Viewing Windows Update History and Installed Updates for Troubleshooting Restart Issues

Viewing Windows Update History: Installed Updates and Troubleshooting Restart Issues

Windows updates are essential for maintaining the security and stability of your Windows 11 system. However, there may be instances where an update causes issues, resulting in your system restarting frequently. This article will guide you through viewing your Windows Update history, identifying problematic updates, and troubleshooting restart issues.

Viewing Installed Updates

To view the installed updates on your Windows 11 system, follow these steps:

1. Press Win + I to open the Settings app.
2. Click on Windows Update in the left-hand menu.
3. Click on Update history on the right side of the window.

The update history page will display a list of updates installed on your system, including their installation dates and any available additional information.

Identifying Problematic Updates

If your system is restarting frequently after an update, you may have a problematic update installed. To identify the update causing the issue, follow these steps:

1. Press Win + X and select Event Viewer from the menu.
2. In the Event Viewer, expand Windows Logs and click on System.
3. In the right-hand pane, look for events with an Error or Warning level that occurred around the time of the restart.
4. Double-click on the event to view its details. Look for any references to Windows updates or KB (knowledge base) numbers.

Once you have identified the problematic update, you can proceed to troubleshoot the restart issue.

Troubleshooting Restart Issues

If you have identified a problematic update, you can try the following troubleshooting steps:

1. Uninstall the problematic update:
   1. Press Win + I to open the Settings app.
   2. Click on Windows Update in the left-hand menu.
   3. Click on Update history on the right side of the window.
   4. Click on Uninstall updates at the top of the page.
   5. Find the problematic update in the list, right-click on it, and select Uninstall.
2. Perform a clean boot:
   1. Press Win + R, type msconfig, and press Enter.
   2. Go to the Services tab and check the Hide all Microsoft services box.
   3. Click Disable all.
   4. Go to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager.
   5. For each enabled startup item, right-click on it and select Disable.
   6. Close Task Manager and click OK in the System Configuration window.
   7. Restart your system and test if the restart issue persists.
3. Reset Windows Update components:
   1. Press Win + X and select Windows Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
   2. Type or paste the following commands, pressing Enter after each:
   ```bash net stop wuauserv net stop cryptSvc net stop bits net stop msiserver ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old net start wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver ```
   3. Close the terminal or command prompt and test if the restart issue persists.

References

• Microsoft Support. (2022). View update history and details in Windows 10.

• Microsoft Docs. (2022). Troubleshoot Windows Update errors.

• Microsoft Docs. (2022). Perform a clean boot in Windows.

By following the steps outlined in this article, you should be able to view your Windows Update history, identify problematic updates, and troubleshoot restart issues on your Windows 11 system.