Latest Vista Update stuck in Stage 3/restart loop

Hi MS Answers Forum,

Guess what - I am back (& not happy about it). Some may recall that in April I reported that my wifes Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop (Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit SP1) did an innocent Auto Windows Update & prompted to reboot. Since then we were stuck in this endless loop with "Stage 3 ..." page of a Windows update, with "...0% progress" shown.

I fixed that via use of advice from "Rob Brown - MS MVP" in above thread on "older complete Method 4" to rename the "c:\windows\winsxs\Pending.xml" file and edit the registry. Then had relapse in early June & did same procedure. Since then all he been well.

Until yesterday (3 months later), my wife - again innocently - did an Auto Windows Update & got again stuck in this endless loop with "Stage 3 ..." page of a Windows update, with "...0% progress" shown.

So I decided I needed to work out how to identify the suspect Windows Update & ensure it never gets downloaded & installed again!

I Googled to find an article saying ... "The issue has been fixed with the current versions of the update. To read more about the problem and the fix please see:http://blogs.technet.com/mu/archive/2008/04/07/windows-vista-sp1-prerequisite-kb937287.aspx".

That article is dated Apr 2008 & talks about ... "prerequisite: KB937287, the Servicing Stack Update (SSU), causing reboot loop issues related to the install process & not the code itself. We (Microsoft) also made additional changes to the SSU installer code, so that it checks for and requires the pre-SSU (KB949939) before it will install. "

... Neither KB updates are listed in my Win Updates history!

I tried hiding all Windows Updates from 13 April 2010 (they were the oldest yet to be installed), but after updating all since then, then reboot, same issue.

So like Mandy above, I am extremely frustrated with Microsoft, as this issue has been live for a few years now with no apparent resolution. However unlike Mandy, I can resolve it via the procedure I summarised above, but am damned tired of wasting valuable time with point-solutions.

Any further ideas please?

Thanks MNGyler

Hi Wavey38,

Use the methods in my reply of Sunday, April 04, 2010 2:42 PM which usually will help solve

this issue.

Hope this helps.

Rob Brown - MS MVP - Windows Desktop Experience : Bicycle - Mark Twain said it right.

Ryan - I have followed your instructions but am not able to locate the subkeys to be deleted.  I have a Vista 64 OS stuck in a Stage 3 loop.

• I have had this annoying service pack 3update error 3 times on my desktop pc now and i am quite angry that microsoft have not done anything about it yet. this started a good 12 months ago. why microsoft have you not done anything about this when they know it is killing peoples computers everywhere? after all said and done we pay enough for the system software.!!!!
• anyway people what we have tried with our system is horrendous pretty much the same as all of you.
• our system kept rebooting at 99% completed and we could not access the system in any way, we tried to access through the bios and change that to get in to the system , but nothing works doing that.
• next we tried to get the computer to read the dvd drive 1st but it would not, we tried through changing the bios setup, and inserting the disc.
• as we could not access windows through dos this would not let us change anything in the registry or the setup, ie the startup, so that was a no go area also.
• i had a BRAINSTORM and thought i wonder if the stupid machine would read the card reader from the bios with windows on it, so i put a copy of windows onto a pen drive with at least 3GB from the disc, changed the bios setup to read the card reader and bobs your uncle it worked!!!
• so for anybody else at their wits end, who has tried everything else, and has got either a built in or even a portable usb card reader hub then give it a try, at the end of the day what is there to loose? it has worked for us, so it could work for you, and it's the easiest method i have found on here to date.
• the way to do it is here - once you have put windows recovery onto a pen drive { obviously from another pc or laptop}, then switch on the dodgy pc and press the button which brings up your bios, usually F2, ESCAPE, or DELETE. once in there go into the HARD DISC BOOT PRIORITY, and press ENTER, you should see something like, "
• 1. CHQ.M.  :ST.......
• 2. BOOTABLE ADD-IN CARDS
• Press page up on the numbers keys so they reverse order and number 2 is number 1, then press F10 to save changes , plug in your usb flash drive and let your system reboot and fingers crossed. unfortunately you will loose some of the settings and work you previously had but it will save most into a file called "windows old" so you can retreave what you need. PLEASE remember to DELETE these old settings as you may become unstuck again if they are left on.
• well it just remains for me to say good luck everybody and i hope it works for you, too. Until microsoft get an answer to the problem.
• PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THIS IS HELPFUL TO ANYBODY!!!

mandy