Boot stuck on updating 35%

[doveman007]

I just enlarged my brother's Windows 7 C: partition on his SSD as it was very low on space. Before that I'd tried Disk Cleanup and it reported that there was 12.9GB of Windows Updates files even though there was only 242MB of files in SoftwareDistribution.

I did check for updates but didn't install any before rebooting. Now every time he tries to boot it gets stuck on Updating at 35%. Even if he selects Safe Mode with Command Prompt it does this and doesn't get to the Command Prompt. I'm helping him via TeamViewer as I don't live close to him.

Luckily I'd set his PC up with a multi-boot grub4dos menu and he has a emergency Windows 7 install on HDD and also an option to boot from the Windows 7 SP1 ISO. I booted into the emergency Windows 7 install, went to G: (that being the Windows 7 SSD partition) and in Windows\WinSxS I deleted the .xml files.

I also ran "sfc /scannow /offbootdir=G:\ /offwindir=G:\windows" and that reported "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations. "

I also deleted the SoftwareDistribution folder but somehow it still gets stuck on Updating 35% even though I've deleted any update files!

LastKnownConfiguration doesn't boot and he doesn't have a System Restore point to restore to (he didn't have space on the C: partition before to create one).

I can boot the Win7 SP1 ISO but I'm not sure what I can do from there. I certainly don't want to do Startup Repair as that will overwrite the grub4dos menu and lock him out completely but I don't think it's a problem with the boot files anyway, it's the update process that's messed up.

I've attached his CBS.log from after doing all that and trying to boot in case that shows anything useful but please let me know if I need to upload anything else.

I read that disabling the Windows Module Installer service might help but I don't know how I can do that when I can't boot into Windows.

I'd be grateful if someone could help me as my brother's quite dependent on his PC.

 

[Snick]

Hi doveman007,
"I'd be grateful if someone could help me as my brother's quite dependent on his PC. "
Stuck on what update please?
Dependent, usually requires precautions, such as external backups!
How long stuck at 35%, minutes? hours? over night?

 

[iko22]

I just enlarged my brother's Windows 7 C: partition on his SSD as it was very low on space. Before that I'd tried Disk Cleanup and it reported that there was 12.9GB of Windows Updates files even though there was only 242MB of files in SoftwareDistribution.

I did check for updates but didn't install any before rebooting. Now every time he tries to boot it gets stuck on Updating at 35%. Even if he selects Safe Mode with Command Prompt it does this and doesn't get to the Command Prompt. I'm helping him via TeamViewer as I don't live close to him.

Luckily I'd set his PC up with a multi-boot grub4dos menu and he has a emergency Windows 7 install on HDD and also an option to boot from the Windows 7 SP1 ISO. I booted into the emergency Windows 7 install, went to G: (that being the Windows 7 SSD partition) and in Windows\WinSxS I deleted the .xml files.

I also ran "sfc /scannow /offbootdir=G:\ /offwindir=G:\windows" and that reported "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations. "

I also deleted the SoftwareDistribution folder but somehow it still gets stuck on Updating 35% even though I've deleted any update files!

LastKnownConfiguration doesn't boot and he doesn't have a System Restore point to restore to (he didn't have space on the C: partition before to create one).

I can boot the Win7 SP1 ISO but I'm not sure what I can do from there. I certainly don't want to do Startup Repair as that will overwrite the grub4dos menu and lock him out completely but I don't think it's a problem with the boot files anyway, it's the update process that's messed up.

I've attached his CBS.log from after doing all that and trying to boot in case that shows anything useful but please let me know if I need to upload anything else.

I read that disabling the Windows Module Installer service might help but I don't know how I can do that when I can't boot into Windows.

I'd be grateful if someone could help me as my brother's quite dependent on his PC.

Since you have already deleted so much, you may as well rename this folder and execute this command:
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old

 

[doveman007]

Hi doveman007,
"I'd be grateful if someone could help me as my brother's quite dependent on his PC. "
Stuck on what update please?
Dependent, usually requires precautions, such as external backups!
How long stuck at 35%, minutes? hours? over night?

