BleepingComputer.com: update reboot loop after sidebyside errors from february 2009 patch tuesday

Greetings,

Here is a problem with a Gateway M350I laptop with Vista SP1 factory installed.
Since June, when bought it has a dual boot setup with PClinuxOS with no problems until now.
The laptop was not shut down for a couple days after patch tuesday.
When fired up on Friday 13th morning, an error message : ireboot side-byside error. Not to blame ireboot. Any app started such as firefox gets same error.
it almost seemed to be so much like malware. Antivirus and spyware turned off by windows security warning in systray etc.
But it looks like patch tuesday february 2009 broke this system.
When trying to install the update, it goes into a reboot loop. it gets to 83% the computer reboots, gets to 83% and reboots again.
This laptop is used by a savy woman with auto update on, avg antivirus, does not open attachments or click on links in email. and uses firefox.
During this week noted firefox should be updated to 3.6, and ie7 was a target.
thanks in advance, and apologize for not hanging around in here to help others. All my linux clients don't have malware or update issues, but they have friends with windows.
I will peer in here to help at times, but for hardware tech stuff. Keep up the good work!

Installing the Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable Package (x86) seems to fix most side by side errors
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;displaylang=en

Thanks for the reply. I am working on it now. I downloaded the file to a usb key and then put it in the root c: for the moment.

The problem I have is the system is stuck in the reboot loop to 83%. Invoking safe mode does not help.
I can get into the command line with the Boot disc. That is how I put the file on the system from onother computer.
Tried running sfc /scannow from the command line, but I get: Windows resource protection could not start the repair service.
Googling around, I found some user posts one saying the c++ thing did not work, one said sfc fixed it, and another saying it was .NET related.
Well the Patch Tuesday last week involved a 250MB glob of .NET patch. Now I am quite sure that it broke the system. I will keep an open mind, but it sounds fishy.

Most stuff I googled assumes you are on the windows gui, and invoking the cmd window, but not in my case.

Now, I can get into the machine to the command line, I can seem to try to execute sfc and stuff without permission issues, but:

How does one become root for cli?.or Administrator, whatever. Although it has not complained of that. EDIT: Noticed that the cmd promp window has administrator as a title. (So much for security, anyone with a boot disk can get admin without a passord on any machine).
In addition to being able to be in a cmd window, I am also able to look and change files from the PCLinuxOS partition of the drive.

The other nagging issue is: I was able to do an earlier system restore using the boot cd, but then all instances of restore now get into the endless boot cycle.
EDIT: When googling I found a number to call for microsoft update, security anfd virus issues. After being on hold for 10 minutes, thankfully without music on hold, (maybe their Ipod had played out) I was given to a marginally english speaking person who took 7 minutes to gather information, phone number, name email address etc. After a long period of many just a seconds, he asked what was wrong. He then told me I had a booting problem and that I should hang up and call 800-936-5700, I had no case number, to call another number, and that I had been misdirected. Don't think I will call.

I was going to GHOST the drive for later agony, and install fresh from the recovery partition, (more agony), and deleted many many gigs of temp and restore files, so I no longer have any restores to use.
How does one break the update boot loop?

At one point, I was thinking of renaming some important system files, and possibly provoking a repair.
Some logs show that the system has booted normally at the time this loop is occurring, so Vista thinks itself is ok.

Lots of chaff here, just trying to be detailed.

Hope to someday help others here.

I thank you very much for helping, and others please jump in too.
Update: I changed a file in c:\windows\winsxs\

# Type cd C:\windows\winsxs, and then press ENTER.
# Type ren pending.xml pending.old, and then press ENTER.
I rebooted and got to a desktop.
running as root/admin with wifi turned off, I tried to run the c++ download, but i get the side by sde error that i cannot do it.

anyone around?

What desktop did you get to? Yours? The Public/Guest? The Administrator? Another account?

Renaming the pending.xml file may cause problems with your system - but I don't have a pending.xml file to experiment with.
In the event that this doesn't fully fix it, the only other suggestion that I've found is to perform a repair install of Vista.

Renaming the pending.xml file got me out of the reboot loop, and back to the desktop that comes up with the side by side errors. I then did a restore point, to at least get back to that.
Unlike XP, where you can repair your install from the boot disk, there is no 'repair' option except a boot repair in the on disk recovery console, as I have been used to calling it.
I am going to clone the drive soon using DD as soon as my target drive is finished being Spinrited, another couple hours.
So I am willing to take risks. I know I can reinstall, and any files on there I copied using the Linux partition, but I'd like to learn to fix this, report that Patch Tuesday broke it in the first place etc.
The DD image of the drive as it is now can be reloaded in minutes should I bork the thing.
I was pleasantly surprised at another response here, and was about to try removing all the .NET stuff. At the moment however, I think I was blocked from doing program uninstalls by the sbs error.
Also I hear .NET gets intwined with Explorer, so not even sure if it can be removed. Also the c++ stuff I have to look into.
If anyone can reply: I can get into the system command line ok. Can I uninstall from the command line?
Thanks usamsa, and others. This topic may help others.

The answer to your last question is ... Maybe.
You'll have to locate the uninstall files for the updates that you want to uninstall to see if they exist in a form that will run from the command line.
Then, you'll have to try to uninstall them from there.

From my research there's no easy way to figure out where the updates are located (my Vista VM is very basic and I couldn't find any uninstallers on it for the updates that I have. You may want to check your Temp files to see if they're in any of them.
A repair install of Vista requires that you be in Windows in order to choose the Upgrade option from the installer.

You misunderstood, or more likely I was not clear on what I want to try to uninstall. I was wondering if from the command line, if one can uninstall or invoke the uninstall a program process. I've been busy and a little late in even starting the 'puter to even see if the normal uninstall is available. I'll be doing that in a few minutes. EDIT: goal is to uninstall c+++ and .NET stuff, not updates.
And as usual, I appreciate your attention.

Sorry for the misunderstanding - but we're delving into things that I have little experience with.

My research indicates that there are ways to uninstall from the command line - but it depends on what installer is used and what it does when it's installing/uninstalling.

Here's links to 2 types of uninstall options:
Package Manager (pkgmgr.exe): http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749465.aspx
Optional Component Setup tool (ocsetup.exe): http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936209