# Windows 8.1 Update Repeatedly Fails



## Kezza1919 (Jan 16, 2009)

I am running Windows 8.1 on a HP Pavilion laptop that is less than a year old. For a few weeks whenever the latest Windows update installs, it fails at 99% and undoes the install process before trying to run the update again. This happens a few times before the machine eventually brings up the login screen, without having updated Windows. A couple of days later, the update tries again with similar results.

I'd really appreciate some help with this issue...it feels like groundhog day!


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## Go The Power (Mar 5, 2007)

Hello,

*SFC /SCANNOW*

Right click on the







button
Click on *Command prompt (Admin)* => Press *Yes* on the prompt
Inside the Command Prompt windows copy and paste the following command *SFC /SCANNOW*
Please wait for this to Finish before continuing with rest of the steps.
*Convert CBS.log to CBS.txt*

Right click on the







button
Click on *Run* => Inside the run box copy and paste the following command:

```
cmd /c copy %windir%\logs\cbs\cbs.log "%userprofile%\Desktop\cbs.txt"
```

Press *Enter*
Once this has completed please go to your Desktop and you will find *CBS.txt*, please rename this file to CBS_{Insert forum username here}_{insert todays Date here}.txt For example "CBS_Go The Power_1803.txt"
Please upload *CBS_{Username}_{Date}.txt* to this thread.
Please Note:: if the file is too big to upload to you next post please upload via Dropbox or One Drive


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## Kezza1919 (Jan 16, 2009)

Thanks very much for the reply. Please find the file you requested attached.


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## Go The Power (Mar 5, 2007)

Thank you.

No corruptions were detected.

Please navigate to *C:\Windows\winsxs* and copy any files with a similar name to pending.xml (e.g. pending.xml, pending.xml.bad, pending.xml_dfsadf78 etc.) to your folder on the Desktop [there may not be any, just if there are]. Then zip up this folder and attach it to your next post.


Rlick on the *Start* button -> click on *Command prompt as Administrator*
Inside the Command Prompt windows copy and paste the following command *
REG LOAD HKLM\COMPONENTS C:\Windows\System32\config\COMPONENTS
REG QUERY HKLM\COMPONENTS >1&& notepad 1
*
Please wait for this to Finish before continuing with rest of the steps.

Please also export the following registry keys, add them into a zip and attach to this post:


Right click on the *Start* button -> Click on *Run* -> type *regedit*
Once regedit opens, using the left pane, navigate to the following registry key and select it by clicking on it once.*

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\

*
Once selected, click *File > Export...*.
Change the *Save as type:* to *Registry Hive Files (*.*)*
Name this file *Update* (with no file extension) and save it to your *Desktop*.


Once done please upload this file via Dropbox or One Drive


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## Kezza1919 (Jan 16, 2009)

Thanks once again for your help.

Here is a link to all the files you requested: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=de598ca6253fb6a1!1471&authkey=!AETsUlMnRy7qsNs&ithint=file,zip


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## Go The Power (Mar 5, 2007)

Thank you.

We have some pending changes which need try and be undone.

Boot into the Windows RE mode: How to use the Windows 8 System Recovery Environment Command Prompt

Once the command Window is displayed please follow the below steps.

First command to enter is *wmic logicaldisk get name*. you will be given a similar output to:


```
X:\Sources>wmic logicaldisk get name
Name
C:
D:
E:
X:
```
Now when you are in the RE the drive letters will often move around. start with the first letter that was provided in the list and enter in the following command (for this example we will use C:\ as it is the first one)

*dir C:\*
-This will display all the folders in the root drive of C 

Can you see a folder called C:\Windows in list?
-If you can see C:\Windows then run the DISM command as *DISM /Image:C:\ /Cleanup-Image /RevertPendingActions*

If you can not see the Windows folder move onto the next Drive letter that we obtained with *wmic logicaldisk get name* and type in *dir <DRIVE LETTER>* (replace <DRIVE LETTER> with the drive you would like to check), can you see the Windows Folder?
-If yes, enter in the following command *DISM /Image:C:\ /Cleanup-Image /RevertPendingActions* and changed the C to what ever Drive letter has the Windows folder

Its just a case of going through each drive letter that was produced from the first list until the Windows folder is found then run the DISM command on that drive.

If you are prompted for a Scratch Directory please run the following:
*mkdir C:\Scratch
DISM /Image:C:\ /ScratchDir:C:\Scratch /Cleanup-Image /RevertPendingActions*
-Remember the drive letter in red needs to be changed like before.


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