Error: We couldn’t complete the updates, Undoing changes. Don’t turn off your computer.

As I have been posting to this thread since the beginning, I thought I'd update the group:

I still have had no luck with KB2919355 despite having tried all the advice in this forum and from Microsoft.  I finally broke down and contacted Microsoft and spent 2.5 hours with L1 support who simply retried the same DISM commands and shutting down anti-virus and other things that I had done numerous times before.  Nothing worked.  They told me that this was clearly a "special" case and referred me to Level 2 support.

I spoke with Level 2 support and told him all of the steps we had tried so that he would not waste another couple of hours retrying the same things.  He finally levelled with me that "the only thing that has been working for people who have this "undoing changes" problem with KB2919355 is to wipe your system and restart the update process from your original media.   When I told him that a system wipe was not a viable option for me to install an MS update, he says "I know it's a problem, but we don't have another solution at the moment."  I asked him when (or if) another update would be forthcoming, he said he did not know -- this was yesterday 6/17/14.

Lo and behold, a new update was posted sometime yesterday after that conversation.  At first I was quite excited, thinking "could they have solved this problem?"  Sadly, no, the behavior for me is exactly the same:

Update installs completely then asks to reboot.  Upon reboot, it completes until approximately 20% and says "we couldn't complete the updates, getting ready to retry."  It then starts over and gets to 18% and reboots again.  After the 2nd reboot, it again gets to 18% and once again says "we couldn't complete the updates, getting ready to retry."  It tries yet again and gets to 18% and reboots for the third time.  At this final reboot, I get the dreaded "we couldn't complete the updates undoing changes" message. 

Just like before, the windows update history shows that the update "succeeded," so there is no error message, though clearly, it has NOT succeeded.  My history shows this file successfully installed about 20 times now and it still keeps undoing changes and failing.   Come on Microsoft, there has to be a solution to this problem without requiring a full wipe and reinstall of an otherwise working system!

As state else where there are sec\veral different versions of this issue. Eventually all will be solved but, as Microsoft told you and I stated earlier the only viable options available now are a complete Reinstall from scratch or do nothing which may mean no more Windows updates. Nobody likes it but that is the way it is now.And from what I am seeing an d reading elsewhere there are more successful updtes than  the have been failed. Hope this helps and if you need further assistance post and we will be glad to Help you.

The above opinion is mine and mine alone and doesn't necessarily reflect that of Microsoft, it's employees, or any other member of this forum.

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." -John Muir

OK - I bit the bullet. Since the beginning of April, I have been screwing up my Alienware PC trying to get this update to work. It's now in the PC, and all is working fine.

To make a reinstall as painless as possible, here are the steps I took:

1. I printed out my computer audit from the Belarc Advisor application, (free download), to get the product keys, and serial numbers of all the applications I have installed over time. This will make it easier to put back what I want with the least headache.
2. Since I don't have any DVD for Windows 8, or 8.1, (This PC was upgraded from Vista, To 7, to 8, to 8.1), I went to Windows downloads, and selected WINDOWS 8. (My 8.1 product key would not allow me to directly download 8.1, since that key I have for 8.1 was for 8.1 with Media Center)
3. I downloaded WINDOWS 8, which wiped out everything, but downloaded, and installed without a hitch. (I needed my original WINDOWS 8 product key to do this) The PC is fine now with WINDOWS 8.
4. I went to control panel to check for updates. 89 updates were required. (Before you download and install the updates, I suggest you change the power plan in control to not allow the PC to sleep) I started the download, and by the next morning, the updates all installed fine.
5. I went to the windows store, and selected the Windows 8.1 upgrade. After another length of time my PC had WINDOWS 8.1 installed. Get this - I never had to install the update from HE#L. It was already included with the 8.1 download from the store. (I was happy with that)
6. I again checked control panel / Windows Updates, and none are available. My computer is up to date.

After months, my PC is now fully up to date, and I never have to see that KB number again.

I now have a "new" PC, and can install the applications I really need, from the printout I have from the Belarc Advisor printout.

Moral of the story - If you jump through hoops, you can get WINDOWS 8.1 Update 1 installed.

I hope this helps.

I forgot to mention, I then added Media Center, with the 8.1 Media Center product key, and that installed fine too.

M$ doesn't appear to be releasing it manually though. All I can find on the official download channel are these two, both dated 5 May.