Windows 7 SP1 install causes boot failure

[dlorde]

I've just tried twice to install Win7 Service Pack 1 on a relative's Acer desktop PC - which runs ZoneAlarm anti-virus, but has very little else apart from Word installed.

Each time, the download and install process seemed to go OK; however, when the system rebooted, it displayed the Windows startup logo, but at the point where the logo goes away and you expect to see the mouse appear, it just froze with a blank grey screen. I left it for a while, but nothing happened.

Eventually, I power-cycled the PC and an error message was displayed and a Windows boot selection was offered: Repair (recommended) or Start Normally. Choosing 'Start Normally' repeated the boot and freeze sequence. Choosing 'Repair' started the startup repair procedure, which failed with 'The operating System is incompatible with Startup Repair'. Trying the 'Advanced Restore' procedure reported 'No restore points', although I had explicitly created one before the update, and the update itself creates one.

I managed to fix it by running 'Startup Repair from the original Windows 7 installation DVD.

The PC works fine now, but Service Pack 1 isn't installed. I have had to turn off automatic updates so that it won't get installed.

Does anyone know what the problem might be, or suggestions for a fix?

Failing that, is there a way to disable the 'Service Pack 1' entry in 'Windows Updates' so that automatic updates can be enabled?

 

[patcooke]

You can just hide the update but sooner or later you may find it's absence causing problems. Try downloading SP1 as an ISO, burning a disk and running the install from there. I've installed SP1 to a desktop, notebook and laptop with no problem.

 

[dlorde]

Thanks Pat, I'll give it a try.

I have installed SP1 on my own PC and laptop without any problems, but this one just fails.

 

[Joe S]

Try disabling the ZA while installing and on startup too.
Joe

 

[dlorde]

Thanks Joe - I'm not sure that's the problem, because my own PC is running the same ZA software and installed SP1 without problem. I guess it's worth a try though

 

[dlorde]

Quick problem update - unfortunately disabling or even uninstalling ZoneAlarm did not solve the SP1 install problem. I have had to restore the system and hide the SP1 update.

Still looking for a resolution, but not optimistic.

 

[patcooke]

Get a copy of autoruns free from here:

Autoruns for Windows

ans use it to see if you can identify anything running at startup which might be causing a problem. You can use autoruns to flag anything you want to try stopping from running the unflag it later to try it out so you might want to try flagging as many things as you can to start with and if it runs ok after SP1 then try unlfagging them one at a time.

 

[dlorde]

Thanks for the Autoruns recommendation, I'll give it a try. I also thought about trying the SP1 install in Safe Mode.

It's all a bit slow and awkward at present, as I'm no longer onsite with the problem PC, so it's all via remote access and telephone.. ho hum.

 

[davehc]

Try this fix from Microsoft. (32Bit)

Link Removed

or 64Bit

Link Removed

 

[dlorde]

Thanks for the suggestion Dave, but the System Update Readiness Tool finds no problem with the Acer.