Windows failing to update - Laptop in crashing loop

one-non-blonde

My daughter's laptop (Dell Inspiron 1525 - 3 months old) has just crashed while she was surfing and is now in a loop which I can't find a way to break into. When turned on it boots up and displays:

'Configuring updates: Stage 3 of 3 - 0% complete
Do not turn off your computer.'

Then about 10 seconds later:

'Shutting down...'

Then it restarts over again. I've tried interrupting by turning it off manually and rebooting in safe mode but it just ends up in the same status update loop.

I've just done another manual startup and there was an option to repair. Results are as follows:

'Startup Repair cannot repair this computer automatically'

Problem Event Name: StartupRepairV2
Problem Signature 01: AutoFailover
Problem Signature 02: 6.0.6001.18000.6.0.6001.18000
Problem Signature 03: 0
Problem Signature 04: 65537
Problem Signature 05: unknown
Problem Signature 06: NoRootCause
Problem Signature 07: 0
Problem Signature 08: 2
Problem Signature 09: WrpRepair
Problem Signature 10: 10
OS Version: 6.0.6001.2.1.0.256.1
Locale ID: 1033

From here I can get into some advanced options, one of which is a system restore but it says there are no restore points (which wasn't the case).


Help!

Browntoa

Using Dell Factory Image Restore in Windows Vista
Notice: Restoring the original factory image erases ALL existing data. This includes files, folders, programs, drivers, E-mails, photos. Before performing a PC Restore, back up all personal files. If you do not back up your personal files, the data will be lost.
1 Turn on the computer.
2 As the computer starts, press <F8> on the keyboard until the Advanced Boot Options menu appears on the screen.
Note: You must press <F8> before the Windows logo appears on the screen. If you press <F8> after the Windows logo appears on the screen, the Advanced Boot Options menu will not appear on the screen. If you do not see the Advanced Boot Options menu, restart the computer, and then repeat this step until you see the menu on the screen.

3 Press the <Down Arrow> on the keyboard to select Repair Your Computer on the Advanced Boot Options menu, and then press <Enter>.
4 Specify the language settings that you want, and then click Next.
5 Log in as a user who has administrative credentials, and then click OK.
6 Click Dell Factory Image Restore.
7 In the Dell Factory Image Restore window, click Next.
8 Click to select the Yes, reformat hard drive and restore system software to factory condition check box.
9 Click Next.
The computer is restored to the default factory configuration.
10 When the restore operation is completed, click Finish to restart the computer.
The software is now installed as it was when the computer was first received.

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?journalid=6763D0CAF56A4D66E040AE0AB6E14EF1&docid=336966

Browntoa

it's still under warranty, you can ring Dell and talk through any other repair options they may have

one-non-blonde

Thanks for your response. I swithered about the system restore but was leaving it as a last resort! Have bitten the bullet and started from scratch and all seems well.