An update is being prepared for your device, but it's not quite ready yet

I encountered the following error message when trying to install Windows updates on an old laptop that had not been updated in a long time. Even though I waited all day, tried restarting my computer and tried again, the problem was still not resolved:

An update is being prepared for your device, but it is not quite ready yet. We'll keep trying, or you can try again now.

There is also a button, which did not help me. In this article, we will share how to fix the problem and update Windows.

An update is being prepared for your device, but it is not quite ready yet

While using Windows 10 Update Assistant helped me, you can try the following suggestions to fix this Windows update error:

Using Windows 11/10 Install/Update Assistant

Run Windows Updater

Clear Software Distribution folder Catroot2 folder&

Delete registry key

Let’s get into the details.

1]Use Windows 11/10 Install/Update Assistant

Microsoft is known to update devices if they are incompatible with feature updates. However, if you think this is a false positive, we recommend that you use the Windows 11 Installation Assistant or the Windows 10 Update Assistant to download or install these updates. This ensures that the system receives the latest patches and feature updates while maintaining system stability and compatibility.

2]Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Windows 11/10 provides an official update program for Windows Update. Based on past experience, Microsoft designed such a search engine. Updaters can resolve many issues by restarting services, restoring them to default settings, and turning on turned off features.

To run Windows Updater on Windows 11,

• Open the Settings application
• Click System and then click Remove
• Click for additional troubleshooters
• Now, click Run next to Windows Update

To run the troubleshooter on Windows 10,

• Open Windows 10 Settings (Win I)
• Navigate to Update & Security &>Troubleshooting
• Select Windows Update and click the Run the Updator button

Next will be a wizard that will automatically fix a few things to resolve the issue. Make sure that after checking for updates, the uninstaller has done its job.

3] Clear the software distribution folder and directory 2 folder

Windows Update downloads all update files into a dedicated folder, which may cause problems if there are issues with the files. Windows Update probably tried to fix it internally but got stuck again. If this is the case, follow our in-depth guide to delete all contents from the SoftwareDistribution folder and CatRoot2 folder, then restart the download.

4]Delete this registry key

This has worked for many people when troubleshooting the "An update is being prepared for your device, but it's not quite ready yet. We'll keep trying, or you can try again now" error. This key is in the Windows Update Automatic Updates default app category and is the same across many versions. >>We recommend that you delete it, but only after creating a system restore point.

Open the Registry Editor and navigate to

HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionWindowsUpdate automatically updates the default application category

Found key 8B24B027-1DEE-BABB-9A95-3517DFB9C552.

Right click on it and delete it.

Restart your computer and check for updates again.

Read: Windows Update won’t install or download in Windows 11/10

How do I know if my updates are stuck?

If Windows Update is stuck, the percentage you see in the Updates panel will not change and continue to show the same for several hours. If you find that the update percentage is stuck for a few hours, restart your Windows PC and try the update again. If there is no change, it's a stuck Windows update.

Why is my Windows Update stuck on getting stuff ready?

Windows Update can have a lot of issues as it prepares it. The drive connected to your computer may be causing the problem. Or the installation media has missing files or is damaged, or there may be other unknown problems. These problems are easy to solve.

Related read: Windows 11/10 stuck on Working on updates.

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