Windows Update error, stuck on restart loop.

Steve The Dane · 14 Nov 2013

Greetings Seven Forums crew,

I am having an issue with the Windows 7 Update Service. After installing the latest Microsoft Updates (November 2013), I am now stuck in a "restart your computer to finish installing important updates" message. No matter how many times I restart & check for updates, it keeps giving the same message even though the Update History tells me the updates were all successfully installed. When I restart, the "configuring your computer" message displays briefly with no percentage meter, before shutting down.

Before posting here, I had followed your Windows Update Posting Instructions to no avail.

1.SURT ran fine, installed a hotfix but returned to the same update restart loop message.

2.The sfc scan wouldn't run & gave the error message "There is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete. Restart Windows and run sfc again". Restarting only returned the same error message.

3. I had no update error codes displayed on the requested screen as they were deemed successful but here is an error code from the Windows Update Log-
Handler FATAL: UH: 0x80070bc9: EvaluateApplicability failed in CCbs::EvaluateApplicability
2013-11-15 03:48:22:308 532 d80 Agent WARNING: Failed to evaluate Installed rule, updateId = {5E6A375D-B4CF-4CB3-A8B6-FD35C637F90E}.200, hr

4. Please find the requested CBS log zip attached.

NoelDP · 14 Nov 2013

Please follow the Windows Update Posting Instructions and post the requested data

Steve The Dane · 15 Nov 2013

Noel,

I believe I did follow the Windows Update Posting Instructions steps as I have listed them in my post, numbers 1-4.
Ran SURT, ran SFC unsuccessfully, found the update error code - 0x80070bc9 & attached the CBS logs.

NoelDP · 15 Nov 2013

There is no CheckSUR data in the posted logs.
The CBS data contains no SFC data at all - either you ran it too long ago, or it never started properly.

Please follow the instructions closely and try again.

Steve The Dane · 15 Nov 2013

I understand what your saying here but read my post closely.

2.The sfc scan wouldn't run & gave the error message "There is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete. Restart Windows and run sfc again". Restarting only returned the same error message.

I can not get the sfc scan to run unfortunately. I tried the startup repair tool from the System Recovery Options menu 1st which returned with no errors found message then I tried to do the Offline System Integrity Verification with the elevated command- sfc /SCANNOW /OFFBOOTDIR=c:\ /OFFWINDIR=d:\Windows which only gave me the error message- Windows Resource Protection could not start the Repair service.

So it really has me beat how to post the relevant data you requested.

NoelDP · 15 Nov 2013

Yet you say that the CheckSUR ran OK?? - it should either have errored out, or have left the CheckSUR.logs behind.

OK - let's take another look at the CBS data...

Code:

2013-11-15 03:11:22, Info                  CSI    00000008 Pending transaction content must be resolved, cannot begin another transaction yet
2013-11-15 03:11:22, Info                  CBS    Failed to get transaction analysis because of pending operations. Disposition from Analyze: 0x1 [HRESULT = 0x80070bc9 - ERROR_FAIL_REBOOT_REQUIRED]
2013-11-15 03:11:22, Info                  CBS    Failed to get inventory. [HRESULT = 0x80070bc9 - ERROR_FAIL_REBOOT_REQUIRED]

is the operative error message here...

I suspect that the pending.xml file is stuck :(

1). Open an elevated command prompt
2). At the command prompt type the following commands:

takeown /f C:\Windows\winsxs\pending.xml
ICACLS C:\Windows\winsxs\pending.xml /grant Administrators:(F)
REN C:\Windows\winsxs\pending.xml C:\Windows\winsxs\pending.xml.old

close the window, and reboot
now try running SFC again.

Steve The Dane · 15 Nov 2013

Thanks for the prompt reply Noel.

The SUR did run successfully, it seemed to hang at around 70% then after 30 minutes it completed so beats me.

It is correct that you can move the pending.xml file elsewhere to rectify this issue?

I'll do as you requested & reply asap.

NoelDP · 15 Nov 2013

What we're doing in this renames the file so that it's out of the way - it's not really recommended, as it can create a lot of problems.

Once you;ve rebooted, please post the C:\Windows\winsxs\pending.xml.old
file to your reply so I can see what's in it.

Steve The Dane · 15 Nov 2013

Ok Noel,

The command ran successfully & I rebooted to run the sfc scan again but it still returns the same error - There is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete. Restart Windows and run sfc again.

Apparently there is no C:\Windows\winsxs\pending.xml.old only C:\Windows\winsxs\pending.xml, poqexec.log & reboot.xml

Damn this!

NoelDP · 15 Nov 2013

Copy the pending.xml file to the desktop, then upload the copy

Are you sure the rename command completed successfully?