Blue Screen (STOP 0xA) after Windows Update

[Blaise@discussions.microsoft.com Mark Blaise]

On a WinXP SP2 Dell laptop, I have Windows Update configured to notify when
updates are available. About 2 weeks ago (on 17-Oct, I think) it showed its
icon in the tray and when clicked showed a raft of updates (posted on or
about 13-Oct), which I downloaded and installed.

It required a reboot, after which I got the BSOD while booting. "Last known
good" also yielded BSOD, as did any type of "safe boot". Lacking any other
option, I performed a Windows recovery from the XP distribution disk and
applied all updates up to, but not including, the set I had installed (that
caused the problem) - something like 109 updates. Not the way I had intended
to spend my Saturday :-(

As you can imagine, Im not thrilled at the prospect of installing these
updates again. Does anyone have any advice about what to do next?

[MowGreen]

The issue was most likely caused by the kernel update, KB971486. Do not
install that one until MS rereleases it, Mark. When the Automatic Update
icon appears in the Notification Area, click on it, UNcheck the box next
to KB971486, click OK. In the next window that pops up put a check in
the box next to " Do not offer these updates to me again " or some
similar verbiage, then click OK.

MowGreen
===============
*-343-* FDNY
Never Forgotten
===============

banthecheck.com
"Security updates should *never* have *non-security content* prechecked"

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Without knowing which updates you installed c. 17 Oct-09, we can only hazard
a guess as to which of the updates caused the BSOD...but KB971486 is
certainly Prime Suspect #1 (per BroMow's reply), especially if your computer
came with WinXP SP3 preinstalled.

Despite BroMow's post, however, there is a way to install KB971486 that
*should* avoid another BSOD situation. More on that later, if need be.

Keep in mind, too, that while KB971486 is a security update, it's classified
as an Important update, not a Critical update (see below). That being said,
KB971486 does address several security vulnerabilites anyway for which there
are no known workarounds.

<QP>
A security update is a widely released fix for a product-specific,
security-related vulnerability. Security vulnerabilities are rated based on
their severity. The severity rating is indicated in the Microsoft security
bulletin as critical, important, moderate, or low.
</QP>
Source: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/824684
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002
www.banthecheck.com

[conner]

just adding that I have experienced the stop error. From what I noticed,
most of the BSOD are on Dell computers.