Windows Update Taking 5-Hours or More

Windows Vista Home, SP1.

When I go through Windows Update or install new software it generally takes
me 5-Hours or more to get the darn thing installed. (Turbo Tax 2008 took me
45-Hours). For whatever reason my Dell XPS running Windows Vista Home SP1
goes into creating many long restore points and appears to be going through
an endless loop. I got the PC in June of 2008 and this started happening
around November 2008. One thing that I thought was the culrit was the fact
that I used LapLink's PCmover to bring some of my data and programs over from
my old machine (June 2008 when I got the new PC). Also, I have NEVER
successfully installed .NET 3.5 SP1 after roughly a dozen attempts over the
course of the last 8-months or so.

Suggestions?
Thanks in advance,
Ed in Pacifica, CA

[Forwarded to Vista Performance_Maintenance via crosspost]

TBear94044 wrote:
> Windows Vista Home, SP1.
>
> When I go through Windows Update or install new software it generally
> takes
> me 5-Hours or more to get the darn thing installed. (Turbo Tax 2008 took
> me
> 45-Hours). For whatever reason my Dell XPS running Windows Vista Home SP1
> goes into creating many long restore points and appears to be going
> through
> an endless loop. I got the PC in June of 2008 and this started happening
> around November 2008. One thing that I thought was the culrit was the
> fact
> that I used LapLink's PCmover to bring some of my data and programs over
> from my old machine (June 2008 when I got the new PC). Also, I have NEVER
> successfully installed .NET 3.5 SP1 after roughly a dozen attempts over
> the
> course of the last 8-months or so.
>
> Suggestions?
> Thanks in advance,
> Ed in Pacifica, CA

You don't happen to have two or more Antivirus programs, or even
anti-spyware
programs running resident do you? Even pieces of an old antivirus program
can
cause grief. You might want to come back here and report results before
proceeding
to the next steps.

Run SFC /scannow

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windo...-system-files/

This may or maynot solve your issues but it is the 1st step.

Try the Update Readiness Tool :

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947821

Check your drivers, actually go to maker's sites and look for updates, do
not just run Look for New
Drivers in Device Manager....... if one of them were overwritten or
corrupted that could be your
problem. Video, Sound, Network and Wifi, and especially any hard disk
drivers as needed. Maybe
look for new BIOS as an outside.

Do you have a Vista Disk?

My concern is that LapLink over wrote some of your Vista Files and also
either doubled up
some registry entries or even added some bogus ones.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tuto...torial148.html

If startup repair does not solve the issue then I would do a Restore Point
and look at running
some registry cleaners or do a complete re-installation. Try the Registry
Cleaner at Windows
Live. The Safety, CleanUp, and TuneUp's can't hurt either.

http://onecare.live.com/site/en-Us/a...leaner_why.htm

Before I did a complete re-install I would try upgrading to SP2 as a last
resort. This will either solve the
issue or more likely make it worse as you lose any restore points so
consider carefully.


"PA Bear [MS MVP]" <> wrote in message
news:%...
> [Forwarded to Vista Performance_Maintenance via crosspost]
>
> TBear94044 wrote:
>> Windows Vista Home, SP1.
>>
>> When I go through Windows Update or install new software it generally
>> takes
>> me 5-Hours or more to get the darn thing installed. (Turbo Tax 2008 took
>> me
>> 45-Hours). For whatever reason my Dell XPS running Windows Vista Home
>> SP1
>> goes into creating many long restore points and appears to be going
>> through
>> an endless loop. I got the PC in June of 2008 and this started happening
>> around November 2008. One thing that I thought was the culrit was the
>> fact
>> that I used LapLink's PCmover to bring some of my data and programs over
>> from my old machine (June 2008 when I got the new PC). Also, I have
>> NEVER
>> successfully installed .NET 3.5 SP1 after roughly a dozen attempts over
>> the
>> course of the last 8-months or so.
>>
>> Suggestions?
>> Thanks in advance,
>> Ed in Pacifica, CA
>

And be sure to backup your DATA!

"PA Bear [MS MVP]" <> wrote in message
news:%...
> [Forwarded to Vista Performance_Maintenance via crosspost]
>
> TBear94044 wrote:
>> Windows Vista Home, SP1.
>>
>> When I go through Windows Update or install new software it generally
>> takes
>> me 5-Hours or more to get the darn thing installed. (Turbo Tax 2008 took
>> me
>> 45-Hours). For whatever reason my Dell XPS running Windows Vista Home
>> SP1
>> goes into creating many long restore points and appears to be going
>> through
>> an endless loop. I got the PC in June of 2008 and this started happening
>> around November 2008. One thing that I thought was the culrit was the
>> fact
>> that I used LapLink's PCmover to bring some of my data and programs over
>> from my old machine (June 2008 when I got the new PC). Also, I have
>> NEVER
>> successfully installed .NET 3.5 SP1 after roughly a dozen attempts over
>> the
>> course of the last 8-months or so.
>>
>> Suggestions?
>> Thanks in advance,
>> Ed in Pacifica, CA
>