Service Pack 2 Update Perpetual Loop!

Okay I have done just about everything... googled, binged, yahooed and alta vistaed all kinds of questions about updating vista's service pack 2, and I still cannot get past "service pack did not install reverting changes do not turn off" screen. -- Its like a microsoft created a self perpetuating virus... I cannot boot from a boot disk and recover to a prior date -- it has none listed on the computer because I did a clean install from a clean hard drive that I formatted.

About the only thing I can do is boot to an XP partition on the HDrive that I loaded for emergencies on a recovery D: area -- I CANNOT get into vista no matter what I do. Is there anyway I can go into the other OS delete these virus service packs and get it back to SP1? I would actually have to do it when I am in XP because I cannot get into VISTA at all... I had everything running smoothly and perfectly before this last try to update. I had it happen once, but after about an hour it got out of the loop. Far be it from me to TRY to do legitimate updates to Vista and get it to the next SP.

What the heck is going on! Microsoft has nothing to fix this? They have to be the only software package that eats itself from the inside out on regular updates? This has had to have been addressed before. I went through threads here and elsewhere and the answer is not simple or non existant. How can you just do regular updating and the computer just goes into a perpetual loop -- can anyone get me a straight answer on this...... as I said there has to be a way to manually delete whatever is making this computer hiccup forever.

Please point me to a fix or a delete method - I have never seen an OS destroy itself ever!

Since it is a fresh install and you have nothing to lose
reinstall it. Sorry but there is no other way to do it.
Also do the updates before you put your anti virus in.
I had trouble too.I just turned off my AV and it went
in with out a problem.

Hello and welcome to the Vista Forums!

The fix is quite difficult. It may just be easier to re-install. However, if you want, you can try this. It requires that you can boot to the Command Prompt on your Recovery CD.

What we are going to need to do is METHOD TWO here: How to use Package Manager to uninstall a package in Windows Vista

You will notice that you need to find the package name. I shall get this for you, but I need to know whether you are using 32 or 64bit Vista. Please can you look on your DVDs, your product code sticker etc. looking for one of these two numbers. 32 is very slightly more likely.

Then can you tell me, and I shall tell you the product name.

If really necessary, later, we can run this from the Command Prompt on your CD, pressing enter between each on.

cd windows\winsxs
ren pending.xml pending.old

Thanks!

Richard

Thanks so much for you quick replies... this is 32bit Vista BTW. I now have another Vista OS running on the Recovery Partition too so I can backend my way through that OS too from D Drive to C Drive (the culprit OS). The only real reason I hate to reinstall it on the big drive is that I just installed all my graphic arts programs and all my settings, office programs etc. and I would rather not reinstall it all over again... but then, if it is the only way then .. oh well..

Also I formerly tried to install SP2 once before and even though it did not take it eventually reverted to SP1... when I tried again, it went into the perpetual loop crap.

I also found all these big numbered folders in program files thru the other OS which I think are the updates for SP2 as I see they are not there on the other OS without the SP2.

Hope this isn't too confusing but I am willing to try the Command prompt fix at least bar not and saving the big reinstall.

Thanks again GT

Hi niemiro

I also as I said can get into a vista 32 os on a D: drive.. I am looking a packages that maybe I can delete thru navigation of the harddrives from one partition to another

Hello!

Sorry for the late reply! Been really busy!

Run this command from Command Prompt:
Please copy it very carefully! Press enter and let it run.

If this does not work, please come back here, otherwise we may have to delete the pending file.

Thanks!

Richard

Thanks again I went into the dos prompt thru the setup disk and put it in exactly and it still did the same looping thing... I was wondering when I am in the dos prompt, should I switch to the C: drive as this is where the loopy OS is and THEN punch in that code?
ie:
C:\ start /w pkgmgr /up:VistaSP2-KB948465~31bf3856ad364e35~x86~~6.0.0.18005

Reason being it starts out on line:: - X:\Sources>_

Looking more and more like I need to reload the OS on C drive instead and then reload all of the software again... why would this loop occur ? because I had a virus program running when I tried installing it? That's my guess after all this headache... thanks either way for taking your time to write back though.. GT

ps: looks like it ran it from x: not C: (no errors on x) but when I rebooted it still the same loop

Don't need to change to C:\. You may need to re-load. Last ditch attempt: Load into your other OS to access the broken OS partition. Go to C:\Windows\WinSxS\ and rename pending.xml to pending.xml.old.

Thanks, and good luck!

Richard

going to try that on last ditch effort as you said.

Also I noticed and I was going to try to get rid (delete) all the folders in the main C:drive with long alfanumeric names which only appeared after all the updating I did previously.
I figured I would try that since they are NOT on the fresh load of vista on the other drive so it seems logical they are the downloaded updates.

Lastly if I try to install sp2 again how do I avoid this -- should I make sure no virus program is on and also should I do it by downloading package manually and run .exe ?

Tried to rename it and it will not let me.... security I guess does not see me as admin somehow on other os

Last ditch attempt: Load into your other OS to access the broken OS partition. Go to C:\Windows\WinSxS\ and rename pending.xml to pending.xml.old.

Click to expand...

