As a follow-up to my previous questions...
The "Finalizing file restore..." stage eventually completed, but reported that an error had occured, and that the restore point could not be utilized.
Not quite sure what to do next, I decided to just let the laptop restart.
Windows 8 did eventually load (which was a positive step in the right direction), and then shortly after loading, Windows announced that it successfully restored the laptop. So a bit of conflicting information, but a happy ending, for now.
I'm about to try installing the next Windows 8 updates, but just one at a time, to try and isolate which update caused the laptop to go into its original tailspin of death and dispair...
