Windows 2019 Server – stuck on Working on updates, 100% complete

Good day all, I have a server running Windows 2019 and is stuck on the ‘Working on updates, 100% complete, Don’t turn off your computer’

This server had windows updates which I started yesterday afternoon, then restarted as normal, and since then has been sitting at this screen since yesterday. I have shut down and restarted this computer multiple times to try and get around this issue but nothing has resolved it. I cannot log into the server either.

In the meantime, while this is sitting on the console server, the drive maps, DNS, print sharing is all working and the users are having no issues at all.

Have you tried checking the Windowsupdate.log file to see what it contains?

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/update/windows-update-logs

An update to this. I had an external backup drive connected to the server and once I had unplugged it, the server came back to life and I was able to log in.

Hmmm. That seems strange.

An update to this. I had an external backup drive connected to the server and once I had unplugged it, the server came back to life and I was able to log in.

Plug the drive back in and see if you can replicate the issue?

Good point. It might have been a coincidence.

Hi all, just to let you know that this problem is resolved. All it was, was the external hard drive that was connected to the system. Pulled and all was good. It is hooked back up and on a restart, the server comes back to life so if it happens again, it's a quick fix.

 

It sounds like your server may be stuck in the process of installing updates, and is unable to complete the process. This can happen if there is a problem with one or more of the updates, or if there is an issue with the server itself that is preventing the updates from installing properly.

 

One solution you can try is to boot the server into Safe Mode and then try to install the updates again. This can often help to resolve issues with the update process. To boot into Safe Mode, you'll need to restart the server and press the F8 key repeatedly while it's booting up. Once you're in Safe Mode, try installing the updates again.

 

This is not good advice to give carte blanche. It should be your absolute last resort after first troubleshooting the update process problem.

Reference:

MS Learn: How to install Service Packs and Hotfixes when Windows is running in Safe mode

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/deployment/install-service-packs-hotfixes

Because certain drivers and components are unavailable when Windows runs in Safe mode, the service pack or update Setup program may incorrectly calculate the components that require updating. If you install a service pack or update while Windows runs in Safe mode, and then you restart Windows normally, you may experience intermittent file errors or registry errors. Additionally, when you try to install a service pack or hotfix update while Windows is running in Safe mode, you may receive an error message similar to the following example:

ERROR_INSTALL_SERVICE_FAILURE
1601 The Windows Installer service could not be accessed.
Contact your support personnel to verify that the Windows
Installer service is properly registered.

Because of it, Microsoft recommends that you don't install service packs or updates when Windows is running in Safe mode unless you can't start Windows normally.