MBR, DLL, and NTLDR issues

[Greyfang]

ah, sorry, i'll clarify.  i'm still on XP Home SP2, and i don't need to tap the F8 key repeatedly, just hit it once.  but yes, that's how i'm attempting to enter Safe Mode.  for further clarification, i have tried tapping repeatedly for various amounts of time (i tried to get into Safe Mode about 20x last night), and all produces the same results.  i don't recall the exact text, but it was something very close to this:

Please select a boot device

              my SATA drive
              my other drive
              CD ROM device

Press Enter to Select
Use Arrow Keys to Move up and down
Press Esc to boot from default

...and pressing Esc didn't make any difference either.  as i said, my BIOS is configured to only boot from my SATA drive, and nothing i tried got any different result, although i could see the regular Safe Mode screen flash for half a second every time before i got this screen. 

[patio]

Check the SATA connectors with the machine unplugged...they're flimsy and easily un seated.

[Greyfang]

just opened everything up and blew the dust out of it tonight.  the SATA's connected, the system boots, it just bypasses the Safe Mode screen to ask for boot device specification.  if i don't hit F8, everything starts up just fine w/o asking for boot device.   

[dahlarbear]

1.  Boot Failure Guard.  In your BIOS setup, on the "Advanced -> CPU Configuration" display, do you have a "Boot Failure Guard" configuration option (Enable/Disable)?

How do you have it set?

What do you know about it?

Boot Failure Guard:

A Boot failure restore featuer. While system could not bootup normally at overclocking setting, the safe boot up mode will be issued from Boot Failure Guard and pvoide a BIOS setting Interface to parameter reset/correction.

2.  SATA Operation Mode.  In your BIOS setup, on the "Main -> IDE Configuration" display, do you have a "SATA Operation Mode" configuration option (Non-Raid/Raid)?

How do you have it set?

3.  IDE Devices.  What IDE devices do you have on that system?

4.  Safe Mode Boot.  There are other ways to initiate safe mode.  The "c:\boot.ini" file may be modified with additional Windows XP invocation lines all pointing to your single installation of Windows XP.  You  tailor the invocations with "switches" for the environment you want.  In this case you would add the switch for the "Safe Mode" you want to boot into.  Then whenever you boot the system, you're asked to choose the operating system (invocation) you want to load via a menu (similiar to the one you deleted in January).  If you're interested in this approach, I'll see if I can find the switches; or you can use the same utility you used last time to edit the "boot.ini".

Add Safe Mode Startup to the Boot Menu

[Greyfang]

In your BIOS setup, on the "Advanced -> CPU Configuration" display, do you have a "Boot Failure Guard" configuration option (Enable/Disable)?

no option for that in my BIOS

In your BIOS setup, on the "Main -> IDE Configuration" display, do you have a "SATA Operation Mode" configuration option (Non-Raid/Raid)?

non-RAID (only have one SATA drive)

What IDE devices do you have on that system?

one 40 GB IDE drive

i'll check out the link for adding Safe Mode to the boot menu, thanks!

[Greyfang]

ok, checked the link, and went ahead and saved a new boot.txt to include Safe Mode in the OS boot menu, but haven't changed the actual boot.ini yet as i would rather not have to choose an OS every time i boot.  silly?  perhaps, but that's me.  if there's another way i can do it without that, that would be great; if not, i'll suck it up and do it that way   

also went back and looked through my BIOS to see if there was something that looked like it could be changed to avoid the boot device selection which is preventing me from simply using F8, and the only thing i saw which i thought could be involved is that my IDE is set to Primary Master... would this be why i'm getting that menu, even though it's not set up as a boot device?  ::shrugs::

[dahlarbear]

1.  Safe Mode.  You shouldn't have to do anything "special" to enter Safe Mode.  The reason I suggested returning to an operating system select menu (with an additional "Safe Mode" operating system invocation defined) during boot was to gather more data about the "problem".  By determining what works and what doesn't we may be able to isolate the original "Safe Mode" boot problem.  Be sure to "name" the alternate operating system invocation appropriately, so you'll recognize it in the selection menu.

Look at the following Add Safe Mode To Your Boot Options

2.  IDE Drive.  I'm not sure how the IDE hard drive (jumpers) should be set in a system that boots from a SATA hard drive.  I'll have to do some research.

3.  Boot Device Selection.  Does your BIOS support a function key (e.g. F1, F12, or "F8"), that permits the manual selection of a boot device during system start up?  It is possible your BIOS is using F8 which is also used to invoke Windows Advanced Options Menu, aka Start Mode menu).

4.  The Smoking Gun.  The following link(s) suggest ASUS may have done this, and discusses several work arounds:
    what genius decided F8 should be device boot menu
    Solved: Can't boot into safemode

The simplest resolution from the above links if you're quick, nimble, and have rhythm is from "Dallows":

the F8 for boot menu is only during post. so just wait for post to go away and hit F8, no problems.

[dahlarbear]

Works as designed...  Go figure...

[Greyfang]

Works as designed...  Go figure...

hehe, of course.  i'll try to be a bit more selective with my F8 timing and see if that'll get me there.  thanks a bunch! 

[Greyfang]

couldn't get that to work for me, so i'll just hit the /safeboot tag from msconfig when i need to run in Safe Mode.  thanks for the help, guys.  always a pleasure