Serious windows 8 bug - issue reverting updates

[snadge]

Hi

I work for one of the biggest PC retailers in the UK, everyday i setup counltess laptop and towers, these include pre-set up ones that are ready to use when the customer buys and also software setups for customers (such as personlisation, backup to usb, install all updates, create user names and email addresses, install office and anti-virus and register them)

now on most of the laptops (and it only happens on windows 8) is that when its installed all updates in windows then it needs restarting, what happens is it gets to 99% (on the boot screen) and then states "failure to configure updates. reversing changes please wait! as I say this is not in windows but after rebooting and also does this when using LAN, did last night on an HP PC)

this can take as long as 1 hour, sometimes more - the strange thing is though is AFTER its happened 9/10 if you retry it and download and install all the updates it will work..its rare it doesn't on the 2nd try

Now this seems to happen more on ASUS LENOVO and SONY laptops and some HP's - the rest like COMAPQ, PACKARD BELL and ACER seen to be ok...as far as i can recall, i only work part-time but its all I do and have done so for 9 months, at xmas 2013 I setup some 400 laptops, and probably do about 30 per week currently, these are all fresh from manufacturers and need setting up.

to me it seems to be some bug in the windows 8 software - MS have confirmed this happens but their only advice is to use system restore or reset...thats passing the buck rather than finding a fix as Im alsmost certain its a fault in windows8

# can anyone help shine some light on this issue>?

when I look online there are litterally hundreds of users with same problem...not too mention customers who didnt buy a setup and brought it back later with the same fault.

Iam looking to get too the bottom of this and wondered if some OCuK experts could help?

many thanks
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[snadge]

yes i imgaine mine or all OEM install too - so this is a fault with win8 and /or possibly poorly written chipset drivers???

ive read that its possibly to do with automatic updates being set to automatic (trigger) rather than Automatic...and also the BITS service set to Manual instead of Automatic...

 

[snadge]

the trick will be to find out via trial and error which update is causing the problem. sure its gonna be a right pain and time consuming but worth it in the end,.

thanks...but unfortunately its not an option as we dont have the resources to do so...i work in a store and can not spend hours/daysw installing updates one by one (over 100 of them) and rebooting too see what happens - ive a sneaking gut feeling it would work doing it that way anyway...dunno why just think it might - i think it something to do with a pre-requisite update needed installing first with a reboot BEFORE installing this "affected" update but installing them all then rebooting causes it too crash

like i say they get too 99% complete then this happens...we know its worked if it hits 100%

but like i say EVERYTIME we re-initiate the updates they work this time around? (wonder if any updates did stick and only removed faulty ones???)

thanks

 

[snadge]

yep 8.1 too - happened on an 8.1 HP desktop connected via LAN last night and like i say ASUS is the worst one

wierd thing is, before we got fibre installed (this was at xmas time when i was expected to do 70 setups per week) we had just an 8Mb pipe and shared between 100's of devices over 3 wifi networks and the router is a small crap BT thing from 1700's lol... and the connections were like dial up speed (not lying) and regulary just froze) - so I used an offline updater and the same thing started to happen with that and so obviously I thought it was the program but obviously now I know it was nothing to do with that as its now happening over normal LAN/WiFi updating as we have Fibre (66 up /66 down) and a wifi repeater/extender in which has greatly improved it so I dont need the offline updater anymore (maybe at xmas lol)

but yeah its happens on both...

I will see about feedback to microsoft and perhaps the next time it happens to one ask if I can take home and affected laptop (prisitine) and se if it does the same over my home network - I mean network shouldnt come into it if it can connect to windows update anyway? - unless it uses a different IP when updating during boot and thats been blocked on our network - but like i say its when it gets to 99% it does this.... had this problem since Xmas and I may be wrong but seems to be getting worse...

 

[snadge]

sorry whats OOBE?

sounds like a good setup you have there but ours is simply turn on, setup and update... yours sounds like a full setup from disc on a new build?

we never uninstall crapware...they (company) like all the manufacturer poo on there, we dont activate either...we let the cmr do that, that said ive started to do it from the link as it takes seconds...

this is how we do it

1 . turn on, go through setup, use custome settings, insert our wifi password (or miss if using LAN)
2. get to desktop , create backup to 32Gb USB stick (basically copying rec partition to usb)
3. install pre-setup (customers requests such as itunes, skype, email, office, mcAfee)
4. then update, I prefer to run it from control panel (type in updates in CP) as i hate the PC settings version) - install all 3rd party drivers
5. reboot when requested

I actually VMwared 8 and 8.1 as a tester on my home build and both was fine? I have since removed, my PC is connected by 5Ghz wifi..

its completely annoying and needs sorting..

thanks for your help, im actually off too work now so wont be back until 5 hours

 

[snadge]

if I had to guess I would say it likely that on a Win 8.1 machine its KB2919355 that's the issue.

That's Windows 8.1 to 8.1 U1 . its massive and makes a lot of changes. you could try and leave that one until after you've done the rest

hi

thanks again for your help

actually ive noticed that U1 installs last... i.e. if/once you get the updates installed, reboot, it works (yay!) then do another "search for updates" THEN KB2919355 appears in the list on its own, this is because all other updates have to be installed before Update 1 can be installed (same with win8 to 8.1)

im posting across a few forums and its nice to see so much help but also so many people in agreement that it DOES happen... I didnt get a chance to mention it too my boss as I was only in 4 hours...but I think he will leave it for us too do, basically we are responsible for everything behind the desk

 

[snadge]

as I say they arent all windows 8, most are 8.1 now and it would not be in our remit too do that either

we would not be allowed to do all this:

-Do not connect to a network
-Run through OOBE
-Remove pre-installed internet security and any manufacturer crap-ware
-Upgrade to Windows 8.1 via USB 3.0 Pen drive selecting the option to keep files, settings & applications
-After the machine reboots to complete W8.1 upgrade plug in the network
-Run through OOBE skipping product key entry
-Use a tool to read the product key from the BIOS and activate
-Install any remaining updates + check for updated drivers
-Install Internet security + any other software

because of (well one i dunnno what OOBE is? lol)
A) the time involved when we serve customers and do cmr setups and pre-setups
B) teaching all other staff what to do
C) its not in our remit

if MS have an issue there then they should be fixing it rather than us or anyone else spending ages trying "get around it"

thanks

 

[snadge]

I Thought OOBE was out of something experience lol... but what i didnt know...

so how do you use it? when we fire up machines it goes through "click to agree" to rules, then setup..its nothing like installing from a disc... cos I know you can do other stuff during a disc install...

guess what...it happened on a Windows 7 computer yesterday that belong to a cmr that we were updating...think it was after a reset.. so it must be an update thats related too both OS's or our bloody network..BUT as we all know its widespread - but this was the first time i saw it happen on a windows 7 machine...ever..

thanks ever so much for your help guys... i would like to find out more about this OOBE method

P.S. we did contact MS who said.

"we are aware of this problem where it says "update is reverting issue" if this happens try the following:

1 system restore

2 system reset

so basically - its not us is what they are saying... this is an email they sent too us which provided a link to a page with the above info!!

thanks again guys...

edit: it HAS to be a pre-requisite update because obviously SOME updates must get installed because on all 2nd attempts (1-2 hours later) it works...something is being installed in wrong order or something...i dunno my heads battered...

 

[snadge]

actually someone at MS answers said something similiar, see which updates where installed and which werent so they could try and find out the problem - but in a busy store with 4 collleagues swapping computers and serving customers its hard to say you can do it

where is this text file?