Do not turn off your computer

Let's say your computer is starting up, and this is the second (or third, or fourth, or grrr!) time you've seen this display:

    Configuring Windows Updates
          0% complete
   Do not turn off your computer.

You're getting annoyed because it sits there for several minutes, never moving off 0%, before your computer finishes rebooting.

Stop! Pay attention! Watch the screen!

Something is going wrong, and it will flash

   Failure...
   Reverting changes

just before the message disappears and your computer finishes rebooting (I can't show you the whole message because it flashes by so fast).

Yup, something's going wrong with your last set of Windows updates, and it looks like it's not going to fix itself...

Yup, you need to do something... here's how:

• Go to Control Panel - Windows Update - View Update History

• Use right mouse - Copy Details to record the Status - Failed entries; for example:

  Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2534366) Failed
  Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2529073) Failed
  

• Use Windows Update to apply the failed updates one at a time; you might have to reboot after each one.

No guarantees, but I found the technique on the interweb (so it's gotta be good, right?)... and it has worked for me on two separate occasions.

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