Windows Update Causing STOP Error 0x0000007E

Do you mean the updates around February 10th?   Reason I ask is the particular update getting all the attention was pulled from automatic updates only a couple days later (I think Feb. 12),  but it's now the 26th.   The blue screen could be due to something else entirely.

But if  that's the one you mean, then MS is saying the primary cause of the KB977165 problem is an existing rootkit infection.

http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2010/02/17/update-restart-issues-after-installing-ms10-015-and-the-alureon-rootkit.aspx

If you need to remove the update to get access to your system, to back it up, run a malware scan, etc. try the instructions to use Recovery Console in the thread below.

http://en.community.dell.com/forums/p/19323266/19665605.aspx

Many thanks Alexandra_P

It could well be that the 10 Feb update was the problem as I am assisting an elderly friend.  I visited him this afternoon only to find that the error message was displayed and on checking the site found the reference on the hot topics.

Adding insult to injury is that he so far can't find his CD so I am struggling to make progress until  he lays his hands on it unless someone knows better.

I expect to see him on Monday so I hope that he will have found the disc by then otherwise I may have to buy a new OS.  

I tried to load a Linux DVD in the hope that at least I could save his work but the system would not even accept that.  It looks very much like unless I can find some way of getting into the HD all is lost.

Wish me luck

If he can't find the disks,  in the US can use the form below to try and order a set of replacements from Dell.   Depending on the model, there may be a PC Restore on the hard drive (CTRL-F11 at boot for XP, F8 for Vista), but it does wipe the data on the drive.

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?c=us&dl=false&l=en&s=gen&docid=3A1C590C9132AB20E040A68F5B28350B&doclang=en&cs

Another member has posted a way to make a bootable "recovery console" disk so you can uninstall the update (of course, that assumes that particular update is the problem).   As always,  download tools like this at your own risk - probably fine, but stuff happens.

http://en.community.dell.com/forums/p/19321819/19655854.aspx

Not sure why the Linux boot wouldn't work,  but other members have had luck with Knoppix and Ubuntu Live.   There's always the USB enclosure option, or removing the drive and slaving it to another system.

You should be able to boot from any Windows CD, as long as it's the same version as what's on the hard drive (eg, XP) and run the Recovery Console to remove that stupid update.  Here's what I did:

Boot from the Windows CD

Press R at first setup screen to open Recovery Console

(NOTE: If you get an error message about not finding a boot hard drive, remove the CD, reboot again and press F2 to open BIOS setup. FInd and make note of the SATA Operation setting. Now change SATA Operation to RAID Autodetect/ATA. Save the change, exit setup, and boot from the CD again.)

You should get a C:\Windows prompt after pressing R

Type in: chdir $NtUninstallKB977165$\spuninst      

(*assuming that's the update number you want to remove*)

Press Enter

At the new prompt, type in: BATCH spuninst.txt

Press Enter

If you want to remove other updates, type in: systemroot and then press Enter

Repeat the process but change the KB# in the chdir command for each update you want to remove.

When you're all done, remove the Windows CD and reboot.  If you changed the SATA Operation setting in BIOS, press F2 to run BIOS setup again, and change it back the way it was.

That should get Windows to load normally.

Ron

EDIT: SORRY, I fat-fingered the directory name and typed a  # instead of a $ : 

chdir $NtUninstallKB977165$\spuninst