Windows Vista wuauclt.exe stops working -vista won't load

[jptyke]

I've just installed Vista Ultimate. It worked all right for a couple of days.
Now, suddenly, after I log in, I get the error message: Wuauclt.exe has stopped working.
There are two options; the first offers to solve the problem via the internet, while the second just says to close down the program.
I've tried Safe Mode, which works OK. The file in question seems to be in the proper place, but I'm wondering if could have been corrupted.
The install DVD also offers to solve booting problems, but doesn't have any effect.
Perhaps re-installing Vista is the answer, but how do I go about that?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[kemical]

Some info for you here:
wuauclt.exe Windows process - What is it?
I know it's for XP but any solutions offered should still work.
Try running your security software as this could also be a trojan..

 

[superbill]

Wuauclt.exe is the Windows Update Autoupdate Client. It is a background process that periodically checks with Microsoft's servers for updates to the operating system and drivers.
If you wish to use Automatic Updates, this is a necessary process. If not, you can safely disable the Automatic Updates service, which will prevent it from running. While it is possible to kill this process through the task manager, it is likely that it will immediately come back if automatic updates are enabled. You can find the process at Control Panel>Administrative Tools>System Configuration>Tools.
Here are some suggestions to try:
If you have the KB927891 patch installed, try uninstalling it.
Try performing a repair installation of Windows.
Try disabling automatic updates via the control panel and reboot the system. If wuauclt.exe is not running after a few minutes, you should be able to re-enable automatic updates.