windows 8.1 stuck trying to apply updates

[AshleyC]

Ive an old 8.1 laptop tha now wont boot up. Its stuck in aloop trying to apply an update

Ive gone through the recovery menus to try and restore to an old restore point but it keeps saying it cant access one file and to turn off virus control, since i cant get to the desktop anymore i cant do that.
Ive also removed the "pending.xml" file from c:\windows\WinSxS\ to see if i could boot up without it trying to apply any updates. But that doesnt seem to work either.

All i really want to do is get to the desktop and apply the free windows 10 upgrade, i also want to save all my bookmarks off from Chrome, i have a couple of hundred! Is there any way i can do that at the command prompt since thats the only thing i can seem to get to now. Or if anyone has any ideas how to get to the desktop without attempting to apply updates that would be useful. Could i just delete every file in that folder where the Pending file was?

 

[RacingSnake]

can you boot into safe mode?

 

[AshleyC]

nope, the only thing i can get to is a command prompt

 

[RacingSnake]

oo-er, shouldn't be able to get to the command prompt without windows loading since, Win95 I think it was?!
Can you create a recovery USB from a working PC and 'boot from USB'?

 

[4wd]

Ive an old 8.1 laptop tha now wont boot up. Its stuck in aloop trying to apply an update

Ive gone through the recovery menus to try and restore to an old restore point but it keeps saying it cant access one file and to turn off virus control, since i cant get to the desktop anymore i cant do that.
Ive also removed the "pending.xml" file from c:\windows\WinSxS\ to see if i could boot up without it trying to apply any updates. But that doesnt seem to work either.

All i really want to do is get to the desktop and apply the free windows 10 upgrade, i also want to save all my bookmarks off from Chrome, i have a couple of hundred! Is there any way i can do that at the command prompt since thats the only thing i can seem to get to now. Or if anyone has any ideas how to get to the desktop without attempting to apply updates that would be useful. Could i just delete every file in that folder where the Pending file was?

Assuming you are normally logged in to chrome it will know your bookmarks anyway.
When you log into chrome from any new device your bookmarks and other stuff like saved passwords will automagically appear.