Windows Vista Forums

Windows update mess
  1. #1


    Annie Woughman Guest

    Windows update mess

    I couldn't find a newsgroup that was English Windows updates, so since most
    updates involve security issues I guess I will vent here. This is the
    second time in about two months that my Vista Home Premium 32 bit desktop
    computer has been stuck in Update hell. It was perfectly fine all day
    yesterday and then when I started it this morning, it went to the green and
    blue screen "Configuring Updates State 3 of 3 0% complete Do not turn off
    your computer" and then it restarts, only to return to that exact same
    screen. After watching it do that at least six times I finally turned it
    off. It took me about 14 more tries to get to start in a "safe" or "repair"
    mode which it is in now, still being "repaired." That was two hours ago.
    When this happened last time it was at the exact same point with the 3 of 3
    screen. It seems that the only solution to this would be to turn off
    automatice updates and check for them and install them when my computer is
    not coming out of a cold start. Has anyone else had this problem and does
    anyone have a better solution to avoid this than turning off automatice
    updates?




      My System SpecsSystem Spec

  2. #2


    PA Bear [MS MVP] Guest

    Re: Windows update mess

    Are you currently running Vista, Vista SP1, or Vista SP2, Annie? If Vista
    SP1, did the computer come with Vista SP1 preinstalled?

    What anti-virus application or security suite is installed and is your
    subscription current? What anti-spyware applications (other than Defender)?
    What third-party firewall (if any)?

    Has a(another) Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on this
    machine (e.g., a free-trial version that came preinstalled when you bought
    it)?

    Moving on...

    Description of the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 installation
    software feature update released April 28, 2009:
    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/955430

    Has KB955430 been installed yet?

    Have you tried Method 3 in http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949358?
    --
    ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
    MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002
    www.banthecheck.com


    > "Annie Woughman" <anniewoughman@xxxxxx> wrote:

    >> ...This is the
    >> second time in about two months that my Vista Home Premium 32 bit desktop
    >> computer has been stuck in Update hell. It was perfectly fine all day
    >> yesterday and then when I started it this morning, it went to the green
    >> and
    >> blue screen "Configuring Updates State 3 of 3 0% complete Do not turn off
    >> your computer" and then it restarts, only to return to that exact same
    >> screen. After watching it do that at least six times I finally turned it
    >> off. It took me about 14 more tries to get to start in a "safe" or
    >> "repair" mode which it is in now, still being "repaired." That was two
    >> hours ago. When this happened last time it was at the exact same point
    >> with the 3 of 3 screen. It seems that the only solution to this would be
    >> to turn off automatice updates and check for them and install them when
    >> my
    >> computer is not coming out of a cold start. Has anyone else had this
    >> problem and does anyone have a better solution to avoid this than turning
    >> off automatice updates?

      My System SpecsSystem Spec

  3. #3


    Annie Woughman Guest

    Re: Windows update mess


    "PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABearMVP@xxxxxx> wrote in message
    news:e7a%238EgHKHA.1340@xxxxxx

    > Are you currently running Vista, Vista SP1, or Vista SP2, Annie? If Vista
    > SP1, did the computer come with Vista SP1 preinstalled?
    Since I have spent the last 12 hours reinstalling everything on this
    computer, it took me a while to get back to this. I have had easier
    recoveries from a virus infestation that this stinking update. So, it looks
    like I just have Vista, no SP's,--when I view the basic information about my
    computer--it simply says Vista Home Premium. I am just totally appalled
    that MS would release something that had so much damage potential.
    Basically that update rendered my computer worthless--it could not break
    free of the "loop" it was thrown into once that update was downloaded. If
    there are KB articles written about this particular problem, I know I am not
    alone. I consider myself fairly computer literate for an amature--I was
    able to do a recovery and reinstall my system but I resent that it was
    necessary. What about the poor newbies that end up having to take their
    machines to a repair shop to get it fixed? The two articles that I printed
    out explaining this particular problem and the "fix" don't look anything to
    be attempted by greenies either. I haven't had time to study them--I've
    been a little busy. At this point I have my machine set so it cannot
    automatically download any updates without my OK.


    > What anti-virus application or security suite is installed and is your
    > subscription current? What anti-spyware applications (other than
    > Defender)? What third-party firewall (if any)?
    F-Secure anti-virus with a firewall plus a linksys wireless router

    > Has a(another) Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on this
    > machine (e.g., a free-trial version that came preinstalled when you bought
    > it)?
    Norton--it was the first thing to go before I installed anything else. (this
    time too)

    > Moving on...
    >
    > Description of the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 installation
    > software feature update released April 28, 2009:
    > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/955430
    >
    > Has KB955430 been installed yet?
    At this point I have no way of knowing if it was installed before, but it
    isn't on there now.

    >
    > Have you tried Method 3 in http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949358?
    Haven't had the chance--I have the article printed out, but once my computer
    was "in the loop" it was a little late for that. Oh, and BTW, this article
    is dated October 2008. I have kept my computer updated religiously, why
    haven't I run into this sooner? I did have a similar event a while back
    with the same stall message, but it came out of it and finished the update.

    Anyway, at this point I am thoroughly sick of staring at this screen and
    totally outraged at MS for dropping bombs like that one on my computer.

