Stuck in a loop on startup

[ThrowingShapes]

My computer had an earlier problem;  It would start up once fine but if you tried to restart it, or turn it off and then on, the windows loading bar would just freeze or move very slowly.  The only way around it I could find was to turn off my power supply when it shut down and then turn it back on before starting up again.  This seemed to make the problem go away, temporarily at least.  It had gone through several of Windows Vista's updates without problem but now it's stuck in a loop.

It tries to configure the updates when I start it up and once that reaches 100% it tries to restart itself which gives me the frozen (or slow moving, inevitably leading to nothing, after 12 hours at least) issue.  Now every time I turn on my computer it configures, tries to restart, and then is frozen.

Unfortunatly I don't have the windows vista disk so I can't try to boot from the cd.  Occasionally it would give me the option to boot in safe mode, last known good configuration, and normally, all of which I tried to no avail.

Are there any suggestions?  Any help is good help, thanks in advance.

The computer specs are:
Windows vista home premium
500watt psu
geforce8800gt
amd phenom 9850
asus m3a motherboard
windows vista
300gb hdd (at least 100gb is free)
3 gb of ram
(any left out information please tell me)

Update:  I let it run again after the restart and waited at the windows loading bar.  Eventually it loaded but it went back to the configuring updates thing it had done before the restart.  Hopefully that made sense.  No idea what to make of this, but thought it may be important.

[Broni]

Create Vista Recovery Disc.

Option 1:
http://www.c4consulting.com.au/soluctions/vista/VISTA%20SOLUCTIONS.htm

Option 2:
Download Vista Recovery Disc iso image: http://neosmart.net/blog/2008/windows-vista-recovery-disc-download/
Burn it to CD, or DVD: http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/G/Burning+ISO+Images+to+a+CD+or+DVD

Boot from created disk.
At first screen click on Repair your computer:

This will bring you to a new screen where the repair process will look for all Windows Vista installations on your computer. When done you will be presented with the System Recovery Options dialog box:

After this, it will present you with a list of options including startup repair, system restore and command prompt:

Try System Restore, first.
If that doesn't work, try Startup Repair.

[ThrowingShapes]

Disregard that whole post I just replaced this with (if you managed to read it before now)  turns out the disc had been used on 3 pc's already. 

In any case I'll be posting back once I get some dvd's and try what you said Broni.


I used the first link and burned it to a cd, but to no avail.  I burned it, put it in my computer and tried to start up but it doesn't get around to recognizing the cd.  It just goes Motherboard logo screen: select how to start windows : windows loading bar : configuring updates: restart computer: rinse repeat.  When should the cd be recognized?

This is turning into quite the hassle, maybe I should throw it at the local geek squad and hope they know what to do.  Was hoping it wouldn't come to that though.

[patio]

Do not consult Geek Squad or give them any of your money...we can do it here even if Broni has to lose some sleep....

[ThrowingShapes]

I tried the second option but I can't seem to get it to boot from the cd.  I looked in the motherboard manual to get to the bios but I can't seem to do it.  Maybe I didn't burn the disc right?  I tried following the manual but I'm pretty sure not being able to change the boot order is giving me the problem.

It shows the menu but I can only get the options of runing windows vista (hitting enter leads to a multitude of ways to starts windows) and a memory test. 

Here's the link to the manual if somebody can figure out what I've been doing wrong.  I've been hitting delete at the asus logo/black screen to get the aforementioned menu.
http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us&model=M3A

I'm more than comfortable opening the computer if somebody thinks it may be a hardware issue.

[Broni]

I'm pretty sure not being able to change the boot order is giving me the problem

I'm pretty sure, too.
What brand/model of computer is it?
When your computer starts, watch the screen closely. At the bottom of black screen, it should show:
Press some key to enter setup
Pressing "some key" should get you to BIOS.
That CD is definitely bootable.

[ThrowingShapes]

It's a custom built computer, well kind of.  My dad ordered it from somebody who builds them thus the lack of a windows vista disc.  The only time I see to enter anything for setup is when the giant green A from asus pops up and tells me to press delete for the menu or tab for POST log.  When I press delete it brings me the multitude of windows start up options, and a memory test.  At the bottom of the screen though it says tab for menu but tab only changes it from selecting wether to start vista (and which type of startup) or the memory test.  I can see the menu I want to be on in the manual at the above link, but I can't find out how to get into it.  There is a black screen after the Asus screen but there doesn't seemto be any kind of prompt to be found in it, just a flat black screen with a ticking white underscore.

As far as the cd being bootable I don't question the software but instead me putting it onto a cd correctly.  I just downloaded the torrent, opened it with utorrent, and downloaded it to a folder.  I ran imgburn and selected write files/folders to a disk and selected the foler the repair file was saved under. Should I have done write image file to disc?

I'll be trying to get into the bios some more tonight, if anybody could take a look at the manual and tell me if there's something I'm missing (and I clearly am seeing as how I can't get into the bios) it would be greatly appreciated. Around section 4 is when they talk about the bios and show the ellusive menu I'm having trouble getting to.

Thanks again for the help Broni (and anybody else who may contribute).

[Broni]

I ran imgburn and selected write files/folders to a disk

Nope. You select "Write image file to disc" option.

[patio]

Hit Delete earlier to get into setup...you're waiting a tad too long...

As to the CD itself you didn't make it bootable going by what steps you outlined.
There should be an option before you burn to create a bootable CD/DVD.

[ThrowingShapes]

I'm burning the cd as broni says now and I'll start pressing delete as soon as I turn the computer on.  Thanks both of you. I'll be back soon after I try both of these with resounding success or failure.

Thanks for the very speedy replies.

[Broni]

The manual clearly says, that pressing DEL should get you to BIOS.

[ThrowingShapes]

The manual clearly says, that pressing DEL should get you to BIOS.

Yeah I was pressing it to late, was to occupied with being irritable sorry.

[Broni]

What happened to this:

I changed the boot order so it's cd first then it restarted.  It tell me to press any button to boot from th cd so I tap my keybord.  It takes me to a black screen with white text saying windows is loading files, then the tradtional windows loading screen with the green bars.  After that it goes to a screen that looks like a vista background but the resolution is weird and I can't see anything except the background and my cursor.  My monitor is plugged into a video card but it won't go into my motherboards inbuilt one.  It has male connectors but the end of my monitor is also male connectors. I don't know what steps I should take to solve this.  Is it wrong to assume this resolution issue is causing the items to be off screen?  Or am I completely wrong and the resolution wouldn't effect this.

LOOOOOOOL

[ThrowingShapes]

It is now working 

Can't even begin to thank you both enough!

What happened to this:

I changed the boot order so it's cd first then it restarted.  It tell me to press any button to boot from th cd so I tap my keybord.  It takes me to a black screen with white text saying windows is loading files, then the tradtional windows loading screen with the green bars.  After that it goes to a screen that looks like a vista background but the resolution is weird and I can't see anything except the background and my cursor.  My monitor is plugged into a video card but it won't go into my motherboards inbuilt one.  It has male connectors but the end of my monitor is also male connectors. I don't know what steps I should take to solve this.  Is it wrong to assume this resolution issue is causing the items to be off screen?  Or am I completely wrong and the resolution wouldn't effect this.

LOOOOOOOL

Lol well I checked back in before I posted that and then it loaded haha.  I'm a very impatient person.  So I guess what really happened was backspace and I'm more than content to leave it at that.

I really appreciate the help.

[Broni]

You won't get away with simple:

It is now working

LOL

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