I have a PowerEdge T320 running Windows Server 2012 Essentials.

The system is stuck in an update loop. It says its running a Windows Update (Step 1 of 4) and then reboots itself as a part of this update but goes right back to the the Windows Update (Step 1 of 4).

I let it run for about six hours and it just did this over and over without allowing me to access Windows. Also, couldn't access safe mode because I'm assuming it wasn't enabled for the server.

Is there a way to stop this cycle without booting from the installation media and running a repair or restoring from a backup?

Any advice or tips or resources would be sincerely appreciated.