Safeboot goes to blank screen

[mkaye]

Here’s my problem… I was trying to boot in safe mode and marked the /SAFEBOOT box in System Configuration Utility and rebooted and now it just goes to a blank screen, like its dead.

I have Windows XP and when I F8 and do get to the safe mode options and hit enter, it lists a bunch of lines like this: 
Multi (0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\fltmgr.sys

I don't have the discs that came with the computer, by the way.

Please help, if you can, thanks!

[patio]

So safemode will not load fully either ? ?
I'm afraid you are gonna need an XP CD to repair this...

[Allan]

When you press F8 and get to the Advanced Boot options screen, have you tried: Last Known Good Configuration?

[mkaye]

When I try last good configuration, it still just goes to the blank screen. From there, I can't do anything at all. I'm using my laptop to post these.

[Allan]

Well, then I guess patio hit the nail on the head - you need an XP CD to proceed.

[mkaye]

Thank you for the advice. Bad thing though, even if I did have my discs, my disc drive hasn't worked for a long time, so I guess I'm screwed.

Either one of you know how I can get to the DOS command prompt and maybe I can change the BOOT.INI thing that I clicked to begin with?

[Allan]

Not without a cd drive.

[dahlarbear]

1.  If the system was working fine before you attempted "Safe Mode" boot through System Configuration utility, your problem is with the "read-only", "hidden", "system" file "boot.ini".

The "boot.ini" file is located in the root directory "C:\".

2.  You need an operating system that can access that file system (FAT, FAT32, or NTFS?) with read/write access.  Options include:
     a.  Windows XP Setup CD (using Recovery Console to repair)
     b.  Windows XP Setup Disks (Floppy) (using Recovery Console to repair)
     c.  "Slave" the hard drive to a working computer with file system access.
     d.  Boot to Live CD (operating system with appropriate file system access).
     e.  Boot to Live USB media (maybe Puppy Linux? - never tried it).

3.  To fix you may:
     a.  Delete "boot.ini"  (from Recovery Console or another OS)
     b.  Rebuild "boot.ini" (from Recovery Console)
     c.  Copy correct "boot.ini" to hard drive (from Recovery Console or another OS)
     d.  Edit "boot.ini" in place (using another OS)

4.  What operating system and service pack level were you using; e.g. Windows XP Professional SP3?

5.  If necessary, there's a bootable "Recovery Console" iso image on the web that you may download and "write" (not copy) to a CD-R:  http://www.thecomputerparamedic.com/files/rc.iso.  They say it should match your version of the operating system, but I don't think it matters just to replace the "boot.ini".

6.  Puppy Linux Reference(s):
     a.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppy_Linux
     b.  http://www.puppylinux.com/faq.htm

[dahlarbear]

1.  You may also use "alternate" boot media to load the operating system off the hard drive.  Once loaded, you may use Windows XP to fix the "boot.ini".  Files needed on the "alternate" boot media are:
     a.  NTLDR
     b.  NTDetect.com
     c.  Boot.ini - that points to correct location of hard drive operating system

The alternate media may be any device your system can boot from, formatted with any file system NTLDR can read (FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS).

The tricky part is the volume or partition boot record of the media must point to "NTLDR".  So you want to "format" the media on a Windows XP system to have the appropriate partition boot record laid down by the format.

2.  At some point you've got to ask yourself - wouldn't it be easier to fix the CD-ROM drive?