It can be very frustrating when a new update that is supposed to make your life easier causes something that was working perfectly to suddenly break. This happens because large sections of the code that make up the Windows 10 operating system have to be changed and restructured when updates are applied, which can cause some unwanted side effects or ‘bugs’. If you want to make sure your Windows 10 is running at its best then check out our guide here.
Fixing common problems in the Windows 10 April 2018 update
First of all, if you’re struggling to install the update we’re going to take you through a few of the common ‘catch all’ solutions that can quickly cause your problem to go away. Some of these may sound simple and obvious but they do tend to be the best solutions.
Shut down your computer and then boot it up again. Sometimes it really does just need a good restart to sort itself out.Type ‘Troubleshoot’ into the search bar at the bottom left, and open up the Windows Troubleshooter. Click on the ‘Windows Update’ option under the ‘Get up and running’ heading and run the Troubleshooter. Apply any fixes that are recommended.
You may be getting an error code when trying to install your update. Each error code will need a specific fix but we’ll show you a couple of the more common errors which are easily corrected.
How to fix Windows Update error 0x800F0922
This particular error occurs when your machine can’t connect to Microsoft’s update servers to download the require files, or when the system reserved partition doesn’t have enough space. If you’re using a VPN, try disabling it and then initiating the update again. Windows Update tends to not play nicely with VPN clients. It’s unlikely that the system reserved partition isn’t large enough, but if that is the case you’ll need to use some third-party software to manually resize the partition to make it large enough to accommodate the update.
How to fix Windows 10 activation errors
When you update to the newest version of Windows the new installation should automatically reactivate your current Windows license after you’ve installed the update. However, this doesn’t always work perfectly so if you’re having trouble activating Windows 10 after an update you’ll have to find the Windows Activation Troubleshooter.
Head down to the search bar at the bottom left of your screen and type in ‘Activation’.Click on the search result that comes up with the same name.This will open a window, where you’ll be able to see if your current version of Windows is active.At the bottom of the screen you’ll see a ‘Troubleshoot’ option. Click that and follow the instructions.
How to fix missing or damaged update files in Windows 10
This is a particularly common error and can appear for a number of reasons, anything from your network connection being interrupted mid-download or your machine just having a problem unpacking the files. You’ll know if there is a problem with the update files if you have the 0x80073712 or 0x80245006 error code. The common fix to this problem is to delete your temporary files, which will force your machine to download the update files again and hopefully this time it will go through without a hitch.
Head down to your search bar at the bottom left and type in ‘cleanmgr’.Select the search result that comes up and a window will appear.Select your C Drive (the default place for your Windows installation).Make sure that you have ‘Temporary Files’ selected with the appropriate tick box.Hit the ‘Clean up system file’ button.Select OK and then the ‘Delete files’ button
How to fix update isn’t applicable to your device error in Windows 10
When you’re attempting to update your Windows installation to the latest version you may come across this error if you’re trying to install the software remotely from bootable media, such as a USB drive. This will usually happen if the current version of Windows that you’re running hasn’t been fully updated yet. To make sure that you’re running the latest possible version of Windows for your machine you’ll have to check for any Windows Updates and download any that are available. This should happen automatically but we’ll show you how to get there manually too.
Head down to your search bar at the bottom left of your screen, and type in ‘Windows Update’.Select the top search result, and a window will appear.At the top of this window, there will be a ‘Check for Updates’ button.Click this button and Windows will manually check if there are any updates available for your machine.If there are updates ready to be downloaded or installed, complete this process by following the instructions on your screen.