    > --
    > ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
    > MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002
    > www.banthecheck.com
    >
    >

    >> "Annie Woughman" <anniewoughman@xxxxxx> wrote:

    >>> ...This is the
    >>> second time in about two months that my Vista Home Premium 32 bit
    >>> desktop
    >>> computer has been stuck in Update hell. It was perfectly fine all day
    >>> yesterday and then when I started it this morning, it went to the green
    >>> and
    >>> blue screen "Configuring Updates State 3 of 3 0% complete Do not turn
    >>> off
    >>> your computer" and then it restarts, only to return to that exact same
    >>> screen. After watching it do that at least six times I finally turned
    >>> it
    >>> off. It took me about 14 more tries to get to start in a "safe" or
    >>> "repair" mode which it is in now, still being "repaired." That was two
    >>> hours ago. When this happened last time it was at the exact same point
    >>> with the 3 of 3 screen. It seems that the only solution to this would
    >>> be
    >>> to turn off automatice updates and check for them and install them when
    >>> my
    >>> computer is not coming out of a cold start. Has anyone else had this
    >>> problem and does anyone have a better solution to avoid this than
    >>> turning
    >>> off automatice updates?
    >

      My System SpecsSystem Spec

  4. #4


    PA Bear [MS MVP] Guest

    Re: Windows update mess

    > I have spent the last 12 hours reinstalling everything on this

    > computer
    Did you reinstall Windows, too? Did you do a Repair Install (AKA an
    In-place Upgrade) or did you format & do a clean install?

    > I have had easier recoveries from a virus infestation
    You've had "a virus infestation"? How did you "recover" from it?

    Was the F-Secure suite installed when the computer got infested? Is it
    installed now and is your subscription current now?

    > Norton...was the first thing to go before I installed anything else. (this
    > time too)
    Had you ever run the Norton Removal Tool? Have you run the removal tool
    since you "reinstalled everything"?

    If you've just reinstalled Vista, KB955430 won't be installed.

    > KB949358 is dated October 2008.
    Well, it's primarily for computers running Vista (no Service Packs) and we
    didn't know if you were running Vista, Vista SP1, or Vista SP2. And even if
    Vista SP1 was installed, Method 3 might've been the fix for that
    "Configuring Updates State 3 of 3 0% complete" error anyway.

    > Anyway, at this point I am thoroughly sick of staring at this screen and
    > totally outraged at MS for dropping bombs like that one on my computer.
    I have a hunch that your "virus infestation" was the culprit, Annie, not the
    updates.


    Annie Woughman wrote:

    >> Are you currently running Vista, Vista SP1, or Vista SP2, Annie? If
    >> Vista
    >> SP1, did the computer come with Vista SP1 preinstalled?
    >
    > Since I have spent the last 12 hours reinstalling everything on this
    > computer, it took me a while to get back to this. I have had easier
    > recoveries from a virus infestation that this stinking update. So, it
    > looks
    > like I just have Vista, no SP's,--when I view the basic information about
    > my
    > computer--it simply says Vista Home Premium. I am just totally appalled
    > that MS would release something that had so much damage potential.
    > Basically that update rendered my computer worthless--it could not break
    > free of the "loop" it was thrown into once that update was downloaded. If
    > there are KB articles written about this particular problem, I know I am
    > not
    > alone. I consider myself fairly computer literate for an amature--I was
    > able to do a recovery and reinstall my system but I resent that it was
    > necessary. What about the poor newbies that end up having to take their
    > machines to a repair shop to get it fixed? The two articles that I
    > printed
    > out explaining this particular problem and the "fix" don't look anything
    > to
    > be attempted by greenies either. I haven't had time to study them--I've
    > been a little busy. At this point I have my machine set so it cannot
    > automatically download any updates without my OK.
    >

    >> What anti-virus application or security suite is installed and is your
    >> subscription current? What anti-spyware applications (other than
    >> Defender)? What third-party firewall (if any)?
    >
    > F-Secure anti-virus with a firewall plus a linksys wireless router
    >

    >> Has a(another) Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on this
    >> machine (e.g., a free-trial version that came preinstalled when you
    >> bought
    >> it)?
    >
    > Norton--it was the first thing to go before I installed anything else.
    > (this
    > time too)
    >

    >> Moving on...
    >>
    >> Description of the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 installation
    >> software feature update released April 28, 2009:
    >> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/955430
    >>
    >> Has KB955430 been installed yet?
    >
    > At this point I have no way of knowing if it was installed before, but it
    > isn't on there now.

    >>
    >> Have you tried Method 3 in http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949358?
    >
    > Haven't had the chance--I have the article printed out, but once my
    > computer
    > was "in the loop" it was a little late for that. Oh, and BTW, this
    > article
    > is dated October 2008. I have kept my computer updated religiously, why
    > haven't I run into this sooner? I did have a similar event a while back
    > with the same stall message, but it came out of it and finished the
    > update.
    >
    > Anyway, at this point I am thoroughly sick of staring at this screen and
    > totally outraged at MS for dropping bombs like that one on my computer.
    >

    >>> "Annie Woughman" <anniewoughman@xxxxxx> wrote:
    >>>> ...This is the
    >>>> second time in about two months that my Vista Home Premium 32 bit
    >>>> desktop
    >>>> computer has been stuck in Update hell. It was perfectly fine all day
    >>>> yesterday and then when I started it this morning, it went to the green
    >>>> and
    >>>> blue screen "Configuring Updates State 3 of 3 0% complete Do not turn
    >>>> off
    >>>> your computer" and then it restarts, only to return to that exact same
    >>>> screen. After watching it do that at least six times I finally turned
    >>>> it
    >>>> off. It took me about 14 more tries to get to start in a "safe" or
    >>>> "repair" mode which it is in now, still being "repaired." That was two
    >>>> hours ago. When this happened last time it was at the exact same point
    >>>> with the 3 of 3 screen. It seems that the only solution to this would
    >>>> be
    >>>> to turn off automatice updates and check for them and install them when
    >>>> my
    >>>> computer is not coming out of a cold start. Has anyone else had this
    >>>> problem and does anyone have a better solution to avoid this than
    >>>> turning
    >>>> off automatice updates?

      My System SpecsSystem Spec

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