Boot Loop: Troubleshooting?

[(PeteCresswell)]

Older Intel mobo.

Was boot looping at the Windows XP splash screen - it got that
far then starts over again.

Tried a bunch of boots - unplugging various devices - concluded
that the system drive was having physical problems.

Popped in a replacement drive. Partitioned it to 40 gigs.

Fired up ShadowProtect and restored a 37.5 byte image to that
partition.

Started Windows in Safe Mode just tb sure.

Now I've got a variation on the boot loop: instead of the Windows
splash and back to DOS, Windows stays loaded but loops "Loading
your personal settings".... "Saving your settings"....

The Question:

Could the partition size mismatch be a factor here - or is that a
red herring?
============================================================

FWIW, the numbers on the mobo are:

E210882 N232

D865GLC/D865PESO/D865PCD 03

 

[Iceman]

Older Intel mobo.

Was boot looping at the Windows XP splash screen - it got that
far then starts over again.

Tried a bunch of boots - unplugging various devices - concluded
that the system drive was having physical problems.

Popped in a replacement drive. Partitioned it to 40 gigs.

Fired up ShadowProtect and restored a 37.5 byte image to that
partition.

Started Windows in Safe Mode just tb sure.

Now I've got a variation on the boot loop: instead of the Windows
splash and back to DOS, Windows stays loaded but loops "Loading
your personal settings".... "Saving your settings"....

The Question:

Could the partition size mismatch be a factor here - or is that a
red herring?
============================================================

FWIW, the numbers on the mobo are:

E210882 N232

D865GLC/D865PESO/D865PCD 03

Well, it certainly doesn't seem to have helped much, or does it?

You could have a look at this page on shutdown issues:

http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/shtdwnxp.htm

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Iceman:

Well, it certainly doesn't seem to have helped much, or does it?

Seems tb a different animal.

The original problem was that it booted to the Windows splash
screen, and then went back to a cold start - as if somebody gave
it the old DOS 3-finger salute.

The new problem is that it boots in to windows and then keeps
looping on the dialogs as described in the OP.

My kneejerk is that I have somehow introduced a new problem -
separate and distinct from the original one.

Was trolling for something vis-a-vis the partition size mismatch
in an effort to avoid re-imaging again and again trying to
duplicate the original partition size.