“We were unable to complete the update. undoing the changes” cycle is usually caused when Windows update files don’t download properly, when your system files get corrupted, etc. This issue is frustrating as it pops up the same message over and over again every time you start it.
However, the error occurs frequently and most of the time it will appear when Windows update fails. Users have tried rebooting their system many times but the problem remains the same.
This article will help you solve your problem by implementing some simple and obvious solutions. There’s not much you can do if Windows won’t start. Follow the instructions below to help you overcome the woes.
Methods
Cause of “we couldn’t complete the updates undoing changes” in windows 10.
As previously mentioned, errors are common and often caused by the following factors:
Windows Update does not download smoothly. If the update that Windows is trying to install doesn’t download properly, it can make the problem worse.
Insufficient storage space. In some cases, the problem may occur when you do not have enough space to update the system volume.
Updates were canceled during installation. If the update is interrupted during the installation process, e.g. B. the computer is turned off, etc., the problem may be because of this.
Corrupt system files. Another factor that can cause the problem is corrupted files on your system.
Solution 1: Start in Safe Mode
To fix this problem, you need to start in Safe Mode first. If you have a dual boot system, you can simply start it in Safe Mode by clicking Change Defaults or selecting another option and then going to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings. After entering your startup settings, press 4 to enter Safe Mode.
If you’re not using the dual boot, you’ll need to press F8, F9, or F11 (depending on the case) while charging to access the troubleshooting screen. Then follow the same instructions as above to enter Safe Mode.
After starting your system in Safe Mode, follow the solutions below. If you’re still trying to figure out how to access the troubleshooting screen, simply use a bootable Windows USB, DVD, or CD drive and select “Repair Your Computer” once the Windows setup window appears, and go to Troubleshooting > Advanced Options > Startup Settings.
Before proceeding with the solution, make sure your system device has enough free space. If you are using a proxy or VPN to connect to the internet, turn off the proxy/VPN and connect directly.
Solution 2: Launch the Windows Troubleshooter
Your second step is to run the Windows Update troubleshooter if you are having problems with Windows Update. The troubleshooter will scan your system for update-related issues and try to fix them. This may not always work, but there are times when troubleshooting will fix the problem. To solve the problem:
Press ‘Windows + I‘ to open Settings.
Go to Update and Security.
Navigate to the troubleshooting panel.
Select Windows Update and click ‘Run the troubleshooter
Then check for the error ‘we couldn’t complete the updates undoing changes’ persists.
Solution 3: Restore your system to an earlier date
System Restore is a built-in feature that allows you to restore your Windows system to an earlier date without affecting your files and data. If you had a system restore point before this error occurred, you can follow the detailed system restore steps.
Start your computer from the Windows installation media. After logging into WinRE, click Troubleshooting > Advanced Options.
In the Advanced Options menu, click on System Restore. You will then see a message asking you to enter a recovery key. Just click Skip Device or also enter your account password.
Click Next in the pop-up window.
If there is a list of restore points (including automatic restore points and restore points that you create yourself), select the restore point you want to restore, then click Next.
Then, confirm your restore point by clicking the Done button. Your computer will then be restored to its previous date.
Click Finish to apply System Restore
Solution 4: Activate app standby service
The Application Ready service is required by Windows to install updates. Make sure it is turned off and on. Here’s how:
Open a service window as shown in Fix 3 above.
Navigate to Application Standby Service and double-click it to open the Properties window.
Click Startup Type and select Automatic from the drop-down list.
Under Service Status, click Start.
Click Apply > OK and restart the system.
We still meet “We couldn’t complete the update Undoing changes error? Go to the next solution below.
Solution 5: Start DISM and SFC tools
If the error is caused by corrupt system files, try running the Image Service Deployment and Management (DISM) and System File Checker (SFC) tools. The DISM function is very effective in solving various problems affecting your system files. The SFC tool, on the other hand, checks for corrupted or corrupted system files and replaces them with good copies.
First, let’s start by running the SFC tool:
Open a command prompt with administrator rights. To do this, press the Windows logo on your keyboard and enter “cmd” (without the quotes). In the right pane, select Run as administrator.