Holy Cow!! Richard (niemiro) --- the last ditch effort worked! Thanks! I renamed that file and it went into that screen but it came out of it to the normal desktop, after a long while... I was ready to give up on it too. BTW for this board, I had to boot into the setup disk's dos prompt again and use the (rename) command to do it .. I couldn't get security access from the other partition to rename it.

PS to get the SP2 or any other update packages on there now - should I uninstall and neutralize all the antivirus/spyware/maleware programs?

Give a quick hold on SP2. Really glad that the issue has been solved. Disabling antivirus software would be a good idea, but first I would like to run a few of my own (well, not made by me) to check out the condition of your Windows Updates before you install ANY updates. Let me compose my reply.

Download and run this tool: Description of the System Update Readiness Tool for Windows Vista, for Windows Server 2008, for Windows 7, and for Windows Server 2008 R2 When it has finished installing the update, it is done!

Please run the following tool in NORMAL mode: How do I reset Windows Update components?

Don't run it manually, that is just a waste of time. Normal mode will do what we need it to.

Now run this tool: Repair & Fix Windows Updates with Fix WU Utility | The Windows Club

This applied the same to Vista and 7. Do not worry that it says Vista: Please run steps 1, 2A, 3 (about 15 minutes), 4, 5 from this tutorial System Files - SFC Command Don't worry about the logs for the time being. I have a very good reason for not asking for them!

Right, this has produces a log of logs for me. Please now upload them. To do this, create a new folder on your Desktop called LOGS. Navigate to C:\Windows\Logs and copy the entire CBS folder into your new LOGS folder.

Close the LOGS folder, and right click on it > Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder. Upload that new zip file HERE. It should be small enough.

This will just give me a good idea of where there are corruptions on your computer which need to be fixed.

Thanks!

Richard

Richard I don't mind trying all these steps, but since this was an original clean install from Gateway Systems disk on a formatted HD, I cannot see how it has corrupted files etc on it. I directly downloaded for SP2 in a 350mb file from MS Download Ctr. but I have not installed it.. was going to without any programs backend running like antivirus or any other apps. So you think I should NOT do that right now???

When problem occurred last week, everything worked okay until I downloaded this file Update for Windows Vista (KB937287) and ran it ....
After that, when I tried to update to SP2 it went into the loop. I am sending all the specs to this Gateway model here too. Just some more info on this before I do what you sent to me on this last posting...

Thanks again
Gabe T.
--------------------------------------- computer info--------------
Model: Gateway MX8741 Notebook
Serial #: T2379O1008523

.....................
Hard Drives
120 GB 5400 RPM Serial ATA Hard Drive Assembly (CRU/EURP) [Part #2527893R] Support Docs
Keyboards
US Keyboard (CRU/EURP) [Part #8011381R] Support Docs
LCD Display Panel
17-inch Ultrabright WXGA L02 TFT Active Matrix Assembly (FRU) [Part #2527790R] Support Docs
Memory
512 MB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM Assembly (CRU/EURP) [Part #2523309R] Support Docs
Motherboard
UMA Motherboard w/943GML and 1394 (FRU) [Part #4006172R] Support Docs
Network
Integrated Realtek 802.11b/g Wireless Networking (CRU/EURP) [Part #6008038R] Support Docs
Optical Drives
8X Multi-Format Dual Layer DVDRW with DVD-RAM Assembly (CRU/EURP) [Part #2528125R] Support Docs
Processor
Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor T2130 (FRU) [Part #4506433R] Support Docs
Systems
Gateway MX8741 Notebook [Part #2905947R]

I don't know if SP2 is now partially installed or not. Disable all anti virus programs, and give it a whirl! Good luck, and fingers crossed!

Here is my take on this.. what do you think Richard... I will install the downloaded SP2 exe file and worst case I have to rename that file again thru the dos prompt.

gtruk9 said:

Here is my take on this.. what do you think Richard... I will install the downloaded SP2 exe file and worst case I have to rename that file again thru the dos prompt.

Click to expand...

Basically, yes. If SP2 fails to install again, then we can run the scan. It may even fail with an error code, but it cannot get any worse. Give it a shot

Richard
I tried installing the SP2 again and this was the error

SP2 failed error code E_FAIL(0x80004005)

Click to expand...

Do you think I should go and try what you had posted two of you posts ago?

Thanks in advance
I did look at the error code on other postingz for Vista -- pain in the butt that is for sure...microsoft cannot support their own product????? I guess they do not have enough money to keep their OS support current?

gtruk9 said:

Richard
I tried installing the SP2 again and this was the error

SP2 failed error code E_FAIL(0x80004005)

Click to expand...

Do you think I should go and try what you had posted two of you posts ago?

Thanks in advance
I did look at the error code on other postingz for Vista -- pain in the butt that is for sure...microsoft cannot support their own product????? I guess they do not have enough money to keep their OS support current?

Click to expand...

I have a feeling that it would come to this. Yes, run everything I previously asked for. The issue is that when we deleted pending.xml, we cancled the SP2 update, without a roll back, and so SP2 is now half installed.

If you want, you can re-install, but I think we should be able to solve this.