XP Boot Up Problems

[Betty1612]

Hi

Please can you help me? Our computer will boot up however only to the safe mode screen. When I select safe mode it runs through the Windows XP screen as normal and then goes back to the black safe mode screen.
I can not run this in safe mode or normall as the same happens each time.

Please can any one advise me how I can fix this problem?

Thank you so much.

Betty1612

[lslade]

In the Safe mode run system restore> go back to the date your computer last ran correctly

[dahlarbear]

1.  From the "Windows Advanced Options Menu", the screen that presents you with the Safe Mode options that you appear to be at; select the following item:

    Last Known Good Configuration (your most recent settings that worked)


2.  If that doesn't resolve the "restart cycle" that you appear to be in, and you're running Windows XP SP2; from the "Windows Advanced Options Menu" select the following item:

    Disable automatic restart on system failure

Hopefully you'll now stop at a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) that has error message text and numbers on it.  If you copy this data exactly as it appears and post it here, someone can search internet using "substrings" of the error message to find potential causes and resolutions.

I don't believe this "item" appears on earlier versions of Windows XP (original or SP1).


3.  Either way, success or failure, post back. 

[Betty1612]

I tried to reboot in last known good configuration and the same error happens!

Sorry, the Windows Advanced Option Menu, is this on the black screen? 

I will have a look tonight as this is on my home PC and will paste back the answers via my laptop.

Thank you for your help. 

[dahlarbear]

Sorry, the Windows Advanced Option Menu, is this on the black screen? 

Yes, the Windows Advanced Option Menu is on "a" black screen.  If you're running Windows XP SP2, the following item should be available to you:

    Disable automatic restart on system failure

It sounds like your system is automatically taking you there due to the "unknown" condition.  Normally you would access this menu by tapping the F8 key about once a second as you boot your system.  (Or if you feel lucky, immediately after the single beep of a successful Power On Self Test (POST)).

As I mentioned earlier, I don't believe this "item" appears on earlier versions of Windows XP (original or SP1).

[friny]

If you have the Windows XP CD-ROM available, you must run it and restore the OS kernel reinstalling it (Note: I don't mean that you reformatting the HDD, only reinstall Windows XP to restore the kernel)

try it and answer me back!!!!

If you don't know how to do this, you must follow the next steeps:
1. Boot up the machine with the Widnows XP CD-ROM inside, and press any key to start from the cd...

2. Select in the blue screen menu the "Install Windows XP" option by press the Enter key.

3. When the Installation interface shows you the option that you have a Windows XP OS installed, then press R to repair the Installed WXP.

4. When all the process finish, you could enter to WXP normally, and you will note that all the programs, folder and files will remain in your pc.

[dahlarbear]

If you have the Windows XP CD-ROM available, you must run it and restore the OS kernel reinstalling it (Note: I don't mean that you reformatting the HDD, only reinstall Windows XP to restore the kernel)

Or you could first listen to what the system is trying to tell us.  At this point you don't "must" do anything.  The option "friny" proposes is still on the table but may not be the best one.  Following link discusses a methodical approach to resolving the problem.

    http://searchwinit.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid1_gci968110,00.html


If the following item is available to you from the Windows Advanced Option Menu you should select it to see what system is trying to tell us:

    Disable automatic restart on system failure

[Betty1612]

Hi

We now have the blue screen what do we do next please?

Thank you

Betty1612

[dahlarbear]

Hopefully you'll now stop at a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) that has error message text and numbers on it.  If you copy this data exactly as it appears and post it here, someone can search internet using "substrings" of the error message to find potential causes and resolutions.

Post the data here.  It's important to copy exact message (and numbers) as they appear to facilitate internet searches (Microsoft Knowledge Base and other sites).

[Betty1612]

Strange! We done a few guess work bits with the repair CD and it has now logged on however it ran through CHKDSK first, verifies things and then goes to the sign on screen.

Should we run the virus checker?

Thank you so much

[dahlarbear]

1.  Chkdsk may have corrected inconsistencies within the file system.


2.  Virus Checker.  It wouldn't hurt since you should run it periodically anyway.  I guess you're asking whether you should run it while you're successfully logged in.  Don't know, it's your call.  If you have access to the internet, I'd probably ensure its signature database is updated before running the scan.

 
3.  Blue Screen.

We now have the blue screen what do we do next please?

Was this blue screen part of the boot from CD or from disabling the automatic restart?  I'm just trying to understand which path you took and what worked for you.  Sounds like you rebooted from CD and recovered from there.

[Betty1612]

Hi

We rebooted the CD from the blue screen. Everything seems to be owrking fine now.

Thank you so much for your help.

Betty1612