Type sfc /scannow and press Enter. This process usually takes between 5-15 minutes. After successful execution, run the following command:
DISM / Online / Cleanup-Image / restorehealth.
Restart your system and check if the error goes away.
If the DISM tool can’t get the files online, insert the installation media and enter the command:
Note: Replace C: RepairSourceWindows with the path to your installation media (USB or DVD).
Now restart the SFC tool to make sure that all corrupt system files are fixed.
Solution 6: Block automatic updates
You can’t win the war against Windows updates. Even if you find a way to block it, you may need to update your computer. There’s really no way to get around this in Windows 10.
However, we are not trying to block updates from your computer forever. If the latest update is causing damage to your computer, we will skip it.
But there is a problem, there is no legal way to block Windows updates in Windows 10 as it was done in previous versions of the system.
So we have to do a little trick to temporarily block Windows updates. Here’s what you need to do:
Right-click your connection icon in the system tray
Select Settings for Open Network and Internet Sharing
Enable metered connection
Click your internet connection icon your
Enable the Set metered connection option
Solution 7: Run repair at startup
Startup Repair is a Windows diagnostic troubleshooting tool that you can use to repair the Windows operating system when you cannot log on to your computer. This method can often be used to repair some corrupt or missing system files.
Corrupt system files can cause “Windows 10, we couldn’t complete the update undoing the changes.” To fix this problem, you can follow the steps to run a repair on startup.
After entering WinRE, click Troubleshoot > Advanced Options.
In the Advanced Options window, click Startup Repair. It will then check and repair your computer automatically. This process will take some time, just wait patiently.
Click Start Repair
Then see if this ‘we couldn’t complete the updates undoing changes’ fix can get rid of that problem.
Solution 8: Delete software distribution folder
Typically, Windows update files are stored in the software distribution folder until they are fully downloaded. Deleting the contents of the software distribution folder may resolve Windows 10, updates cannot be completed and changes can be undone error.
To delete this folder, you must start Windows in Safe Mode. Here’s what you can do:
After logging in to WinRE, click the Troubleshoot row > Advanced options > Startup Settings.
In the pop-up window in the lower right corner, click Restart. You can then see a list of function keys, just press the F4 key on your keyboard to enter Safe Mode. Well, you can also click F5 or F6 if you need to.
Your Windows will then boot in Safe Mode. To delete the software distribution folder, you need to disable some Windows Update services. Here’s the complete guide.
Press Win key + R to open the Run box and type cmd. Then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open an elevated command prompt.
Enter the following commands and press Enter one by one.
net stop wuauserv net stop bits net stop cryptSvc net stop msiserver
Then open Windows Explorer and go to the location “C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution”. Select all the contents of the folder and press the Delete key on your keyboard to delete the folder.
If this solution also didn’t work then try the final and last solution
Solution 9: Expand Windows system partition size ( “Extend volume grayed out” link= https://www.partitionwizard.com/resizepartition/extend-volume-grayed-out.html)
As mentioned above, insufficient disk space is also responsible for the error “Failed to complete update undo changes, the computer will not shut down”. To fix this problem, expanding the size of your Windows system partition can be a good solution.
You can usually select Disk Management to expand the system partition. Most consumers, however, face the problem of “expanding the gray“. This is a major inconvenience.
So it is highly recommended to use professional partition management software. MiniTool Partition Wizard is advanced software that brings you a bootable media maker to create a bootable CD/DVD or USB flash drive. You can then use it to easily expand your C partition even if Windows won’t boot.
Apart from that, this software has many other powerful features that you can take full advantage of. For example, you can use it to update your hard drive without reinstalling the operating system, etc.
Conclusion on ‘we couldn’t complete the updates undoing changes’ error
If none of the methods solved the problem for you, we recommend that you use the Restoro Recovery Tool, which can scan the repository for corrupt and missing files. It works in most cases when the problem occurs due to a system crash. Restoro also optimizes your system for maximum performance. download restoro by clicking here
