I've constantly had about 40 updates listed in Windows Update to install. Wether I try to install it while I'm in Vista or doing it while shutting down the process seems to go correctly although it takes a while. Then the machine boots back up and tells me the updates didn't install correctly and it reverts back to the pre-update status (after "repairing" for an hour.)
Try only installing a few at a time to see if they will install like this. Hopefully you will narrow it down to exactly which one(s) will not install. After all of the others have been installed, see if you can right click on the bad one and click Details. See if you can download the stand alone installation version of the update from the link. See if that will install instead.
If not post back with the name and KB number of the Windows Update that will not install.
I stayed up all night and at first started to install one update at a time, then two, then three and it started to work. I also noticed that sometimes if I installed 10 updates after a reboot 3 new ones would appear (just making up the numbers) as if certain updates would not appear before other ones were installed. Right now I only have one update left to install which is some kind of patch for IE7. I'll see how that one goes tonight. Thanks for your help.
Your welcome mjolnier. I'm glad to hear that they are installing for you now. Sometimes installing alot of them at one time causes them to interfere with each other.