Windows XP WILL NOT boot up.

[durango992007]

As the title says, Windows XP on my machine will not boot up.  It gets stuck on the screen where it has the "window" and the little sliding bar below it and just freezes there.  I am not sure what to do.  I also cannot boot into safe mode, everytime I try to, I get a blue screen.

One thing I should throw out there, I was going to play Unreal Tournament 2004, I got the game going into the level, then my comp froze, and then rebooted itself, but would not boot into Windows.  It froze on the screen I stated above.

I'm hoping you guys can help me withthis problem, and I'm hoping that it is not to serious of an issue.  Thanks a lot everyone!

[dahlarbear]

1.  Last known good configuration.  If you've been unable to successfully log in since the problem occurred; try to boot using the "Last known good configuration" option of the Windows Advanced Options menu.

2.  Windows Advanced Options Menu.  Use the F8 function key during system startup to access the menu.  Tap the F8 key once or twice per second as you startup the computer (or immediately after POST completes and screen flashes black prior to displaying Windows XP logo with its processing bar display).

3.  Disable Auto Restart.  From the Windows Advanced Options menu, use the up/down arrow keys to select the "Disable automatic restart on system failure" and hit Enter.

This item became available with the release of Service Pack 2.  It is not on the Windows Advanced Options menu of Service Pack 1.

4.  Blue Screen of Death.  Hopefully the machine will stop on a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).  Record and post back with the "exact" error message text and/or numbers plus any offending software module it might name.

5.  Resources.  What recovery resources do you have:
     a.  Vendor supplied recovery/restore partition on bootable hard drive
     b.  Vendor supplied recovery/restore CDs (or user made)
     c.  OEM Windows XP Install CD
     d.  Retail Windows XP Install CD (full or upgrade)

[Allan]

What is the exact blue screen error you get when you try to boot to safe mode?

[durango992007]

I've tried booting into the last known good config. and nothing happened, just going to the Windows XP booting screen then freezes.  I also tried turning off auto restart in hopes of getting a BSOD and received nothing.  I think I do have the above mentioned CD's, I will take a look.

I did not get the BSOD message when I try to boot into safe mode, but I will go and get it now and then get back on here fairly quickly.

[durango992007]

OK, sorry for the double post, but here is the exact message I get on the blue screen when I try to boot into safe mode:

A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.

If this is the first time you've seen this Stop error screen, restart your computer.  If this screen appears again, follow these steps:

Check for viruses on your computer.  Remove any newly installed hard drives or hard drive controllers.  Check your hard drive to make sure it is properly configured and terminated.  Run CHKDSK /F to check for hard drive corruption, and then restart your computer.

Technical Information:
*** STOP: 0X0000007B (0XF789E524, 0XC0000034, 0X00000000, 0X00000000)


I have not installed any new hard drives, or hard drive controllers.  In fact, I have not installed any new hardware on my computer.

[durango992007]

Sorry for the triple post, but just a little something.  I found the OEM (Dell) Windows XP reinstallation CD.  I'm not sure if this can help me for trying to solve it, or if I should just do a complete reinstall of Windows.  If it would be easier to just do a complete reinstall of it, I'm going to need some help with that also haha.

Thanks again guys, always a lot of help.

[patio]

If you use the OEM CD to restore the system you will lose all of your data and any programs installed after you got the machine...
It will take the machine back to Day One status...

If there's no problem with this then by all means proceed...

[dahlarbear]

1.  Recovery Console.  If your Windows XP CD supports Recovery Console, it should appear as an option on the "Welcome to Setup" screen.  Screen should appear as follows:

Windows XP Home Edition Setup

    Welcome to Setup.

        This portion of the Setup program prepares Microsoft(R)
        Windows(R) XP to run on your computer.

            o  To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

            o  To repair a Windows XP installation using
                Recovery Console, press R.

            o  To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.

Boot to the Recovery Console from the CD.  You'll be asked to enter the "number" of the Windows installation you wish to repair (usually "1"), then the "Administrator" password, if one was set.  If you never assigned a password, just hit "Enter" key.

Use the "chkdsk" command to verify/fix the integrity of your file system(s).  Verify the drive letters for each of your disk partitions (one at a time).  The syntax to use is "chkdsk <drive:> /p /r" where "<drive:>" represents the logical drive letter you wish to check (e.g. "chkdsk c: /p /r").

Depending upon the size of your partitions, these checks could take a long time.  Let them run to completion without interruption.  The chkdsk utility was not designed to be interrupted.  Doing so might corrupt the file system.

Use the "map" command first to see which drive letter is associated with each partition.  It's not necessarily the same as a normal boot.  Syntax to use is just "map".

See:  Recovery Console Commands.

2.  Hard Drives.
     a.  How many hard drives are in the system?
     b.  How many partitions on the boot hard drive?
     c.  How do drives interface to motherboard (IDE or SATA)?
     d.  Have you changed any BIOS settings recently?

[Allan]

As suggested above, the first thing you should try is to boot to the Recovery Console and run chkdsk /r
Here is what MS has to say about that error (please note, they mention boot sector viruses as a possible cause, but that is an EXTREMELY rare possibility).

[Johns]

Try updating your version of BIOS. I`m sure it will fix the problem.

[Allan]

Try updating your version of BIOS. I`m sure it will fix the problem.

And why are you sure of that?

[Johns]

And why are you sure of that?

Because I had the same problem a month ago and my bios was corrupted.

[Allan]

Because I had the same problem a month ago and my bios was corrupted.

Ignore this guy.

[durango992007]

So, how am I supposed to get to the setup screen when I put the reinstallation disc?  I cannot figure out what to do with it.

Also, if I do decide to do a complete reinstallation of Windows, how do I go about uninstalling it and then reinstalling it?

I'm hoping to go by the first solution, but if it comes down to having to do a complete reinstall, I won't have a problem with it.

[Allan]

I didn't say anything about a reinstallation disc. You need to boot to an XP CD.