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Microsoft hurriedly pulls one bad prerequisite update which caused a world of trouble for some Microsoft users

Microsoft rolled out it Windows Vista Service Pack 1 to select customers recently.  The SP1 update drew mixed reviews according to initial testers.  However,  while SP1 is relatively stable, it pulls in Windows Updates and one particular prerequisite update is giving people serious problems.

Microsoft rolled out three prerequisite updates last week through Windows Update to prepare users computers computers for Windows Vista SP1.  If customers tried to install Vista SP1 without the update, the SP1 install process would simply go and grab the update. 

One of these updates, KB937287, caused some serious issues among some users.  As Vista SP1 automatically grabs this update, some users experienced side effects during the SP1 installation process. 

During the Vista SP1 installation process, some unfortunate users report their computer gets stuck on the third step -- the Windows Update step.  Their installation process read, "Configuring updates: stage 3 of 3 - 0% complete" according to one user, and then the system reboots.  After rebooting the installation process resumes -- then the computer reboots again.  The computer becomes frozen in an unbootable loop.  Numerous users on the Microsoft forums have reported having the same problem.  Other users have reported that their computer simply would not boot properly.

Exactly how widespread the problem is at the time is unknown.  Microsoft is trying to look into what is causing this unrecoverable crash.   In the meantime they have pulled the prerequisite update.

For afflicted users, who already received the update, the only solution is to reboot their computers, boot from their original Vista disk and do a system restore to restore their computer to a state several days prior.  Users may have to choose multiple restore points to find a working one, if any work at all.  Some users report finding working restore points after several tries.  However, users must then turn off Windows automatic update or the problem may recommence.

Some users have reported hardware and hard disk problems after restoration.

Many mistakenly labeled the problem as an issue caused directly by Vista SP1.  While SP1 did inadvertently trigger the problem, it was the prerequisite update for Vista SP1 that raised havoc on users' machines.  Microsoft has responded quickly, acknowledging this problem, and hopes to fix the update.

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Title change...
By steelincable on 2/20/2008 9:00:20 AM , Rating: 2
Title should say 'Vista SP1' instead of 'Windows SP1'.




RE: Title change...
By eye smite on 2/20/2008 9:07:03 AM , Rating: 4
Isn't this the article they pulled cause of the way the writer titled it. I look back at my posts and can't find that article so it must have been pulled. Anyway, I just couldn't bring myself to guinea pig for MS on something like this. Give me the end result when it works right, and I don't think that's too much to ask. They'll get it right though I'm sure. Then I can put sp1 on the one Vista system I have and see if it plays nice. :-)


RE: Title change...
By JasonMick (blog) on 2/20/2008 9:29:19 AM , Rating: 3
Correct. We decided to pull the article initially because there wasn't enough evidence to substantiate it, and it was unclear exactly how widespread the problem was, so there was no point in just pissing people off without details.

Microsoft's response elucidated the exact problem as well as indicating it was happening to a good chunk of users.

My original intent wasn't to blast Vista SP1, I think many would be surprised that I'm a happy XP user, and don't own a Mac or some deal like that. I simply think that Microsoft is the market leader, so they need to be held to the highest standard. Small time competitors are obviously nowhere near Windows in terms of gaming, etc. I find OS X bugs equally disturbing, but they are only now getting to the market share level where it would be effecting enough users to even START to consider it newsworthy. Something that happens with OS X if its a rare issue might effect 30-100 users. A "rare" issue for Microsoft might effect 300-1000 users. Hence why it gets reported.

*Steps off lectern*


RE: Title change...
By eye smite on 2/20/2008 9:33:31 AM , Rating: 4
Ah, that's cool man. I was just reading it and thought I remembered the article. Hopefully they'll get the SP to play nice instead of going all snafu.


RE: Title change...
By lukasbradley on 2/20/2008 10:21:39 AM , Rating: 3
Jason, Kristopher, et al,

Instead of pulling articles, I'd recommend you simply issue a clarification at the bottom, or even a retraction statement.

Too often do bloggers use the moniker of "journalist," without adhering to many of the proven tenants of journalism. In my opinion, journalists shouldn't hide mistakes and/or misunderstandings. Let everyone know about them. Your intelligent and dedicated readers will respect and trust you infinitely more.

Please don't see this as a lecture, because it is not. I just feel very strongly that some great online publishers slowly wade into the waters of innuendo and questionable intent, only to ruin their reputations, and be triumphed by a handful of fourteen year old fanbois.


