# What do I do? My Windows 10 installation is stuck. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 30, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-my-windows-10-installation-is-stuck/726597 "2015-07-30T19:13:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-my-windows-10-installation-is-stuck/726597/1 "2015-07-30T19:13:14Z")
For about 8 hours now, it has been in the same state. The big number in the middle says 44%, and below it says “Installing features and drivers 32%”. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-my-windows-10-installation-is-stuck/726597/2 "2015-07-30T19:35:44Z")
I don’t know the answer, and I haven’t installed yet, but when I googled: windows 10 installation stuck I got a bunch of hits. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-my-windows-10-installation-is-stuck/726597/3 "2015-07-30T19:35:58Z")
It may be truly stuck. It happens. The only option is to wait even longer and see if it corrects itself (unlikely after 8 hours). The only thing you can really do is pull the power (hold the power button down for 10 seconds) and start it again. I know it warns you not to do that (for good reasons) but I am sure it has some decent recovery routines for just this scenario. It may be able to pick up where it left off and may be successful the second time. ---
**Author:** ![delta\_wiskey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@delta\_wiskey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delta_wiskey)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-my-windows-10-installation-is-stuck/726597/4 "2015-07-30T19:47:46Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > It may be truly stuck. It happens. The only option is to wait even longer and see if it corrects itself (unlikely after 8 hours). The only thing you can really do is pull the power (hold the power button down for 10 seconds) and start it again. I know it warns you not to do that (for good reasons) but I am sure it has some decent recovery routines for just this scenario. It may be able to pick up where it left off and may be successful the second time. As an IT. I would agree. just pull power and start over. It will reclean anything it has done thus far and start fresh. It only tells you not to pull power while it is running due to locking up a script, and/or having you to start the whole process over again. But at this point yea, start it over. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-my-windows-10-installation-is-stuck/726597/5 "2015-07-30T20:10:30Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I don’t know the answer, and I haven’t installed yet, but when I googled: > > windows 10 installation stuck > > I got a bunch of hits. I did too, but they were too technical for me to make sense of. Which is why I really appreciate the advice of **Delta** and **Shagnasty**. Just a clarification: do I need to pull out the power cord, or is holding down the button for a while good enough? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-my-windows-10-installation-is-stuck/726597/6 "2015-07-30T20:39:11Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > holding down the button for a while good enough? Do this. A sudden power interruption is always going to be worse than doing this. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-my-windows-10-installation-is-stuck/726597/7 "2015-07-30T20:49:06Z")
Thanks! It is now in the midst of doing the installation again, although the screen is different as it actually still shows my desktop while a window titled “Windows Update” hums along. So I don’t know where I stand in comparison to that 44 percent but my fingers are crossed. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-my-windows-10-installation-is-stuck/726597/8 "2015-07-30T21:28:14Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > I did too, but they were too technical for me to make sense of. Which is why I really appreciate the advice of **Delta** and **Shagnasty**. … So true. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-my-windows-10-installation-is-stuck/726597/9 "2015-07-30T22:47:17Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Thanks! It is now in the midst of doing the installation again, although the screen is different as it actually still shows my desktop while a window titled “Windows Update” hums along. So I don’t know where I stand in comparison to that 44 percent but my fingers are crossed. Did it work? ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-my-windows-10-installation-is-stuck/726597/10 "2015-07-30T22:50:23Z")
Success! Thanks again.