Show Installed Updates
Beginner
Lists all Windows updates installed on the system with dates.
USE WHEN Checking patch level, identifying a recently installed update that may have caused issues.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
wmic qfe list brief /format:table
💻 PowerShell
Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object HotFixID,Description,InstalledOn,InstalledBy | Format-Table -AutoSize
Uninstall a Windows Update
Intermediate
Removes a specific update by its KB number — useful when an update causes problems.
USE WHEN A recent update broke something — find the KB number from Get-HotFix and remove it.
⚡ Replace 5034763 with the correct KB number. May require a reboot.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
wusa /uninstall /kb:5034763 /quiet /norestart
💻 PowerShell
wusa /uninstall /kb:5034763 /quiet /norestart
Check for Updates
Beginner
Forces Windows to check for and begin downloading available updates.
USE WHEN Updates appear stuck, or you want to trigger a manual check.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
wuauclt /detectnow /updatenow
💻 PowerShell
(New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.AutoUpdate).DetectNow()
Create a System Restore Point
Beginner
Creates a snapshot of the system state that can be restored if something goes wrong.
USE WHEN Before installing software, drivers, or making major system changes.
⚡ System Protection must be enabled for the drive. Check in System Properties.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
wmic.exe /Namespace:\\root\default Path SystemRestore Call CreateRestorePoint "Before Maintenance", 100, 7
💻 PowerShell
Checkpoint-Computer -Description 'Before Maintenance' -RestorePointType 'MODIFY_SETTINGS'
List System Restore Points
Beginner
Shows all available restore points with dates and descriptions.
USE WHEN Before performing a restore — check what points are available.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
wmic /Namespace:\\root\default Path SystemRestore get CreationTime,Description,SequenceNumber
💻 PowerShell
Get-ComputerRestorePoint | Select-Object SequenceNumber,CreationTime,Description | Format-Table -AutoSize
Restore to a Previous Point
Intermediate
Initiates a system restore to a specific restore point.
USE WHEN After a bad update, driver, or software installation has made the system unstable.
⚡ rstrui.exe opens the System Restore GUI. Replace 5 with the correct SequenceNumber from the list.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
rstrui.exe
💻 PowerShell
Restore-Computer -RestorePoint 5
Reset Windows Update Components
Advanced
Stops update services, clears all cached update data, and restarts — fixes most stuck update situations.
USE WHEN Windows Update stuck at 0%, updates failing with error codes, or update service errors.
⚡ Requires Administrator. Run each line in order. A reboot is recommended after.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
net stop wuauserv net stop cryptsvc net stop bits net stop msiserver ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.bak ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.bak net start wuauserv net start cryptsvc net start bits net start msiserver
💻 PowerShell
Stop-Service wuauserv,cryptsvc,bits,msiserver -Force Rename-Item C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.bak -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue Rename-Item C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.bak -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue Start-Service wuauserv,cryptsvc,bits,msiserver
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