"Preparing To Configure Windows. Please Do Not Turn Off Your Computer"

Anonymous
2009-12-03T01:02:16+00:00

Hi. I just got my new laptop yesterday with Windows 7 Home Premium. When I left for school this morning, I shut down my computer and saw that it had 22 Windows Updates to download. When I turned it back on this afternoon, it was stuck at a screen that said "Preparing To Configure Windows. Please Do Not Turn Off Your Computer." I decided to wait but it stayed the same for as long as I waited. Finally, I powered it off by holding on the power button, and just normally booted the system. Will there be any damage done to my new laptop? Is there any way I can prevent this update glitch from happening again? Thanks.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

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Anonymous
2010-04-23T05:50:01+00:00

Hi. I just got my new laptop yesterday with Windows 7 Home Premium. When I left for school this morning, I shut down my computer and saw that it had 22 Windows Updates to download. When I turned it back on this afternoon, it was stuck at a screen that said "Preparing To Configure Windows. Please Do Not Turn Off Your Computer." I decided to wait but it stayed the same for as long as I waited. Finally, I powered it off by holding on the power button, and just normally booted the system. Will there be any damage done to my new laptop? Is there any way I can prevent this update glitch from happening again? Thanks.

I just bought a Toshiba Laptop for a Client with windows 7 home,

As a favour for my clients I usually run windows update for them so they get it all working and are 100% confident that when they get it as up to date as possible,

I ran into the exact same problem as above, i read this thread and read all different reply's but none of them realy worked for me and i didnt have time to wait...

this is what worked for me:

  1. Hold down the power button and switch of your machine
  2. Restart your computer and just before windows boots hit the F8 button
  3. Boot into safe mode
  4. login (if nessecary)
  5. Make sure that any virus scanners at this point are disabled before continuing
  6. Click "Start" > "Accessories" > "System Restore"
  7. Click "Next"
  8. Pick an earlier restore point and then click next, (its best to pick the 1 just before you had problems)
  9. Click next and follow the prompts and it will start a system restore
  10. wait till your computer does this System Restore process
  11. Regardless of whether the system restore process fails or passes it should now get you out being stuck at "Preparing To Configure Windows. Please Do Not Turn Off Your Computer."

Now...

  1. login if required

13 Disable Virus Scanner before moving on

  1. Run windows update
  2. now it should run without any problems
  3. if you do have problems and run into a loop Call your Computer Manufacturer or the company that you purchased it off and see if they can help you,

Thanks

Michael

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-11-22T21:14:37+00:00

    Thank you for visiting the Microsoft Windows Community site. In an effort to focus more attention on your particular situation create a new thread here.  This will mitigate confusion caused by more than one posting about similar   topics, allowing us to focus on each customer individually

    Thank you for visiting the Microsoft Windows Community site.

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-11-22T03:53:40+00:00

    Hi, 

    Can anyone help me? UnlinK most others, my sony vaio is not newly bough but 4 yrs old. Originally it had vista but now configured with windows 7. Today it got stuck on preparing to configure windows page and going back to start up page for almost 7 hrs now.

    how can i go to desktop without seeing preparing to configure page.. I tried safe mode, last good configuration and restore mode and restoring from windows DVD, but it doesn't go further.. it keeps moving in cycle between start and preparing .... pages. I don't want to do anything that loses my data... Help..

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-11-18T07:36:05+00:00

    There is no pending.xml in the *C:\windows\winsxs\ directory.*c:\windows\softwaredistribution is a directory.  Are you suggesting the whole directory should be deleted?

    Thus, it didn't work for me.

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  4. Anonymous
    2011-11-12T21:27:21+00:00

    Hi everyone, After more than 6hours in searching heres how to fix this:

    First Step

    through command prompt type:

    del C:\windows\winsxs\pending.xml

    Second Step

    also through command prompt type:

    del c:\windows\softwaredistribution

    Final Step

    Shutdown your PC then Switch on It and the problem is fixed inchaalah

    May this will help everyone

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