Cannot Boot Win XP

[Guest]

Cannot boot my Win XP PC. When switching on I get the 'Windows XP' start up
screen with the small progress bar - screen then flashes blue for a second or
two. No time to read what it says but I have noticed the word "boot" on it.
System tthen displays Safe Mode, Last Best Configuration and Normal Windows
Options. Selecting any one of these repeats the problem again. Last job I
did was to update my anti-virus definations (Norton). Auto-update is on but
I do not think SP2 is installed. Grateful for any assistance.

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

If none of the options you tried let you boot into Windows, then you will
have to look towards a 'Repair' install of XP. You don't know if SP2 is
installed? Knowing that may decide how you 'Repair' XP. Dependent on the
type of XP CD you have, the following article by Michael Stevens will help
you:

"How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install"
http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

 

[Guest]

Easiest [as in most manageable and perhaps least destructive] solution is to
perform a repair installation.

This takes <1hour and Windows is going to run!

Perform a Repair Install by following the step by step below.

Set BIOS to boot from CD: insert XP installation CD into drive.

When you see the "Welcome To Setup" screen, you will see the options below

This portion of the Setup program prepares Microsoft Windows XP to run on
your computer:

To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

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

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.

Press Enter to start the Windows Setup.

Accept the License Agreement and Windows will search for existing Windows
installations.

Select the XP installation you want to repair from the list and press R to
start the repair.

Setup will copy the necessary files to the hard drive and reboot. Do not
press any key to boot from CD when the message appears. Setup will continue
as if it were doing a clean install, but your applications and settings will
remain intact.

Worm warning: Do not immediately activate over the internet when asked,
enable the XP firewall before connecting to the internet. You can activate
after the firewall is enabled. Control Panel - Network Connections. Right
click the connection you use, Properties, and there is a check box on the
advanced page.

Reapply updates or service packs applied since initial Windows XP
installation. Please note that a Repair Install from the Original install XP
CD may remove SP1 / SP2 and will need to be reapplied [only apply SP2 as it
replaces SP1] if they are not part of the CD.

Activation
You may be prompted to reactivate XP..go ahead.