RE: Title change...
By KristopherKubicki (blog) on 2/20/2008 12:19:57 PM , Rating: 2
Thanks for the feedback. We've only done it once or twice in our history, and it's not something I intend to do again.

BTW -- I would hardly consider DailyTech a blog, or a journal, or a news publics, or a magazine, or what-have-you.

A lot of people get insulted when they get categorized in one manner over another. But in reality we're just another New Media website that sometimes runs interesting articles.


RE: Title change...
By mondo1234 on 2/20/2008 6:06:10 PM , Rating: 2
So why is this the best kept secret on the internet? :)


RE: Title change...
By HaZaRd2K6 on 2/20/2008 10:23:01 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Hence why...


"Hence" and "why" in that context mean exactly the same thing. Putting "Hence why" is a redundancy. It should be either: "Hence it gets reported" or "That's why it gets reported."

Sorry for being a grammar Nazi, but I've seen this popping up more and more in everyday speech and it's totally incorrect.


RE: Title change...
By mmntech on 2/20/2008 9:33:36 AM , Rating: 2
Problems are expected with major updates. It usually involves killing certain functions. Wifi is one that seems to go down a lot with updates. Bricking the entire computer on a non-firmware bases system is a new one on me. What a lot of the ravenous Vista fanboys forget is most people lack the knowledge to deal with these issues. If it is wide spread, I'm sure Geek Squad will be rubbing their hands with delight. I'll wait to see numbers first before I come to conclusions.


OEM Hack?
By computergeek485 on 2/20/2008 10:24:16 AM , Rating: 2
Now could this be microsoft trying to brick people with the OEM activation hack and something has gone horribly horribly wrong.....




RE: OEM Hack?
By i3arracuda on 2/20/2008 10:29:06 AM , Rating: 2
Horribly wrong? Or working as intended?

>:D


RE: OEM Hack?
By HaZaRd2K6 on 2/20/2008 12:21:00 PM , Rating: 2
Umm... No.

This was released to testers who had already been testing SP1 during its beta and RC phases. Microsoft likely wouldn't let you be a beta tester of their shiny new product on a pirated OS.


RE: OEM Hack?
By aos007 on 2/20/2008 6:11:22 PM , Rating: 2
This update is available on normal update site as with any one of regular updates and is not related to SP1 (not directly anyway). It failed to install for me and I never installed any SP1 incarnation nor any hacks of any kind. I do run x64, maybe that's it.


It's not so bad...
By i3arracuda on 2/20/2008 8:57:57 AM , Rating: 6
I got caught in an unbootable loop once, and I turned out alright.
I got caught in an unbootable loop once, and I turned out alright.
I got caught in an unbootable loop once, and I turned out alright.




hilarious thumbnail pic
By Mojo the Monkey on 2/20/2008 11:31:28 AM , Rating: 2
That picture of Balmer had me laughing so loud my secretary came in to see what all the commotion was.

She didnt get it...




RE: hilarious thumbnail pic
By Raidin on 2/20/2008 12:49:43 PM , Rating: 2
It's Balmer attempting to fend off the killer process!


RE: hilarious thumbnail pic
By mondo1234 on 2/21/2008 12:05:19 AM , Rating: 2
he looks like Jerry Falwell, but without the hair


Worst update ever
By Zaranthos on 2/20/2008 5:15:18 PM , Rating: 2
I have to say that my experience so far with Vista has been less than pleasant. It's slow, painfully slow. The UAC stuff is too "in your face" all the time.

This update killed one of my customers brand new computers right after I reloaded everything for him. He had it back one day and the update loaded overnight and it looks like I'll be reloading everything again if system restore doesn't work. Guess I'll tell him to send the bill to Bill. :P




RE: Worst update ever
By johnsonx on 2/20/2008 7:03:14 PM , Rating: 2
yes, system restore works fine to fix this problem; search for my other post about this.

I was initially thrown off by attempting to go into safe mode to then do system restore - the XP way of doing it. But the update problem occurs in safe mode too. So you have to select 'Repair your Computer' from the F8 options menu, and then do System Restore from there.


Never trust MS with your critical data.
By Golgatha on 2/20/2008 10:08:34 AM , Rating: 1
"Users may have to choose multiple restore points to find a working one, if any work at all."

Perfect example of why I use Acronis True Image Home. My plan is to image the drive, install SP1, and revert to a usable state if anything goes wonky.




By Griswold on 2/22/2008 12:55:48 PM , Rating: 2
Newsflash: restore points do not protect or criple your critical data anyway.

So, its not a good example at all. You'd have to use a backup or image solution anyhow.


Test in Virtual Environment