What happens when your computer turns off during an update? (2022 Update)

   Seriously, what happens when your computer turns off during an update? We are about to find out.

When you start a window update, you may notice – Warning! Don’t turn off your computer. It obviously tells you for your own good right? In this article, we are going to find out what happens when your computer turns off during an update?.

Along with that, we will also discuss what you should do when a windows update gets stuck and why updates are necessary.

Before we begin, AMD has released the new Ryzen 5000 series processor. Find out more about the Ryzen 5000G APU, its specifications, its release date for retail, and its comparison with other APUs in the same series.

What happens when your computer turns off during an update? (intentionally or by accident):

    – What happens when you turn off your computer when it says not to?

You don’t need to get worried. If you turn off your PC intentionally or by accident during a windows 10 update, nothing bad will happen.

Microsoft has been working to find a more robust way for delivering updates for windows over the internet. They had initiated the process back when they released Windows Vista.

Now, Microsoft has fully mastered this process and they have successfully implemented it. This process is called “Component Based Servicing”.

No matter you turn off your computer by accident or by intention, this process will ensure the updates are installed correctly on your system.

But how can this process ensure that?

First, this process checks whether all the required files are present before installing the updates. And unless the updates are fully installed, the process doesn’t mark itself as complete.

The “Component Based Servicing” process is the underlying architecture of windows update. By any chance your computer turned off during Windows 10 update, you will notice the update process will continue once you boot up again.

The update process won’t restart when you boot up or it will not mark itself as complete if there is a power breakdown in the middle of the process.

If you shut down your computer while it’s updating, it will roll back when you boot your windows up. The process will suggest you update later when all the files are there but your computer got turned off during the installation of the files.

Thankfully, you won’t damage anything, windows will remain how it was.

So the computer messages that show during an update don’t always mean that you will run into an imminent catastrophe if you don’t follow them.

Don’t turn off your computer for core system updates:

The “Component Based Servicing” process may work perfectly while there’s power loss or you shut down your computer during a windows update.

You should keep your windows running when there’s a core update as there are some critical files that need to be downloaded and installed.

So, don’t turn off your computer when there is such an update. Unfortunately, Windows doesn’t tell you when there is any core update.

If you turn off your computer or a power loss occurs during a core windows update, we are afraid you may face interruptions. The results can be anything from minor to major like – certain aspects of windows may not function properly or windows may refuse to boot at all. In that case, you will see something like this –

If something like this happens, don’t panic. Make backups of your personal and important files on the cloud. Expert’s advice –

    – Keep the personal and important data anywhere except for the C drive.

The most important and essential files should be synced with your online account. So that you can access them anywhere at any time. It is as like as Bill Gates says –

Just as Bill Gates uses OneNote, so should you use any online file storage or synchronization service.

Use a Windows boot installation drive and run troubleshoot:

If your PC isn’t booting up as you turned it off or the power goes out during an update, you can use a USB flash drive (having 8GB of free space is recommended) and use it as a Windows installation media.

First, plug in the USB flash drive. Then, go to the Windows download page and click on the “Download tool now” button.

Once you turn the USB flash drive into another bootable system, jump into that and select ‘Troubleshoot’.

After that, you can select “Startup Repair” to fix the damaged windows files.

What to do when a windows update gets stuck:

    – Is it really safe to restart the computer if the windows update gets stuck?

You may need to restart your computer during an update. Sometimes, the update process can get stuck at a certain percentage for a very long time, even for multiple hours.

If you find that the windows update is stuck for an excessive period of time, take a look at the front and rear USB hubs. If you see the USB hubs (those are connected to devices) are not blinking, then it is suggesting that the drives aren’t busy anymore.

At that time, restarting your computer won’t hurt anything.

Once you boot up, use the windows built-in troubleshooter to clear the windows update cache. If you can’t locate the troubleshooting program, just type “troubleshoot windows update” into the windows search bar.

The Importance of Windows updates:

– Now that you have learned what happens when your computer turns off during an update, it’s time to know why is it important to update Windows. 

If you don’t update Windows, a lot of security and system vulnerabilities will be left open. This can allow malware or hack your system. Windows updates restrain you from being exploited.

Security is the main reason why you need to update Windows. Only enabling a third-party antivirus isn’t enough. Keeping your system up-to-date is the best way to remain protected against security vulnerabilities.

Aside from security, you need to update windows for experiencing new or enhanced features. You will enjoy a better user experience as updates will fix bugs, allowing improved performance.

Sometimes, updates are needed to make your system compatible with newer devices or applications.

Bottom line:

Don’t panic if the windows update gets interrupted. Be patient and follow the instructions that we have given if necessary. This is a minor issue that is often fixed by itself. Far worse things can happen than the issue that is caused by turning off the computer during the windows 10 update.