entre Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 This is going to be hard to explain. I normally don't allow Windows to Update because it screws up my computer. But today I updated anyway (for a good reason, which I won't take the time to explain). After the update was complete, I uninstalled some software and it prompted me to restart, so I did. But after about 10 minutes it still said "Shutting Down", so I got exasperated and turned it off manually. I waited 15 seconds and turned it back on. Then, for some reason, it started saying "Configuring Updates" again, even though the update was previously completed. Now it seems to be in some kind of endless loop. It configures updates, says it's shutting down, shuts down, restarts, and then configures updates again. It has done this about 7 times, and it appears that it intends to keep going indefinitely. I do not have a good old-fashioned recovery disk, since the computer for some reason lists the D drive as the recovery disk, and I'd have no way of getting to that. Is there anything I can do? My son's astronomy lab is on this computer and he's going to kill me. :cry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0_0 Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I updated anyway (for a good reason, which I won't take the time to explain). Some information is unimportant and only makes reading a post take longer - on the other hand, details make a big difference in solving a problem... What update did you install, and is putting your system in an endless loop? What piece of software did you remove? Can you boot into safe mode and either remove or edit the update's ability to configure itself? Btw, this reason you don't want to mention, you may have had an existing problem, made worse by this update??? Also, even if an update doesn't force a reboot, it's a good habit to reboot anyway, especially if you have plans to make other significant changes to a system - applying another update, removing software etc. Some updates can chain together before a reboot but when done - reboot - then make additional changes. Maybe you did things this way, just a bit of FYI. Sometimes a system will hang when trying to finish with the registry, before a reboot, maybe at the 'saving' or 'shutting down' phase - I usually hit the (reset) button. That recovery partition may be a hidden one, without the disks it is difficult to restore though. Is your system an OEM - Dell, HP...? Anyway, mostly speculation without more info - IMO :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
entre Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 Thanks for answering. i actually didn't pay attention to what updates I installed. I know that sounds dumb, but I figured I wouldn't know what they were anyway, so I just clicked to install all the recommended updates. I think there were 11 of them. I hadn't allowed an update in a few months. The software I uninstalled (with the intention of reinstalling it) was Honestech VHS to DVD Plus - which goes with their video capture device. I had made the device work on another computer by updating windows, so I thought that might work on this one. I'd previously used the device on this computer without a problem, but this time I was getting a "No Device Connected" message (which may have actually been a hardware problem). I did get briefly into Safe Mode, but then it just started its "Configuring Updates" thing again. I was aware of no pre-existing problems - except for consistent minor problems with Windows Updates, which seem to happen on all my computer. It always seems like one program or another will stop working after every update. The system is a Dell. I hope I've answered everything you wanted to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Tarun Posted March 7, 2011 Administrator Share Posted March 7, 2011 See if you can do a System Restore to before the updates were installed. After that, try and install the updates again but this time allow them to finish applying. I have seen some cases where it can take over 5 minutes for updates to apply before the reboot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
entre Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 I can get into the BIOS and the D partition. Is there anything I could do in either of those places? I don't seem to be able to get past the shutting down, so I can do a System Restore. Just to clarify, I can't get into Windows at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
entre Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 I found a link to a forum where someone was describing this exact same problem with vista back in 2008. Someone mentioned a button on the hard drive which can restore to factory settings. Do all computers have that? At this point I know I can't save the files, but I'm hoping I can save the computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Tarun Posted March 7, 2011 Administrator Share Posted March 7, 2011 Going back to Factory settings is a last resort, just like formatting. Attempt to boot the computer by pressing F8 to enter Safe Mode. On the Safe Mode menu there should be an option to go to Last Known Good Configuration. This wiki article can help you get to this menu, and even in to Safe Mode. This screenshot should help, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
entre Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 Thanks for the instructions and screenshot. Now I see that I need to correct myself on something I said earlier. I can NOT get into Safe Mode. What I meant was that I could get into Advanced Boot Options, as pictured in your screenshot. I tried the Restore option (which I didn't even know existed!) but it still tried to install the Update and went back into the loop. I don't think it will ever let me into Windows without installing that Update. Is there anything else I can try? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
entre Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 I got to talk to someone from Microsoft (on a free ticket, since the problem was the fault of the Update). He got me to a screen which looked exactly like the one above, but it had a Repair option. Any ideas what that screen could have been? I forgot to notice the title of the screen, and I don't recollect how we got there. In any case, after clicking on Repair, we had to go to a dos screen and use regedit. Then we went to a Pending folder, and wiped out the pending update. And now it seems to be fine. Whew! For someone without computer knowledge, it was rather confusing, and I doubt I could ever duplicate the process again. I know it's not advisable, but I think I'm going to turn off Updates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Tarun Posted March 9, 2011 Administrator Share Posted March 9, 2011 I wouldn't turn updates off. In fact, you should really play it safe and make sure your system is up-to-date. It may be worthwhile to backup all data you wish to keep and format the machine, reinstalling the OS and then updating right after it's reinstalled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capman Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I wouldn't turn updates off. In fact, you should really play it safe and make sure your system is up-to-date. I second that, without a doubt. Trust me entre (as an old friend, I wouldn't let you down ), you seriously do need to keep your computer up to date. Not just Windows but all the other software on it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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