Vista Automatic Update stage 3 of 3 endless reboot loop
This evening I had the pleasure of spending precious (over)time on reclaiming my laptop from Microsoft instead of using it for some serious work. Yes, I might have been foolish in trusting Microsoft and leaving automatic updates ON because now I noticed what results this can have.
For those who didn’t experience this Vista update bug (yet): you probably have seen messages like “don’t turn off or unplug your pc. Windows is perfoming updates” when you shut down Windows. Well, this one appears at startup and it keeps restarting with the message “Configuring updates: Stage 3 of 3 - 0% complete. Do not turn off your computer”.
Luckily I have a desktop pc running on trusty old Windows XP Professional, so I was able to lookup some info. Apparently I’m not the only Vista user being haunted by this “Update stage 3 of 3″ virus…
I followed some of the advice online and this sequence worked (for my HP laptop) :
- press F8 during startup
- in the DOS menu, select REPAIR PC
- some windows programs start up, there I selected “System Restore” to go back to an earlier update of the windows system. (in my case 2 days before)
- I restarted and… it worked!
- optional: as soon as my Vista restarted (without the 3 of 3) I turned OFF automatic updates (or at least i selected the option that the system will ASK me before installing anything on my pc)
Some people suggested the endless loop might have been caused by antivirus software keeping the update from installing correctly. Might be true, but tonight it looked for a while like Vista Update was a virus!
Anyway - I hope this short article will help you avoid this problem (or at least solve it more quickly).
And if the method I used didn’t work for you, here’s some potential other solutions on the Microsoft Technet site.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Hi,
i use the System VISTA, since 04.01.2008, and i am great than it so much.
the software really more enjoying than XP, for example you can see all windows
same time, And have many new function, my other friends can’t like it. But i like
really . i am also use office2007 , the software also better than 2003 office.
Thanks, Mehmet YAZICI
July 1st, 2008 at 2:05 am
This is realy frustrating, im having this problem as we speak, and i even tryed using that trick of yours rebooting it on Repair Service, But EVEN THEN It wants to remove SP1 First. this realy pisses me off so much.. Its dangerous.
Please, Any solutions for users who do NOT have a DVD to startup with, EITHER the option to even GET into windows.
July 1st, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Sorry to hear this solution didn’t work out for you. I suggest you try the link at the bottom of the blogitem above called “here’s some potential other solutions on the Microsoft Technet site” which might offer some other/better solutions for your particular case.
Good luck!
August 7th, 2008 at 9:37 am
hello im the G.hO.St
and yes microsoft has in some aspect fooled us but in reality it isnt really no ones fault ok they didnt expect this to happen to us i bet by far and im sorry it happend to myself as i type and i have read up on sooo much bout this issue and did my research and there are way around it and to fix you jus have to do some reading and follow the steps nearly to a T and i mean if you wanna pay out the ass for micro soft to look at it for you go for it by far but they do have a patch for it i believe now and a solution and as i said you jus have to do some reading i know it is annoying but trust the force that is MS they aren’t all bad……and if they come out with SP2 at any point hopefully it will make some drastic and big but benefical changes to how we use and see vista