Uninstall MS Updates that crippled my S/W

Modifyinc

Posts: 13   +0
I bought a used POS system that has Windows Embedded 7 on it and it has been working great for over a year now. The other day I powered it down and I noticed it said it was installing 67 updates. When I powered it back on it continued to install the remaining updates and then loaded the desktop. Now every time I run the POS Menu program I get the following error:

The process performance counter is disabled, so the requested operation cannot be performed

I can press ok, and then about 10 seconds later the same error pops back up. I have pressed the button 10 or 20 times hoping it would eventually open the POS Menu, but no luck so far.

I’m a technician by trade, but I have never worked on a Windows Embedded system. Everything seems to be locked down on the desktop. The start menu only has a search box with the power menu to the right. The search box is disabled, so you can’t run any commands. The only icon on the desktop is a shortcut for the POS Menu. I can open the task manager but I can’t run any commands from it either.

All I want to do is uninstall those updates so things can return to the way it was, or resolve the error message if possible. I loaded Hiren’s BootCD and gained access to the file system. Hiren seems to pack a lot of tools, but I didn’t see anything that could uninstall MS updates or even run the MS system restore. I did notice there were many users in the Users directory but how can I attempt to load any of them if the system doesn’t allow you to change users? I also noticed using Hiren’s BootCD doesn’t give you access to the User Accounts applet in the control panel either. So even if I could change users, how would I create a new user?

I also ran Windows Recovery using a UFD. From there I was able to run system restore. System restore listed one restore point and it was only a few days ago. Getting excited at this point, I clicked next, only to be disappointed again. Error: There is not enough disk space to restore the disk.

I called the company that supports the system but they want me to purchase a support package at $260 a month, which is just absurd! What’s funny is the guy I talked to said any PC repair person should be able to resolve this issue quickly. Maybe I’m just off my game.

Any suggestions?

Thank you
Mike
 
Mike I've been out of tech support a while but: 1) I've never heard of a way to reverse MS updates. I can only think of reading the kb's and manually excising things in the registry. Iffy.

The best I can think of is to clone the image to another drive, then try to use System Restore. I ran a quick search and found another site that has a pretty good sub forum re: POS problems but I imagine it's against the rules to post their name or a link. If you just google 'pos forum' it's high on the list though. Sorry, I'm unfamiliar w/W Embedded 7 and POS.
 
You can uninstall most updates through the Control Panel, Programs and Features. If you don't see them right away, click on "View installed updates."
 
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