“Configuring Updates Stage 3 of 3 0%” Vista forever loop cure

[papau]

“Configuring Updates Stage 3 of 3 0%”

Use your OS disk to access the Vista repair tools.

Even for those without an OS disc, Vista has repair tools built in.

To access them, boot the computer, but when you see the “Microsoft (C)” with the moving lines, hold the power button until it shuts down.

Now windows thinks it didn’t boot properly, and when you turn it back on, you should get the option to run Windows Startup Repair.

Choose this. When it loads, cancel the scan it starts (it won’t find anything anyway), and choose the text on the bottom that says something like “Show advanced repair options.” which should get you to a command prompt option. (Some folks are saying that it asked for the user, and they changed from the Administrator to their user account in order to get access to a few more tools, including a command prompt where you can run fixes).

You can also get to a command prompt via holding down, or repeatedly clicking, F8 as the computer begins its reboot. - select safe with command line.

note that this may take a few runs through the reboot F8 routine as my initial runs still ended up with the forever loop. Which is why the OS disk route - if your machine came with or you later bought such a disk - is preferred. If you are lucky ebough to have a restore point established, that option appears to work on a little less than half the machines I've run into.


Once you have the command prompt the need is to remove a file “pending.xml” that is causing the forever loop

Instead of deleting the “pending.xml” files from the c:\windows\winsxs folder I renamed it, so that it can be put back later if needed.

This seemed to do the trick for me. But if it still hangs on "Stage 3 at 0%" with reboot and hang again forever cycle continuing, just do a repeat of the F8, and select safe mode w/networking. Stage 3 may well continue and finish normally (it didn't for me) but in any case after the second "safe" reboot a boot to normal windows was possible for the folks I was helping.

Any lawyers looking for names for the class action lawsuit against Microsoft can contact me for a few. This was an "automatic update (the default choice when Vista is installed) process" - so no one did anything to mitigate MS's liability - there was no download of beta, or RC1, software initiated by the owners of these machines. Norton/avg anti virus may - or may not - be a factor as MS is indicating the Vista SP1 (which is what MS shoved out the door) "breaks" a few non-MS programs despite MS giving them a Vista certification.

[Systematic Chaos]

1. Does this circus come complete with some clowns

candy apples and a ferris wheel?

Nope, that settles it. No Vista for moi!!

[lapfog_1]

4. No, but it DOES come with ring toss... only all the rings are smaller than the bottles! - n/t

[babylonsister]

5. Until your 'puter dies. Happened yesterday to my husband,

he went and bought a new one today. NO XP anywhere, except a few laptops. He bought one w/Vista even though he didn't want to. But so far, so good.

[papau]

7. turnoff automatic update so that his machine will continue to run is the message after this mess

[babylonsister]

8. Heh. I have no idea what you wrote

in your OP; it's all Greek to me! But I am sending this thread to DH and hope he can understand it. Thanks!

[Dark]

2. SOOOOO glad I'm on a mac

I'm no fan boy, but it is nice. I haven't dealt with any problems with mine like that.

[papau]

6. I help with many OS's and own Ubuntu/Vista/XP/Macbook machines - the Vista is mainframe OS poorly

written bloatware and not ready for release.

I have not been this mad since release G of the IBM 360 OS Fortran stopped being able to add and all I could get out of IBM was that it was a known error and Gee - it only affected the double precision (16 or more digit) numbers - and they had the fix but were only releasing it as requested (this was summer 1965).

[lapfog_1]

3. FSM - In the name of all that is pasta - I beseech thee to save us all from M$ - n/t

[mdmc]

9. I just got a product red super hot pc

it always wants to check for updates. I just got it!

[icymist]

10. This crap happened to me a few days ago and I lost all my files!

It happened when I restored the computer, but it restored it to the original factory condition! I'm pissed! I lost some original artwork. Do you know any way to get those files back?

So Microsoft did this, huh?!? One other question... how do we turn those goddamn automatic updates off? I see that my machine already has updates to load when I shut this off, so I've just been sending it to 'sleep'.

[0rganism]

12. You may still have the data, but it won't be visible to the new OS

If you haven't done much with your disk since then, your files may be recoverable through various means. You can try using some of the data recovery software yourself (google "partition recovery tools") or get a pro who handles these problems regularly to do it for you.

Until then, try to keep that disk offline as much as possible to avoid overwrites. Do plan a backup policy for your personal data. Many people think you need to backup your OS, that's usually just BS. You can reinstall an OS anytime. (Save out the registry periodically if you install lots of software, though.) What really needs to get backed up are things YOU care about.

Good luck.

[0rganism]

11. and people say Linux is complicated...

:D

I think someone fairly high up in Microsoft, perhaps someone with sign-off authority on software patch releases, is a closet open-source supporter with a gift for sabotage.