I have been experiencing this problem as well. I've just tried the instructions posted by Dinesh above to no avail. I have no backup points.
I have also tried this advice from another site.
"
I have windows Vista Home Basic and have had the loop problem for 3 days. I found the answer to this problem on line today and am now responding to you from my notebook.
You need to delete the file. Do this by:
Turning system off. Turn on system and hit "shift 6" - launch repair.
Go to the "Command" prompt. Type in
C:\windows\winsxs - hit enter. Then type del pending.xml
Hope this works for you like it worked for me. "
"The Redmond company has failed to reveal when or if they plan to issue a resolve to alleviate the problems, and also to disclose the number of Vista users affected by the issue. Microsoft only managed to indicate that it is currently investigating the matter. An alternative to the System Restore approach, for the Vista users whose operating systems do not have any restore points, is to kill the updating process, then boot from the Vista media, select the “Repair your
computer” option, but instead of looking for Restore Points, start a
command prompt and delete, rename or move the “C:Windowswinsxspending.xml” file. When restarting the machine, although Vista will still hang on the
configuring updates screen, it will also permit access to the desktop. Eventually…" From
Configurating updates: stage 3 of 3 stuck in endless reboot loop | PC Tips
Windows Vista Recovery Disc Download — The NeoSmart Files
For the posters above who don't have a recover disk I came across this?? Not sure if it is of assitance. I do have a disk but it is unable to repair.
Any assistance anyone could offer would be SO much appreciated. So far nothing I have tried works.
