Comments on: Fix Install Fail or Endless Loop Problem in Vista WU by Downloading Update KB937287

By: johnny

johnny — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:33:51 +0000

Thank you bytecode, worked for me too. My only concern is how broken is vista after this. I crippled by default.

You could also install linux alongside windows, it’s really easy with todays wizards. After you’ve been amazed a couple of times that linux is needed to maintain your windows installation you just stop using windows.

By: silentwolf

silentwolf — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:42:19 +0000

i`ve followed the instructions given by bytecode
by using my thumbdrive as a bootable linux and managed to get out of the loop! my updates were getting stuck at stage 3 of 3 95 % i have tried everything else and nothing worked other than the linux solution…
hooray to linux and hooray to bytecode!

By: Maziar

Maziar — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:48:31 +0000

@bytecode
I’m really greatful for your guide.
I’m going to try it. I hope it works. (I think it will thanks to you )
Shame on Microsoft for such stupid mistake!

By: Fabio

Fabio — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 15:17:32 +0000

You’re a star!!!! Thank you so much!!

By: hakked

hakked — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:46:27 +0000

its also a solution to take the hdd out and connect it to another computer, open it up as if a mass storage device and locate the same folder rename….etc XD

By: menotu

menotu — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:22:42 +0000

bytecode ur the S4IT!!! Thanks!!!

By: xemccoh

xemccoh — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:20:13 +0000

Lo mejor es instalar linux, no ofrece problemas, y lo mas gracioso es q linux siempre sirve de ayuda para solucionar los errores y fallos de win2

By: Austin Breslin

Austin Breslin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:56:46 +0000

this actually did work…….thanks man….im so happy :):)

By: bytecode

bytecode — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:50:10 +0000

Ok,
this is the solution that I used to resolve the “Configuring Updates Step 3 of 3 — 0% Complete” infinite reboot cycle:

(Preface: you need a “live cd” too boot into an environment from which you may delete or rename the “pending.xml” file, to do this, I used the free and open source Ubuntu Linux distribution.)

Step-by-step:

1) find a friend with a working computer, CD-Burner and blank CDROM. Visit the Ubuntu download site: http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

2) download the desktop edition ISO
3) burn the ISO to disk (if you don’t know how to do this do a bit of googling – it’s beyond the scope of this fix)
4) once burnt, boot your broken Windows Vista computer, but use the appropriate key combination to change the boot settings to tell it to boot from the CDROM

5) the Ubuntu CD should offer you a language selector and then the option “Try Ubuntu without modifying your computer”

6) Ince Ubuntu has booted, go to the “Places” menu in the top menu bar.

7) Within the places menu, you’ll see some “disk drives” listed, you should be able to guess which one might be the one that is your Windows Vista C Drive by it’s size or name, e.g. “75.4GB disk” or “Presario” or “System” etc… it depends upon your computer.

Once you’ve figured out which one it is then click it (don’t be scared to try each entry in turn)

9) a disk icon should then appear on the Ubuntu desktop that you can then double click and explore.

10) Confirm that it’s the correct disk partition by looing for familiar folder names such as “Users”, “Windows” etc.. (if not try one of the others as described in step 7)

11) navigate to the following folder: windows/winsxs

12) locate the file “pending.xml” and rename it by pressing F2 on your keyboard and editing the file name to something like “pending.xml.broken” perhaps.

13) restart the computer via the ubuntu System -> Quit… Restart options

14) remove the live cd when prompted.

15) let the machine boot up back into Windows Vista, it may go back to the “configuring updates” screen again – but don’t panic – be patient. It should switch after a while to say “Welcome” and eventually take you to your normal Windows Vista desktop.

This worked for me, I hope it works for you too.
Good luck.

By: Trina

Trina — Fri, 23 May 2008 10:37:05 +0000

I am stuck in the endless reboot cycle as well step 3 of 3 0% complete. I didn’t get this install though until about a week ago, not sure if this was a reissue or what. I’m hopelessly trying to get my computer back to running, even if I must lose my data, at this point that would be a small price to pay for this Hell I’ve been put through. Any suggestions on how to get this resolved….. I can’t even find out which update it is to provide a number for you…. and my install disks are on my partitioned D: drive so I can’t even get that to work to reformat. ARGH!!!!

By: Microsoft Resumes Installation of Vista KB949939 and KB937287 Prerequisite via Windows Update » Tip and Trick

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 03:23:07 +0000

[...] installation program for SP1. Unfortunately, lots of users experience various problems such as unable to install the update, or even worse, computer falls into endless reboot cycle. As a result, Microsoft stops and [...]

By: Repetitive Reboots fix 4 Vista SP1 | ProCookie Technology Blog

Repetitive Reboots fix 4 Vista SP1 | ProCookie Technology Blog — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:32:56 +0000

[...] lucky Vista users, they may only face installation of KB937287 failed issue, which can be resolved by downloading standalone update package from Microsoft Download [...]

By: KB937287 Fails to Install At Stage 3, Unable to Reinstall or Uninstall and Restarts Repetitively » My Digital Life

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 14:25:12 +0000

[...] when users are installing it from Windows Update. For lucky Vista users, they may only face installation of KB937287 failed issue, which can be resolved by downloading standalone update package from Microsoft Download [...]

By: admin

admin — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:15:41 +0000

Yes, this article is for less serious problem. Some users face “Configuring Updates Step 3 of 3 — 0% Complete” when installing SP1 after this update, also in loop repetitively.

By: Alvin

Alvin — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:51:39 +0000

Ahh, different bug then I guess. I know some users were stuck in a reboot loop who couldn’t even get into safe mode. Seems like a related bug, but then at least there’s a fix for those with the less severe version.

By: admin

admin — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:15:12 +0000

It’s not endless reboot loop, but rather the updates always re-appear in WU.