Thanks for replying.
I gave up with the Windows 7 updates and bit the bullet by dusting off my old Windows 8 CD and “upgrading”. Ever since the 8.1 update came out I’ve thought about trying Windows 8 again. When I bought this laptop in 2012 it came with Windows 7 pre installed and included a free Windows 8 upgrade. When the upgrade went live I downloaded it from the Microsoft store. I also purchased the Windows 8 CD’s just in case. Ultimately I decided to downgrade back to Windows 7 which is where I’ve been stuck ever since because I never saved the Windows 8 activation key that Microsoft e mailed me when I bought the CD’s
It never occurred to me that the Microsoft store would retain a copy of the activation key e mail but it turns out they did. I called them about this issue and they forwarded the e mail to me.
Windows 8.1 is definitely better than Windows 8 but I think I’d still prefer Windows 7. Perhaps I just need to get used to it but I think Window’s 8+ will primarily benefit people who have Windows Smartphones.
TL;DR I no longer need to the Windows 7 updates. I “fixed” the problem by “upgrading” to Windows 8