Windows XP hangs when closing down

[Guest]

I am running WindowsXP Home with Service Pack 2. Recently, for no reason that
I can discern, it hangs when closing down with the message "Installing Update
1 of 1" and a second message "Do Not unplug or switch off - Windows will
close automatically". My problem is that Windows does not close
automatically, but just goes into a repeating cycle showing these two
messages one after the other. I have left it for several hours and still it
is stuck in that cycle. At the same time there is no evidence that any update
is actually being installed - no disc activity at all in fact. In the end I
have just switched off, which doesn't seem to have any adverse effect since
the computer restarts OK. However, I still get the above scenario
occasionally on closing down. Perhaps about one time in three.

Clearly, some file is corrupted. Can anyone suggest which file and how to
correct this?

TIA

JohnM

 

[kenchi]

so you are trying to do windows update and it hangs sometime. It could
be because its not able to connect to the site from where its trying to
download the update. Or while downloading the updates connection broke,
possible these scenarios are not handled properly by the updater. Make
sure you have proper net connection

 

[Guest]

Kenchi

Thanks for the reply. No, I'm not trying to update, although I do have
automatic updates enabled. When an automatic update is available, the close
down button is modified to show that an update is available and to give a
choice of shutting down with installing the update or without installing the
update. The symptoms I am describing happen only occasionally and only on a
normal closedown when the computer does not show an update as being available.

 

[DP]

In the situation the OP is talking about, the updates are already
downloaded. They're just waiting to be installed.