I have a Windows 7 computer stuck in the dead stage of “Configuring Windows Update” screen the other day for quite a while without getting any chance moving forward. First, it was stuck at 100% complete for over an hour. Then, it was stuck at 35% after I shut it down and tried to boot again.
I tried to boot to Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Network, or Safe Mode with Command Prompt. They all ended up the same result, stuck in the Configuring Windows updates screen.
I ended up having to boot from a bootable WinPE USB drive and run the following command to revert a pending update action on Windows.
dism.exe /image:c: /cleanup-image /revertpendingactions
You may check to find the drive letter that hosts the Windows 7 system. It’s located at C: most of the time but it could also be placed at D: sometime.
Also, check out the post that shows you How To Build A Windows 10-Based WinPE USB Bootable Drive.
After rebooting the computer, Windows will try to revert the changes it made earlier. It may take a bit time to complete the process but it will eventually lead you back to the login screen.
You may also try to delete the following file before attempting the DISM reverting approach. I couldn’t locate this file in my case but you may be able to find it on your computer.
C:WindowsWinSXSpending.xml
Either way, it should be able to bring back the login screen for you. Once you log in and settled, I recommend you run Windows Update again to keep your Windows computer up-to-date.