Vista - Vista configures update and gets ntoskrnl.exe error

I currently run Vista Home Premium 32 bit on my Dell Inspiron 530s and in the past 2-3 weeks Windows auto updater keeps telling me I have important updates needing to be installed. I run the install and when my computer starts up it goes right to configuring updates and tries to boot. I get a window that pops up and says that my computer failed to boot and it will now try to repair the problem. It repairs for a few minutes and then gives me the option to boot up. I checked the diagnostic report from the repair and it gives me "error 0xa" and "Boot Critical C:\ntoskrnl.exe is corrupt" message as the only failed test result. Around this time I had updated my iTunes program as well and now whenever the computer boots up after the failed updates, my iTunes won't work and gives me an error as well but is fine if I reinstall it. My McAfee does the same thing. It starts giving me a "not protected" message as well and works fine after updating it as well. I am not sure what is causing the updates to fail and I have tried to use a link to manually download the update and run it but it did the same thing. It's just getting irritating because if I choose to ignore the update available message, sometimes it updates it anyway by itself and cuts me off in the middle of projects I am working on if I don't notice the message right away. Please help I just want my computer to stop updating me with an update that won't work or I just want the update to work. Thanks in advance

Hi Asryal,

Have you used a boot-theme editing program and have you also tried using the builtin system-resore feature to resote back before the error started?

Steven

I honestly have no idea what would be a boot-theme editing program. I can't recall adding any program in that time or doing anything out of the ordinary computer usage before then. It was fine up until the computer decided to install and configure the updates on its own one day and then I was in a panic and tried to manually force the computer off. As soon as I turned it on, it was still went right to configure the update and it hasn't stopped trying since. I wasn't sure how to go about using the system restore option because I was frankly worried about losing some data I might have saved since the problem began.

Hi, Asryal, and welcome to the forums.

You can also run Windows Update *manually* and see which updates are pending - it might be a driver update that is not getting installed correctly, or that is trying to revert a more current driver that you have installed to a previous older version, or something else....

Hi, thanks for all the help. So far I've turned off the automatic updates and I checked the updates that are listed and it's Security update (KB950582), update for Windows Vista (KB955020), and Windows Malicious Software Removal tool July 2008(KB890830). I tried to do each one separately but everytime the computer restarts, it's the same. It fails to boot up and goes to startup repair with the same corrupt message for ntoskrnl.exe. Same with any updates from other software programs like Apple iTunes. Anytime the system tries to reboot after updates, it fails to boot up and goes to repair mode. I tried to use the system's restore function and the earliest restore isn't far back enough so I don't know how to restore it to any point before my updates started failing other than a full reformatting.

Thats the reason why it says "Do Not Turn Computer Off" While configuring updates, just let it do its job next time

Try Repair Install For Vista
This will allow you to repair your Vista installation and keep all of your personal user account files, settings, and programs. You will be performing a Upgrade Install from within your currently running Vista.

Steven