Unknown Problem

No problems experienced here on 3 computers with the latest .NET Framework updates.

* What is your current Security set up?

* Can you do a System Restore to a point PRIOR to the current problem

* Have you checked in Event Viewer / Windows / Application for anything RED relating to the "glitch" you have?

HammerHead said:

Has any one had problems after installing these two updates. I have got a bug somewhere I am trying to hunt down. Some times the rig fails to start Win and I have to put in a restore point or reload an image. Once I get it running there will be a couple of programs that download such as Intellipoint or NIS 2012. Right now I am holding off on installing them till I find what the problem is.
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.1 X64-based (KB2656356)
Microsoft .Net Framework 4 X64-based (KB2656351)

Hello!

Thank you for your report. I like to keep track of which updates people experience problems with. I haven't yet seen a mass of problems with these updates yet, as I sometimes do with bad updates, although it is still too soon to really know yet. I shall bear your report in mind, and see if anybody else reports similar problems.

I do not know exactly what is wrong with your machine. Maybe your .net Framework is corrupt? We could also try clean installing .net Framework 4, and run the System Update Readiness Tool...

Also, have you tried installing them individually? Is one particular update causing a problem? Or maybe they are both conflicting in some odd way? Or maybe it is just fluky or completely un-related, and if you re-install them separately, all will be fine?

One last point? Have you ever deleted pending.xml? I must stress that this is incredibly dangerous, and NEVER to attempt this. People (including me) used to recommend this, and it was a good fix. However, further information has come to light in the time since then, and all uses if this fix must be discontinued immediately. It leaves the store in an unknown state.

Richard

HammerHead said:

I have reinstalled the two updates. No problems this morning.

Quote "One last point? Have you ever deleted pending.xml?" I can't answer that because I don't know what Pending.xml is. Maybe you could enlighten me.

At the present time I am leaning towards the aforementioned OC. It worked for a year with no problems. But the componets in this system could be changing. I have already begun slowing it down.

I want to thank you for your input. Some discussion always helps.

Hello again!

I am glad that the updates are now installed without problem. I must now admit that I honestly have no idea what happened to your computer. I suspect that it isn't a Windows Update problem, and a little out of my comfort zone.

As for the pending.xml, it is a file sometimes stored at C:\Windows\winsxs\pending.xml. When your computer needs to finish updating over a restart, every action to be performed is stored in that file, and every line successfully completed is removed from that file. Every failed line is copied into C:\Windows\winsxs\pending.xml.bad. If something goes wrong, roll back commences from the point that that file begins.

This usually works fine. However, if a computer gets stuck in a loop when something goes wrong, and "Failed to configure. Reverting", stuck on that black screen with white writing, etc. etc.

Well, people soon discovered that deleting pending.xml fixed the computer. All this configuring updates rubbish was completely bypassed.

This concerned me, but I soon saw that it always worked, Windows Update often worked perfectly well afterwards, etc. etc., and a CheckSUR.log fix/Repair Install fixed all. Looking at this, I assumed that since the computers always seemed fine - always - with only the minimal damage which probably caused the problem in the first place, and Windows Update recognised the failed attempt that a roll back occured at some point - probably around the Servicing Stack initialisation.

However, Microsoft have now said that without that file, a roll back is NOT initiated, and the machine is left if an unknown state. Microsoft suggest System Restore, and manual and semi-manual roll backs, but not deleting the file.

See here: Why you don

I follow this advice, however, I will admit that as a fix it seemed to work alright, but I guess I never truly knew how bad each computer was or wasn't.

Richard