diff --git a/UpdateAndStart.bat b/UpdateAndStart.bat
index 55cee5ce9..fbb3ac9bb 100644
--- a/UpdateAndStart.bat
+++ b/UpdateAndStart.bat
@@ -2,17 +2,26 @@
 pushd %~dp0
 git --version > nul 2>&1
 if %errorlevel% neq 0 (
-    echo Git is not installed on this system. Skipping update.
-    echo If you installed with a zip file, you will need to download the new zip and install it manually.
+    echo Git is not installed on this system.
+    echo Install it from https://git-scm.com/downloads
+    goto end
 ) else (
+    if not exist .git (
+        echo Not running from a Git repository. Reinstall using an officially supported method to get updates.
+        echo See: https://docs.sillytavern.app/installation/windows/
+        goto end
+    )
     call git pull --rebase --autostash
     if %errorlevel% neq 0 (
         REM incase there is still something wrong
-        echo There were errors while updating. Please download the latest version manually.
+        echo There were errors while updating.
+        echo See the update FAQ at https://docs.sillytavern.app/usage/update/#common-update-problems
+        goto end
     )
 )
 set NODE_ENV=production
 call npm install --no-audit --no-fund --loglevel=error --no-progress --omit=dev
 node server.js %*
+:end
 pause
 popd
diff --git a/UpdateForkAndStart.bat b/UpdateForkAndStart.bat
index 8bfae8609..d788b9470 100644
--- a/UpdateForkAndStart.bat
+++ b/UpdateForkAndStart.bat
@@ -5,8 +5,14 @@ pushd %~dp0
 echo Checking Git installation
 git --version > nul 2>&1
 if %errorlevel% neq 0 (
-    echo Git is not installed on this system. Skipping update.
-    echo If you installed with a zip file, you will need to download the new zip and install it manually.
+    echo Git is not installed on this system.
+    echo Install it from https://git-scm.com/downloads
+    goto end
+)
+
+if not exist .git (
+    echo Not running from a Git repository. Reinstall using an officially supported method to get updates.
+    echo See: https://docs.sillytavern.app/installation/windows/
     goto end
 )
 
@@ -89,7 +95,8 @@ git pull --rebase --autostash origin %TARGET_BRANCH%
 
 :install
 if %errorlevel% neq 0 (
-    echo There were errors while updating. Please check manually.
+    echo There were errors while updating.
+    echo See the update FAQ at https://docs.sillytavern.app/usage/update/#common-update-problems
     goto end
 )