I was so sorry to read your post - I asked - Why?
In no way should it have taken this long, especially when there was another poster that purchased the phone and the 7.8 Windows Phone Update was already on the phone.
Here's what you can do:
Here is how to force update and is what I did on my Nokia Lumia 900 that I own, but is bound to AT&T.
1) Turn on Airplane mode on your phone in setting.
2) Connect Your Phone to Zune and then click on setting (In Zune) and then click on update
3) Right when you click on update after 3 seconds turn off your internet. (you can turn your modem or router "off". I opened up my Network settings in Windows 7 and had it on the desktop, so I could "Disable" it instantly from there)
4) Update will show up without the internet once it shows up turn your internet on and then update it.
5) If it doesn’t work do this at least 4 times perfectly and i guarantee it will update it.
I had to do it the first time about 5 times - it's a matter of getting the timing just right. You're breaking the connection just after the Zune PC software client and your phone is identified by Microsoft, but not long enough for your phone to send/receive any data by AT&T while it's connected to your PC and since your PC is connected to the internet, so in fact is your phone, even though it is in "Airplane" mode which disables the phones cellular and wireless connection, but not if it's thethered (USB connected) to your PC.
After about 5 times I got the timing right and the 1st update installed. That was only 1, there were two more. I had to do the same thing again, because if you just click to Upgrade on the Zune software, it would tell you that your phone is up to date.
When you do it again a couple of times (by now you got that timing correct in disco your internet network connection) the 2nd update will install, this is the 7.8 update. It will want to check again for any more updates and when it does, it will find another update, this time from Nokia. This will be the 3rd update.
Doing it this way allows you to do it the way Microsoft designed and it will make a backup copy each update, just in case something goes wrong and you need to roll things back. There are other ways to push it or install cabs from the Internet, but those I would think are risky, since the Zune software has no record of your update.
It is utterly pathetic that AT&T didn't release this shortly after January 30th, when Microsoft formally released this update officially and after they did their required checking to be sure it was OK on their network. Instead they delayed this update, for what appears to be their business reasons.
If you call AT&T their reps were given a script that basically said you have to wait till Microsoft rolls it out. It's not Microsoft and not Nokia, it's AT&T that was controlling it at this point after January 30 2013.
Let me know it goes with those steps. just be patient following them, it does work.
Good Luck!
