The Windows Update Blues

OK so in the previous post I talked a little bit about Windows Update and how important it is that you have this setup properly in order to keep your PC up to date. In these times of trojans, worms, malware and viruses it is more important then ever before to keep your PC updated. However life is not perfect and neither are Microsoft's Windows Updates as I found out for myself this morning when I entered my office to see the following screen displayed.

Darn, I hadn't even turned my coffee pot on yet when I saw this!

Because I was aware that last night was "Patch Tuesday" for Microsoft I was certain that the update had gone horribly wrong and crashed my PC. Remember that I reported in the previous article the second Tuesday of each month is "Patch Tuesday" for Microsoft which means that these updates are usually automatically downloaded and installed if your PC is setup for this.

This does not usually happen, and it is no reason to not have these updates automatically downloaded on your PC, however once in a great the update will fail and depending on what was being updated at the time, damage can be caused to Windows. This was the case with my very own PC this morning.

What should you do if this happens to you?

First and most important do not panic.

• The first thing is simply trying to reboot the PC.
• The second thing to try is unplugging the PC for a moment or two, plug it back in and power it up.
• If these do not help try hitting F8 on boot to see if you can at least get the to configuration menu.
• Try the menu option, "Last Known Good Configuration".

Ok - now if this does not help your work is going to get a little more difficult. You need to check the hard drive for errors caused by the windows update errors. The best way to do this is to actually remove the hard drive from the computer and use a SATA/PATA/IDE Drive to USB adapter. By removing the drive and connecting it directly to another PC you can first make sure that your personal data is there and then you can check the disc for errors and repair any problems.

These adapter's can be found for under 20 dollars so it is good to always have one handy, just in case.

Once you have your hard drive plugged into another PC with the drive to USB adapter try the following:

• Open My Computer on your desktop.
• Right click on the drive letter that represents your malfunctioning hard drive. It will usually have a drive letter after your CDROM, something like E or F and so on.
• Select "properties".
• Select the "Tools" tab.
• Make sure the first check box "Automatically fix the system files" and select "Start".

This task may take 30 minutes or more to run depending on the size of your hard drive and the number of errors (if any) it needs to repair. Once completed try re-installing the hard drive into your PC and re-booting.

There is a very good chance this will repair the drive if it was indeed damaged by the failed Windows update. This is exactly how I was able to recover my PC from this very problem this morning and it only took me an hour or so.

If this does not work, well.... that's another story.