How To Fix “We Couldn’t Install Some Updates Because The PC Was Turned Off”

The Windows update process gets interrupted sometimes and you see a message on your screen that says “We couldn’t install some updates because the PC was turned off”. It means the updating process has stopped due to technical or software issues.

Windows updates are the free Microsoft service that removes bugs and errors in your applications and upgrades their functioning by introducing new features and modifications in the software. Without frequent Microsoft updates, your PC can run into several dysfunctionalities.

Why Does “We Couldn’t Install Some Updates Because The PC Was Turned OFF” Error Occur?

The reasons why your Windows update failed from one user to user. Before jumping into Windows update troubleshooter methods, let’s have a look at the possible causes of Windows update errors.

• Invalid signatures
• Corrupted windows updates
• Third-party antivirus software
• Power issues

Methods To Fix “We couldn’t Install Some Updates Because The PC Was Turned Off”

Here is a list of some easy yet effective workarounds you can apply if you can’t download windows updates. Start from the top of the list methods to avoid applying complicated methods if the Windows update error gets fixed by the easy ones.

1. Windows Update Troubleshooter

The very one step to get rid of computer update errors must be Windows update troubleshooter. This method helps you identify the actual culprit creating all the trouble and get it fixed within no time. This built-in feature was specially designed to make your PC clean of viruses and bugs. Here is the tutorial on how to use this brilliant feature to fix Windows update errors.

1. To initiate the troubleshooting process, press the Win+I key simultaneously to open Settings.
2. Now click on the System and select Troubleshoot. 
3. Once here, go to the Windows update. In case you don’t see this option then click on Other troubleshooters.
4. Then click the Run option next to Windows update to start the scanning process.
5. The troubleshooter will detect the errors and suggest solutions to fix the issue.
6. Click on Next this fix option to initiate the process.

2. Disable Anti-Virus Softwares

The Anti-virus software is amazing when it comes to virus protection. They keep scanning your PC to detect any harmful activities going on and shut them down for protection reasons. But, sometimes it detects the app installations and windows updates as threats and stops the process immediately. To Update your Windows successfully, disable the anti-virus and when you’re done enable it again.

1. To access the anti-virus app, search Antivirus on your PC’s taskbar search.
2. Now click the Virus & Threat protection icon to explore further options.
3. Once here, click the Quick Scan button to fix the windows update issue.

You can get rid of the windows 10 updating error simply by disabling the anti-virus program. However, if you still struggle with completing the updating process then uninstall the anti-virus software and see if the error has been fixed or not.

3. Restart The Windows Update Service

If the Windows update service is not responding then your system can give errors like “we couldn’t install some updates because the PC was turned off”. It happens due to the fact that this service downloads the updates from the Microsoft server and installs them on our PCs. All you need to do is restart this service. Here is how you can do this.

1. Press Windows key+R to open the Run dialogue box.
2. Once opened, type in services.msc and click Enter.
3. Now select Windows Updates services from the list of services on your screen to open the Properties window.
4. When the Properties window pops up, click on the Stop button to stop services.
5. Now restart the services by clicking on the Restart button.

4. Clear Catroot2 Folder

If the above-mentioned methods did not work for you then try emptying your catroot2 folder. Windows Updates require this folder. Along with other important folders, it also contains signatures of the Widows update package. If you are facing the windows update error which says “we couldn’t install some updates because the PC was turned off” then you should empty the catroot2 folder to fix this issue.

1. First of all press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialogue box and hit Enter.
2. Now type in C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 (Replace C with the drive letter where Windows is installed) and hit Enter.
3. When you are in the catroot2 folder, select all folders and click on Delete.
4. And then choose File Explorer.

5. Delete SoftwareDistribution Folder

Clearing the catroot2 folder didn’t work? don’t worry. Here is another workaround to get rid of the Microsoft updating error. This folder temporarily stores files required for installing Windows updates. When we delete this folder, chances are that we’ll succeed in installing the updates on our computer.

1. Press Windows key+R to open the Run dialogue box.
2. Now type in cmd and at the same time press Ctrl+Shift+Enter.
3. Click Yes if the User Account Control prompts on your screen.
4. Now type in the following commands in the command prompt and hit Enter after each command and then minimize the command prompt window.

a. net stop wuauserv

b. net stop cryptSvc

c. net stop bits

d. net stop msiserver

5. Open the Run dialogue box once again and type in the following command. (Replace C with the driver letter where Windows is installed)

C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download

Here, the File Explorer window will open the downloaded folder.

6. Now select all folders and press Delete.

7. Then choose the File Explorer window.

8. Next, maximize the Command Prompt window.

10. Once you are done with the above steps, start the necessary windows service again by typing in the following commands in the Command Prompt and hitting Enter after each command.

a. net start wuauserv

b. net start cryptSvc

c. net start bits

d. net start msiserver

11. Now restart your PC to see if the Windows update error has been fixed or not.

6. Manually Install The Update

If you have tried all of the above methods but are still stuck on an update error then this is the last method to apply. You can install the updates manually by searching for them in the Microsoft Update Catalog. Here is how to do this.

1. Go to Microsoft Update Catalog.
2. Once you are there, search for the update that is giving you the error in the search box.
3. Now download the update you want from the list of results shown on your screen.
4. After that, run the installer and follow the instructions on the screen.
5. Finally, restart your computer to complete the process.

Conclusion

This article provides a complete in-depth guide on how to fix the “we couldn’t install some updates because the PC was turned off” error. Sometimes the anti-virus software or the corrupted folders cause the Windows update to stop. Fixing the bugs, clearing the folders, and rebooting your computer can get you out of this trouble in no time. I hope this post proves beneficial to all audiences.