Tuesday 24 January 2012

Stuck at Configuring Windows updates – Do not turn off your computer. Try This First Before Anything Else

Lately when setting up a new server or updating a production server that has been up for a few months we have been seeing the following:

image

Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise

Configuring Windows updates
32% complete
Do not turn off your computer.

What we have discovered is that after waiting five minutes we can CTRL+ALT+DLT and the log on screen will show up. Sometimes it may take 10, 20, or even 30 minutes or more before we see the log on screen but it does eventually come up.

For whatever reason though the server can be left all to itself in the above state and stay there until we hit the keys.

This is our first step now before running into the update recovery steps that may be required if this does not work.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

6 comments:

bttr said...

I had a similar problem yesterday. It was somehow related to installing KB2656356. Could you confirm this?

Philip Elder Cluster MVP said...

bttr,

We have been seeing this behaviour on a number of different update runs.

Since we run them in groups of about 10 or so updates in between reboots I am not 100% sure.

Philip

bttr said...

Philip,

Maybe you could look at this in the future and post some update here. I'll do too. Thanks!

Josh said...

There is a specific update that needs to be installed by itself or it causes this behavior. It may be the one bttr referred to, but I cannot remember or find the exact update ID at the moment.

Anonymous said...

Pull out the network cable if you can. After in logging and restart the problem is usual gone.

Rob Pelletier said...

Just had to wait a while.

Thanks for this, Phil.