Automatic update in a loop

I'm using a Dell Inspiron 2500 under WinXP Home SP2.

Five updates were downloaded yesterday (9/12/06), and were invoked
automatically upon
shutdown. Update 1 (of 5) was still running after two hours. It
occasionally shows a little disk activity along with a little wireless
communication to the router (thence to the DSL modem?). I don't want to
force a power off, for fear of ending up with a discombobulated operating
system.

Another board said "Since the PC is in shutdown mode, I think your only
choice
is a forced reboot, regardless of the consequences. If the
machine starts normally then I would immediately use System
Restore to bring it back to just before the update". I replied

"Any comment on the apparent loop in update #1?

Is the same thing going to happen when I power up (or down) tomorrow?

Can I disable update #1 (probably not a good idea if two or more of the five
updates are dependent on each other)?

I powered down, and this morning they suggested I repost here.

My PC came up alive and well today, and the updates are waiting to be
applied with, I suspect, the same looping result.

I found out what the five updates were, and only one was critical. Can
somebody tell me where they are queued up in my PC, and how I can delete the
troublesome one? I will also gladly accept any better ideas.

"BudV" <> wrote in message
news:...
> I'm using a Dell Inspiron 2500 under WinXP Home SP2.
>
> Five updates were downloaded yesterday (9/12/06), and were invoked
> automatically upon
> shutdown. Update 1 (of 5) was still running after two hours. It
> occasionally shows a little disk activity along with a little wireless
> communication to the router (thence to the DSL modem?). I don't want to
> force a power off, for fear of ending up with a discombobulated operating
> system.
>
> Another board said "Since the PC is in shutdown mode, I think your only
> choice
> is a forced reboot, regardless of the consequences. If the
> machine starts normally then I would immediately use System
> Restore to bring it back to just before the update". I replied
>
> "Any comment on the apparent loop in update #1?
>
> Is the same thing going to happen when I power up (or down) tomorrow?
>
> Can I disable update #1 (probably not a good idea if two or more of the
> five
> updates are dependent on each other)?
>
> I powered down, and this morning they suggested I repost here.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

"BudV" <BudVitoff@(NO)att.(SPAM)net> wrote in
news::

> My PC came up alive and well today, and the updates are waiting to be
> applied with, I suspect, the same looping result.
>
> I found out what the five updates were, and only one was critical.
> Can somebody tell me where they are queued up in my PC, and how I can
> delete the troublesome one? I will also gladly accept any better
> ideas.

Have you tried to run through Windows/Microsoft Updates in Internet
Explorer and install them that way, instead of letting Automatic Updates
have at them? Also, can you look in the event logs and find
any reference to a svchost.exe error?

The system thinks that the looping update (1st of 5) was successful, and the
other four were waiting. I executed them before shutdown this time, and
there were no additional problems; so I'm left with the possibility that the
first update was only partially applied, and is a mine waiting for me to
step on it. On the other hand, everything might be okay.

I don't know how I got there the other day, but I saw short descriptions of
what each of the five updates did. If I can get there again and see the
purpose of the first update, I'll have a better idea of how much I care
about it.

Re looking in the event logs, I would do that if I knew how to find them.


This problem is on my daughter's Dell I2500. My Dell I1100 has identical
software, and six updates were delivered to me a couple days later, and they
were applied without incident.

"CogX" <spam-> wrote in message
news:Xns983E63C42CD52anonawbxcydzaaaa0000@216.151. 153.22...
> "BudV" <BudVitoff@(NO)att.(SPAM)net> wrote in
> news::
>
>> My PC came up alive and well today, and the updates are waiting to be
>> applied with, I suspect, the same looping result.
>>
>> I found out what the five updates were, and only one was critical.
>> Can somebody tell me where they are queued up in my PC, and how I can
>> delete the troublesome one? I will also gladly accept any better
>> ideas.
>
> Have you tried to run through Windows/Microsoft Updates in Internet
> Explorer and install them that way, instead of letting Automatic Updates
> have at them? Also, can you look in the event logs and find
> any reference to a svchost.exe error?
>

"BudV" <> wrote in
news::

> I don't know how I got there the other day, but I saw short
> descriptions of what each of the five updates did. If I can get there
> again and see the purpose of the first update, I'll have a better idea
> of how much I care about it.
>
> Re looking in the event logs, I would do that if I knew how to find
> them.
>

Try copying/pasting in this commmand to the Start\Run dialog box:
notepad %windir%\softwaredistribution\reportingevents.log


Or, were you updating through Windows/Microsoft Updates in Internet
Explorer? There is a "review your update history" link on the home
page.