windows update caused system crash
Did anyone else suffer a crash after installing windows updates on 1-11-11? I have a desktop computer and a laptop, and they both crashed after installing the updates. They both went in to system restore mode and spent several minutes trying to fix the problem before finally rebooting and coming out of the crash. Both times a message came up afterward saying windows had suffered a major problem. On both occasions the norton anti-virus and firewalls had been disabled on reboot. At first I thought it might be a virus on my desktop, but it was weird how the exact same thing happened on my laptop. Any clue as to what caused it? Is it possible to have updates do that to your system? Thanks.
January 12th, 2011 12:10pm

There is probably some software on your systems that has caused a conflict with the updates. I updated three desktop computers and a netbook yesterday without problem on any of the four. One route is to allow one update at a time on your systems to see if you can isolate which one is causing the problem.Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
January 12th, 2011 1:06pm

Nope, no crash or any issues here running Win 7 Ultimate. You state that " norton anti-virus and firewalls had been disabled on reboot ". Which edition of Norton, how many firewalls and which firewalls are you referring to ? Do both the desktop and laptop have the same edition of Norton, the same number of firewalls, and the same specific firewalls installed ? Have you checked the System event log for errors ? - Click the Start button. In the Search programs and files field, type event . Under Programs, click on Event Viewer. Click the arrow next to Windows Logs, then click on System. Look for errors in the middle frame under Level. Also, check the Setup log as that's where the stages of updating are shown.MowGreen Windows Expert IT Pro - Consumer Security
January 12th, 2011 1:19pm

Yes, I did - I installed updates on my Windows Vista laptop last night before shutting down. Then when I booted up the computer today, it gave me a system restore window which took forever. I rebooted again and same thing happened. Trying to find the update to see if I can uninstall.
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
January 12th, 2011 4:17pm

I also had a crash installing updates, today, 1/12/11. Windows 7 Pro. My updates get installed automatically at 3AM. When I came down this morning, there was a error messgae saying something like a boot failure and offering to do a system restore. I cancelled out of that. When the system rebooted, I went into safe mode. When Win 7 safe mode came up it said that an update had failed and that it was removing the changes. It then rebooted and Win 7 and appeared to start normally, except that it had a message saying Preparing to configure Windows". From then the system appeared to work normally. I checked my update History. It said that the last update was 3am this morning(failed). Two updates failed: Security Update for Windows 7 (KB2419640) and Update for Windows 7 (KB2454826). A few minutes ago, 12 hours after the first, automatic update, I tried Windows Update manually. there were 3 offered to me. Those two, and one entitled Update For Windows 7 (KB976902). Oddly, the first two are already checked. The third is not. I went ahead with the install of those two. When the system restarted, it gave a blue screen crash and rebooted. During the reboot, I hit F8 and selected safe mode. It removed the changes and Win 7 came up again normally. Update history shows those two updates failed again. I don't think I will try a 3rd time. Does MS have a solution for this? How do I disable those two updates from automatic installation and crashing my system again? Thanks, Jim
January 12th, 2011 4:40pm

Was it System Restore window or a System Recovery window with different options presented ? There is a difference - What are the system recovery options in Windows Vista? Suggest you boot to Safe Mode and then see which updates installed yesterday. Start your computer in safe mode " Restart, then press and hold the F8 key as your computer restarts. You need to press F8 before the Windows logo appears. If the Windows logo appears, you will need to try again by waiting until the Windows logon prompt appears, and then shutting down and restarting your computer. " And, since you haven't answered them yet, please answer these questions - Which edition of Norton, how many firewalls and which firewalls are you referring to ? Do both the desktop and laptop have the same edition of Norton, the same number of firewalls, and the same specific firewalls installed ?MowGreen Windows Expert IT Pro - Consumer Security
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
January 12th, 2011 4:42pm

Yup It has trashed my system too. The system has been running unchanged and stable for months, then Last night when shutting down it installed an update. This moning when I turn on the PC, I had some applications that it says were not installed properly, it restarted then basically crashed and cuased all sorts of errors on a checkdisk :-( I have not had any issues like this at all. Now have applications failing, Tools I have had installed and working for mass disk storage no longer work and Desktop Gadgests dont work any more ergh!!!. Time to restore from an image me thinks. And AUTO UPDATES OFF from now on.
January 12th, 2011 5:21pm

I also had a crash installing updates, today, 1/12/11. Windows 7 Pro. My updates get installed automatically at 3AM. When I came down this morning, there was a error messgae saying something like a boot failure and offering to do a system restore. I cancelled out of that. When the system rebooted, I went into safe mode. When Win 7 safe mode came up it said that an update had failed and that it was removing the changes. It then rebooted and Win 7 and appeared to start normally, except that it had a message saying Preparing to configure Windows". From then the system appeared to work normally. I checked my update History. It said that the last update was 3am this morning(failed). Two updates failed: Security Update for Windows 7 (KB2419640) and Update for Windows 7 (KB2454826). A few minutes ago, 12 hours after the first, automatic update, I tried Windows Update manually. there were 3 offered to me. Those two, and one entitled Update For Windows 7 (KB976902). Oddly, the first two are already checked. The third is not. I went ahead with the install of those two. When the system restarted, it gave a blue screen crash and rebooted. During the reboot, I hit F8 and selected safe mode. It removed the changes and Win 7 came up again normally. Update history shows those two updates failed again. I don't think I will try a 3rd time. Does MS have a solution for this? How do I disable those two updates from automatic installation and crashing my system again? Thanks, Jim You are not alone, Jim. See this thread: Windows 7 - KB2454826 fails and doesn't recover after reboot If your system is an OEM one ( HP, Dell, Lenovo, etc. ), then strongly advise you to NOT install KB2454826 yet. Going by your post I'm not certain what Windows Update is set to. However, you can Hide KB2454826 for now by opening Windows Update, click the View available Important updates link, and then click once on it to highlight it, then right click on it and choose Hide. Agree to the UAC prompt. Close Windows Update. In regards to KB2419640, suggest it be installed by itself. Then install the last update, KB976902, by itself, too. From KB976902 " Updates to the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 installation software are included in this update. The installation software is the component that handles the installation and the removal of software updates, language packs, optional Windows features, and service packs. This update is necessary to successfully install and to remove any service packs to all versions of Windows 7 and on Windows Server 2008 R2. " If you have an installation, compatiblity, or performance issue associated with KB2419640, MS offers no-charge support - " How to obtain help and support for this security update For home users, no-charge support is available by calling 1-866-PCSAFETY in the United States and Canada or by contacting your local Microsoft subsidiary. For more information about how to contact your local Microsoft subsidiary for support issues with security updates, visit the Microsoft International Support website: http://support.microsoft.com/common/international.aspx?rdpath=4 North American customers can also obtain instant access to unlimited no-charge email support or to unlimited individual chat support by visiting the following Microsoft website: http://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?&prid=7552 For enterprise customers, support for security updates is available through your usual support contacts. " MowGreen Windows Expert IT Pro - Consumer Security
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
January 12th, 2011 5:33pm

