Booting into safe mode is the safer and quicker option. Restarting the service requires you to stop and start the service manually or by booting into safe mode. To get the updates back on track when the update service itself is misbehaving, you have to restart the service. Related: Ways to Stop Windows Update in Windows 10 Whenever the Windows Updates Service is not running, the OS displays the message “Windows Update cannot currently check for updates, because the service is not running.” Unfortunately, this also means that the system will not download and install any updates. If the update service is not running, it can cause updates to stall or even fail.Īnd this does happen. The Windows Updates Service is responsible for automatically checking, downloading, and installing updates. If not the biggest, one of the biggest causes of failed Windows updates is the underlying Windows Update Service.