I don't think it says which update on the boot screen, it just says something like "Updating, please wait, 35%" but I'll check this with my brother when he gets home from work later.

I got him to leave it running overnight but unfortunately his electricity ran out (he's on a pre-pay meter) before he got up this morning so he doesn't know if it progress past 35% overnight but after topping up his meter and booting his PC it's still stuck at 35%, so it seems unlikely.

He's not very technically-minded so I have to help him do system backups remotely via TeamViewer but I've been very busy this year so the last TrueImage I made for him may be at least a year old. It's probably not the end of the world if I have to resort to restoring that, as his data is on a separate partition but I'd rather avoid doing that if possible as it will mean he'll have to spend hours updating software.

 

[doveman007]

Since you have already deleted so much, you may as well rename this folder and execute this command:
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old

Thanks. I can get him to boot into the spare Win7 install, which has TeamViewer installed, and then delete that folder on the G: partition, which is the problematic one.

I also found this suggestion on answers.microsoft.com. Do you think I should try that as well, loading the hive from G:?

Type regedit, and then press ENTER.

Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

On the File menu, click Load Hive.

Locate the following folder:

C:\windows\system32\config\components

When you are prompted for a name, type Offline_Components.

In Registry Editor, locate and then delete the following registry
subkey:

HLKM\Offline Components\AdvancedInstallersNeedResolving

HKLM\Offline Components\PendingXmlIdentifier

Exit Registry Editor:

At the command prompt, type exit to exit Registry Editor.

Press ENTER.

Restart System

I could also disable the Windows Module Installer (TrustedInstaller.exe) service for the system on G: by loading the Hive into regedit. Should I try that too?

 

[SIW2]

12.9GB of Windows Updates files even though there was only 242MB of files in SoftwareDistribution.

It is attempting to clean the winsxs store, not just the software dist folder.



The first thing to try : HERE

 

[doveman007]

It is attempting to clean the winsxs store, not just the software dist folder.



The first thing to try : HERE

Does that DISM command work for Windows 7, as I've seen it mentioned in some tips that cover Windows 7 and Windows 8 but the DISM command was only mentioned in the Windows 8 part?

 

[SIW2]

doveman007

Why do you think I suggested it?

Getting out of a no boot situation after installing updates on Windows 7-2008R2 – The Windows Servicing Guy

 

[doveman007]

doveman007

Why do you think I suggested it?

Getting out of a no boot situation after installing updates on Windows 7-2008R2 – The Windows Servicing Guy

I was just checking because of what I'd read, including that post by iko22 on that thread.

Anyway, it appears to have fixed itself somehow now. My brother left his PC running whilst he went to work and he says it had got through the update and was working OK when he got home.

I'll check what the Disk Cleanup is showing now for the Windows Update files when I have a chance and if that still looks screwy I'll run the DISM command you suggested to hopefully clear that up. Then I'll make a System Image for him.

I really need to update him to Windows 10 some time but I daren't risk trying to talk him through that over the phone in case he ends up unable to boot into anything.

 

[Snick]

@doveman007

Why do you think I suggested it?

Getting out of a no boot situation after installing updates on Windows 7-2008R2 – The Windows Servicing Guy

???? :banghead:

 

[doveman007]

Looks like he's screwed it up again already! He's messaged me to say he got fed up with the Windows Update popup so he let it update and now it won't reboot again. I'll speak to him tomorrow to find out exactly what it's saying.

 

[doveman007]

OK, it seems his bootmgr had got corrupted somehow but I've fixed that now and he's able to boot into his normal Windows again. It said it was doing some updates and rebooted three times and then it said there was an error and it was reverting the updates and then it booted to the Desktop fine.

He had 51 updates available but I've disabled updates for now until I can make sure they're going to work OK. The last two at the top of the history were security roundups for December which both failed.

Are there any logs I can post to shed light on the update problems or will I just have to do the updates one at a time?

I zipped up his CBS.log but it's about 400MB (17MB zipped) and I've got his DISM.log, DeepClean.log and filterlist.log but they don't have any entries for today.