Yup It has trashed my system too. The system has been running unchanged and stable for months, then Last night when shutting down it installed an update. This moning when I turn on the PC, I had some applications that it says were not installed properly, it restarted then basically crashed and cuased all sorts of errors on a checkdisk :-( I have not had any issues like this at all. Now have applications failing, Tools I have had installed and working for mass disk storage no longer work and Desktop Gadgests dont work any more ergh!!!. Time to restore from an image me thinks. And AUTO UPDATES OFF from now on. See if KB2454826 is showing in Installed Updates. If it is, uninstall it and see if that resolves all of the issues you've posted. If yes, then Hide the update for now using the same steps already posted for Jim. MowGreen Windows Expert IT Pro - Consumer Security
January 12th, 2011 6:40pm

Yes. I had the same problem. I tried using the WIN7 recovery CD, but it didn't work. I restored using a recent backup. When I again downloaded the 3 updates on 11-12-2011, I encountered another crash.
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
January 13th, 2011 9:32am

Another thing that might be worth mentioning is that once KB976902 is installed, it cannot be uninstalled/removed. This is an updated release for the original release back in July(?) that a lot of people fretted about because there was no Microsoft information about it. I also installed all of the updates from 1/11 and have had no problems (Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit). SC Tom -There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.
January 13th, 2011 9:52am

I experienced the crash on four separate Windows 7 Professional computers. The windows repair did not work. The only way I got the computers back on line was to boot to Safe Mode. The operating system then reverted back and now all seems operational.
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
January 13th, 2011 10:39am

I am having this problem on a small number of machines as well. On machines where this was installed through automatic updates, booting into safe mode reverts back safely. We can then remove the update to prevent it from installing. The strange part is that on most of our computers, KB2454826 is showing up as an optional update, rather than an important update. There is no pattern to this, PC's are identical hardware and imaged with same Windows 7 image. The machines where it is an optional update do not get the install through automatic update settings and appear to be safe for now. Why the inconsistency regarding whether this update is optional or important?
January 13th, 2011 12:28pm

Great question, Michael. It was offered as an Important update to my Win 7 system. From Win 7's Help and Support - Important updates. Important updates help keep your computer more secure and reliable, protecting your computer and your privacy. These updates include security and critical updates, as well as reliability improvements. Optional updates. Optional updates include updates and software that you can install manually, such as new or trial Microsoft software or optional device drivers from Microsoft partners. . Going by that wording KB2454826 could be classified as an Important update as it " contains the following new functionality, performance improvements, and solutions to issues ", which I interpret as reliability. To me, the update being classified as Optional on some systems would signify that the update is checking the system to see if it is Important or Optional for said system. I do not know what or if it is actually checking the system. If this is the situation, then that checking should be logged somewhere.MowGreen Windows Expert IT Pro - Consumer Security
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
January 13th, 2011 3:35pm

Mine crashed halfway through the update and I cannot get windows to start in normal or safe mode. sometimes it hangs in boot up, sometimes i manage to log in to windows but it then hangs and wont respond to anything, If i could get into windows properly I would do a system restore, but dont know how else to do it, if anyone knows please let me know, IM running Vista pro on a Laptop. thanks
January 17th, 2011 8:00am

Had a total of 20 windows 7 proffesional pc's roll boot or go into restore on boot. All were HP HP2450s to HP 505b models. All were on a domain with different servers in different locations. I have not cleared up this mess as of today, some of my clients have started to press restore and well.. it gets ugly from there. I would like a work around on this especially since I have turned off any windows update until this situation is abated. pmalygris.
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
January 17th, 2011 12:00pm

If you press F8 on boot up, are you able to get into the Windows Boot Menu? If so, select Safe Mode with Command Prompt. Be patient- sometimes it takes a while for it to start this way. Once the command window comes up, type in %systemroot%\system32\rstrui.exe and press Enter. Once the GUI comes up, you can then pick a date to restore to. The one con to this method is that restores done this way cannot be undone. Otherwise, it's the same as running it from within Windows. SC Tom -There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.
January 17th, 2011 2:00pm

AFAIK, KB2454826 is no longer available from Microsoft's update servers. If it is still being offered locally, then it's already been downloaded. STRONGLY SUGGEST that Windows Update not be Disabled, rather, just Hide KB2454826.MowGreen Windows Expert IT Pro - Consumer Security
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
January 17th, 2011 3:17pm

This topic is archived. No further replies will be accepted.

Other recent topics Other recent topics