Blue screen after updating my Windows 7 machine

333rob333

333rob333

Posts: 56   +1
Hi everyone

I recently asked what updates I must do to prevent the WannaCry ransomware and in conclusion it appeared to be best to do all, so I updated everything and when I restarted the machine it just hangs and says preparing configuring windows updates and then a blue screen follows. I can't even boot into safe mode. I built the PC myself mostly for gaming and video editing, here are the specs:
Intel Xeon E3 1241 V3
Asus H97 PRO GAMER
8GB Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3 1600MHz

Please help!
Thank you :)
 
Um, I'm not quite sure where you are. I think you were supposed to leave it alone while the updates were installed...full update to Win7 takes me several days and 4-5 restarts if I start with original media to do a clean install ... some regular updates can take an hour or so and might require a couple of re-starts. Microsoft does not always tell you where it is in the update process.

Did you get any error messages? Most BSOD would state the error code and describe the offending module.
 
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Yes, when I try to boot into safe mode it gives me the "failing to configure windows updates". I only did the security updates
 
Cycloid Torus said:
Since nothing in message like "reverting", it seems update may be 'lost'.

Try regular restart - do you get more messages? can you enter an 'administrative' user account? can you prepare a 'clean boot' (this is NOT safe mode - see: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/929135/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows )? can you do a clean boot? does the 'update' start up again, does it begin to 'revert'?
Click to expand...
It says reverting for a while in safe mode, but then blue screen. The bad thing is that I can't access windows at all
 
Don't PANIC. Be patient.
Chances are if you turn it on and leave it alone for an hour, it may just sort out. "Reverting" can give you plain blue screens, and screens with spinning balls and odd messages. It may even restart on its own. If it can revert, then you can restart (again!) and try to update again.

If it sits with a plain blue screen for over an hour with nothing happening, then you need to do something like Method 5 ( https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...error-when-you-try-to-install-windows-updates ). Hopefully, you have backed up any photos or music or other data AND that you have license key for your OS.
 
I have tried everywhere to find "failing to configure windows updates". Unable to locate.

Could the actual message have been
"Failure configuring Windows updates. Reverting changes." ?
 
Last edited:
OK. This means the article at Microsoft is fully applicable to you.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...error-when-you-try-to-install-windows-updates

Hopefully you followed directions ("DO NOT TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER") as you would be able to resume Method 1 if you allowed the reversion to complete.

IF NOT, try each Method, step by step, as you may. Note that clean boot is not safe mode. Clean boot is merely without non-Microsoft services. Safe mode is special diagnostic which is like clean boot with further constriction of Microsoft services.

If you want, you can share your results as you work through each method - or ask to clarify anything that seems difficult to understand.
 
Thanks! I am still at waiting for it for an hour. If that doesn't work I will follow the guide you gave me and then I will definitely post my results.
Will post soon! :)
 
This means that the bad update is resolved. Now time to:
1. make backups if desired
2. reboot computer to confirm good boot (this time should be faster than 20 yr old machine)
3. make a restore point
4. arrange for 'clean boot' (based on suspicion that some 3rd party driver was original problem)
5. try to update as described in Method 1.
 
Today when I powered the machine on, it loads Windows and after 2 seconds the blue screen returns. I think I'll just pull out the hard drive, backup everything from another PC, format it and then reinstall Windows. What is your opinion?
 
Cycloid's advise is all good so be patient a little longer. You will have a very long road ahead if you do a reinstall. A few months ago I had a similar issue with the previous version of Windows 10. A large cumulative update kept stalling and the update was being downloaded then rolled back after each failure to install. I dreaded an infinite loop but it eventually stabilised at the log in screen. When I got into Windows I disabled automatic updates. That made the computer usable. It might work for your Windows 7 issue if you can get in there again.
 
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