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Author Topic: Windows Updates has hosed my system... Help!  (Read 5681 times)

techidave

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Windows Updates has hosed my system... Help!
« on: August 11, 2012, 08:07 AM »
Yesterday my Win 7 Pro desktop was stuck in a "Installing 1 of 14 updates" for hours... like 8 hours.  I (grudgingly) powered it down thinking it was stuck.  And now when powering up it is stuck at "loading desktop".

Is there a fix without reloading windows?

mouser

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Re: Windows Updates has hosed my system... Help!
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2012, 08:12 AM »
i don't know the solution, but most likely yes, so don't panic.  im sure you're not the only person to suffer this.

TaoPhoenix

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Re: Windows Updates has hosed my system... Help!
« Reply #2 on: August 11, 2012, 08:13 AM »
Can you get into Safe Mode and maybe try something like System Restore?

techidave

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Re: Windows Updates has hosed my system... Help!
« Reply #3 on: August 11, 2012, 08:19 AM »
system restore is turned off.  I have not tried safe mode yet.  I just wondered what my options were.

Josh

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Re: Windows Updates has hosed my system... Help!
« Reply #4 on: August 11, 2012, 09:28 AM »
Boot into safe mode with command prompt and run sfc /scannow

techidave

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Re: Windows Updates has hosed my system... Help!
« Reply #5 on: August 11, 2012, 10:11 AM »
Well things are looking up.  After a good ol' fashion shutdown and turn back on, things are finally working. 

Guess I panicked too soon.

thanks for the help!

wraith808

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Re: Windows Updates has hosed my system... Help!
« Reply #6 on: August 11, 2012, 11:13 AM »
You might want to turn on system restore, also.  That has saved me more times than I can count.

cyberdiva

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Re: Windows Updates has hosed my system... Help!
« Reply #7 on: August 12, 2012, 04:09 PM »
You might want to turn on system restore, also.  That has saved me more times than I can count.

+1  :Thmbsup:

Carol Haynes

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Re: Windows Updates has hosed my system... Help!
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2012, 04:42 PM »
+2  :Thmbsup:

Actually I have come across this issue a number of times and booting into safe mode and then restarting often seems to reset something. Failing that System Restore can be a really good fall back.

Unless you make daily image backups turning off SR is asking for trouble!

Stoic Joker

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Re: Windows Updates has hosed my system... Help!
« Reply #9 on: August 13, 2012, 06:43 AM »
Short of a full-on System Restore being that there was not a successful logon, Last Know Good Configuration is/would be the quickest option.

Carol Haynes

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Re: Windows Updates has hosed my system... Help!
« Reply #10 on: August 13, 2012, 07:11 AM »
I don't think LKGC works if System Restore is switched off - might be wrong but I thought it was tied to SR ?

40hz

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Re: Windows Updates has hosed my system... Help!
« Reply #11 on: August 13, 2012, 07:48 AM »
AFAIK the saved data that LKGC uses is dynamically updated after each successful boot regardless of whether SR is enabled or not. The problem it has for general systems problem solving is it only has a limited timeframe where the 'last known' might still be useful. Because once you get to a desktop (even a screwed up desktop) that becomes your current last known 'good' config.

SR was created to get around this problem since SR tracks key registry data plus a whole lot more, making for a higher chance of getting a good outcome.

So for dealing with an unsuccessful bootup that's keeping you from getting to the desktop LKGC works pretty well. I've had about an 80% success rate with it for that. But if you do get to the desktop, and hang once you're there, your only options are to either do a safe boot and try to fix whatever the problem is, or do an SR if you're really stumped.

-----

Note: I don't know if it's true or not, but I was told that immediately rebooting and seeing a problem go away following a system update isn't unusual. That trick works for a JOOTT situation whenever a system update didn't completely or successfully install. Supposedly there's a built-in mechanism for checking, and if Windows detects an update didn't complete, it will rerun the update prior to fully booting up and: "problem solved."

Makes sense if it really is so.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2012, 07:57 AM by 40hz »

Stoic Joker

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Re: Windows Updates has hosed my system... Help!
« Reply #12 on: August 13, 2012, 09:27 AM »
AFAIK the saved data that LKGC uses is dynamically updated after each successful boot regardless of whether SR is enabled or not.
Correct, the Clone Control Set is automatically generated regardless of SR's config. That's why the registry has 3 copies of the Current Control Set.

The problem it has for general systems problem solving is it only has a limited timeframe where the 'last known' might still be useful. Because once you get to a desktop (even a screwed up desktop) that becomes your current last known 'good' config.

True the LKGC is updated by/to the CCS during login, but I don't think immediately after the login is accepted ... As I have gotten away with it a time or two when the login was freezing quickly. Granted those could have been flukes.

40hz

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Re: Windows Updates has hosed my system... Help!
« Reply #13 on: August 13, 2012, 09:57 AM »
^Agree. It's definitely not when wGINA or the newer WinCP passes the user credentials. There's a slight lag in there somewhere. I think WE has to be fully active and the desktop at least partly loaded before the control set gets updated. You do get the occasional break that way.
 8) :Thmbsup: