Windows 10 version 21H1 failed to install or stuck downloading for hours

Windows 10 2021 update failed to install

Corrupted system files, internet interruption, incompatibility of an application installed on your computer or third-party software conflicts are some common reasons cause windows 10 updates Failed to install or stuck downloading. If you are unable to install the latest Windows 10 version 21H1 on your system apply the solutions listed below.

Check Minimum system requirement

If you are trying to install windows 10 21H1 update on older computer the first thing we recommend check your device compatible install the latest windows version. Microsoft recommends the following system requirements for install window 10 may 2021 update on any device.

• RAM – 1GB for 32-bit and 2GB for 64-bit Windows 10
• HDD space – 32GB
• CPU – 1GHz or faster
• Compatible with x86 or x64 instruction set.
• Supports PAE, NX and SSE2
• Supports CMPXCHG16b, LAHF/SAHF and PrefetchW for 64-bit Windows 10
• Screen resolution 800 x 600
• Graphics Microsoft DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver

Internet interruption causing fail to download windows update?

You must have a stable internet connection to download windows update files from the Microsoft server. If your internet disconnects or very slow you may experience windows update stuck download or fails to install with different errors.

• Temporarily disable or uninstall thrid party antivirus from your PC,
• Most importantly disconnect VPN (If configured on your computer)
• Open any web page or play a youtube video to check you have a stable internet connection.
• In addition, run ping command ping google.com -t check continuously getting ping replay from google or not.

Agian incorrect time and region settings also cause this problem on windows 10. Open Settings -> Time & Language -> Select Region & Language from options on left. Here Verify your Country/Region is correct from the drop-down list.

Install windows 10 feature update on clean boot

There are chances, third-party software conflicts or incompatible applications installed on your computer that prevent apply new changes and results Windows 10 2021 update failed to install. Performing clean boot, start windows 10 with minimal set of drivers and startup programs. That helps determine whether a background program or third-party software conflict causing the issue.

• Press Windows key + S, type msconfig and select System Configuration from the results.
• Go to the Services tab,  select Hide all Microsoft services, and then click on Disable all.

• Now move to the Startup tab, select Open Task Manager.
• Under Startup in Task Manager, for each startup item, select the item and then select Disable.
• Close task manager, click on apply and ok on system configuration then reboot windows 10.

Now open Windows update and try to install windows 10 feature update version 21H1.

Check you have enough free storage space

There are chances system drive have, not enough storage space to download and apply the windows 10 feature update. As a result windows update stuck downloading or fail to install with different errors.

• Open windows explorer using windows key + E and locate the system drive (usually its C drive)
• If you are upgrading from older Windows 10 version 1909 or 1903 make sure you have 30GB free space there.
• Try to move some files or folders from the download folder and desktop folder to a different drive or external drive.
•  Also its recommended to remove all connected External Devices such as a printer, scanner, audio jack, etc before check for or install the latest windows 10 21H1 update.

Run Windows Update Troubleshooter

If following the above solutions didn’t fix the problem, Still Windows 10 21H1 update failed to install with different errors. Run the official Windows update troubleshooter, which probably detects and fixes the problems that prevent Windows 10 version 21H1 to install.

• Press Windows key + S type troubleshoot then select troubleshoot settings,
• On the right-hand side click on the additional troubleshooter link (refer to the image below)

Now scroll down to locate and select windows update then click on run troubleshooter,

• This will scan and attempt to identify if any problems exist which prevent your computer from downloading and installing Windows 10 feature update.
• During the diagnose process this will restart the Windows update service and check its related services running, check the update database for corruption and try to automatically fix them.
• After complete, the process Restart windows and again manually Check for Updates.

Reset windows update components

If the windows update storage folder (Software distribution folder) Gets corrupted, Contains any buggy updates this will cause Windows Update to stuck downloading at any percentage. Or Cause features update to Windows 10 version 21H1 failed to install.

Clearing the folder where all of the update files are stored will force Windows Update to download a fresh is the ultimate solution to fix the problem. To do this first we have to stop the windows update service.

• Press Windows key + R, type services.msc and click ok,
• This will open the windows service console, scroll down to locate the windows update service. Right-click on it select stop, do the same process with BITs and sysmain service,
• And minimize the Windows update console screen.

• Now open Windows file explorer using keyboard shortcut Windows + E,
• Go toC:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
• Delete everything within the folder, but do not delete the folder itself.
• To do so, press CTRL + A to select everything and then press Delete to remove the files.

• Now navigate to C:\Windows\System32
• Here rename the cartoot2 folder as cartoot2.bak.
• That’s all Now Restart the services (windows update, BITs, Superfetch) which you previously stopped.
• Restart windows and again check for updates from settings -> update & security -> windows update.
• I hope this time your system successfully upgrade to windows 10 version 21H1 without any stuck or update installation error.

Make sure Installed Device Drivers Are Updated

Also, Make Sure All Installed Device Drivers Are Updated and compatible with the current windows version. Especially Display Driver, Network Adapter, and Audio Sound Driver. Outdated Display driver mostly causes update error 0xc1900101, Network Adapter causes unstable internet connection which fails to download update files from the Microsoft server. And the outdated Audio driver causes update error 0x8007001f. That’s why we recommend check and update the device drivers with the latest version.

Run SFC and DISM command

Also Run the DISM restore health command to service and prepare Windows images, including those used for Windows PE, Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) and Windows Setup. And system file checker utility to restore missing system files with correct one.

• Open the command prompt as administrator,
• Run DISM command DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
• Next, type sfc /scannow and hit the enter key.
• This will scan the system for missing corrupted system files
• if found any the utility Automatically restore them from %WinDir%\System32\dllcache.
• Wait until 100% complete the process After that restart windows and check for updates.

If all the above options failed to install windows 10 May 2021 Update, Causing different error then use the official media creation tool to upgrade windows 10 version 21H1 without any error or problem.

Did the solutions mention here help you? Or still, have problems with the windows 10 May 2021 update installation? Share your feedback on comments.

Also, Read

• iTunes Not Working on Windows 10? Here 5 Different iTunes problems and solutions
• Windows 10 Update stuck downloading updates? Try these solutions
• Solved: Windows 10 Laptop Freezes and Crash Issues 
• Download Windows 10 Version 21H1 ISO image, Direct from Microsoft server

The post Solved: Feature update to Windows 10 version 21H1 failed to install  appeared first on How To Fix Windows.