, your system might revert all the changes that have been made during the failing installation process and resume the installation from the ground up.
Microsoft follows Component-Bases Servicing (CBS) to help stabilize the Windows Update process to a large extent by checking for the presence of core system files required for a boot and replacing them if necessary. In some cases, shutting down the PC while updating will just stop the process without harming your computer, but if the core system files are missing or get corrupted, your computer might fail to boot and some of your data might be lost. In this case, follow the steps below:
Step 1. Power off your computer > turn it on > press the Power Button to turn it down when you see the Windows logo. Repeat this process 2 or more times until prompted by the Automatic Repair screen.
Step 3. Click on Advanced options to enter into Windows Recovery Environment.
Step 4. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt to reset the Windows Update components and then restart the update from the very beginning of the downloading stage.
Also see: What Is CBS.log Windows 10 & How to Fix CBS.log Corrupt Issue
# Suggestion: Back up Your Data Regularly to Avoid Data Loss
As stated above, system crashes and data loss might occur if you force your PC to turn off PC during a Windows Update. To avoid such an unexpected data loss, you should backup data beforehand with a free PC backup software – MiniTool ShadowMaker.
This tool is designed to provide data protection services and disaster recovery solutions both for individuals and enterprises. Once data loss or system crashes crop up, you can easily recover your data or restore your system with the backup image files. Now, follow these steps to create a file backup with this freeware:
Step 1. Run MiniTool ShadowMaker to enter its main interface.
MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 2. In the Backup page, go to SOURCE to choose the items to back up. As for selecting a storage path for the backup image files, go to DESTINATION.
Step 3. Hit Options in the lower right corner > toggle on Schedule Settings > select a time point of a day, week, or month to create an automatic backup task > hit OK.
Step 4. Click on Back Up Now to start the process at once or delay the task by hitting Back Up Later. You can find the delayed task in the Manage page.
Final Words
Can you turn off PC during a Windows update? Turning off PC during a Windows update manually or accidentally can stop the process but it might also corrupt your operating system, resulting in data loss or making your device unbootable. Therefore, you had better not interrupt the process and wait patiently.
Once you suffer from an abrupt shutdown and your computer fails to boot, resetting the Windows Update components in WinRE might be helpful. Do you have any advice about MiniTool ShadowMaker? If yes, contact us directly via [email protected]. We are looking forward to your feedback!
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Aurelie is a passionate soul who always enjoys researching & writing articles and solutions to help others. Her posts mainly cover topics related to games, data backup & recovery, file sync and so on. Apart from writing, her primary interests include reading novels and poems, travelling and listening to country music.