Vista - 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?

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

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

F-Secure anti-virus with a firewall plus a linksys wireless router
Norton--it was the first thing to go before I installed anything else. (this
time too)
At this point I have no way of knowing if it was installed before, but it
isn't on there now.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.

> I have spent the last 12 hours reinstalling everything on thisDid you reinstall Windows, too? Did you do a Repair Install (AKA an
In-place Upgrade) or did you format & do a clean install?
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?
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.
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.
I have a hunch that your "virus infestation" was the culprit, Annie, not the
updates.


Annie Woughman wrote: