Failing to boot XP

[Geoff]

Recently my computer failed to load Win XP Pro SP2 (seemingly a problem with
a video card, BSOD referred to an ATI driver). Fitted another video card and
received basically the same BSOD message this time referring to the new
video card driver. The Windows splash screen would show, then the computer
would go into a continous loop of wanting to Start Windows Normally (?) and
would not allow me to make any other choices such as safe mode etc. I then
went into the BIOS settings and change the first boot device to CD (the
second being the hard drive), placed the XP Pro disc into the CD reader
(with a view to doing a "Repair" installation) BUT the computer continued to
go to the XP splash screen thence to the continual loop of wanting to Start
Windows Normally, back to splash screen to Start Windows Normally, ad
infinitum now ad nauseam! Whats happening?

 

[John John (MVP)]

When the computer starts to boot maybe you need to press a key, like
F12, to get a boot menu?

John

 

[db.·.. >]

barring hardware issues,
you might try to use the
commands:

fixboot
chkdsk
bootcfg /rebuild

via the recovery
console.

 

[Geoff]

cannot get the comp to read the Windows CD to get into Recovery console....
just gets stuck in this endless loop of Windows Splash screen then wants to
Start Windows normally, ad infinitum
only time I can use a keystroke is during the initial boot process to get
into the BIOS :-(

 

[db.·.. >]

well, you might have
to set the cd device
as the boot device
instead of the hd via
the bios menu.

 

[nass]

Recently my computer failed to load Win XP Pro SP2 (seemingly a problem with
a video card, BSOD referred to an ATI driver). Fitted another video card and
received basically the same BSOD message this time referring to the new
video card driver. The Windows splash screen would show, then the computer
would go into a continous loop of wanting to Start Windows Normally (?) and
would not allow me to make any other choices such as safe mode etc. I then
went into the BIOS settings and change the first boot device to CD (the
second being the hard drive), placed the XP Pro disc into the CD reader
(with a view to doing a "Repair" installation) BUT the computer continued to
go to the XP splash screen thence to the continual loop of wanting to Start
Windows Normally, back to splash screen to Start Windows Normally, ad
infinitum now ad nauseam! Whats happening?

Either your machine overheated or your HDD is going bad!
Try to tets the health of your HDD by downloading the diagnostic tool from
the HDD manufacturer website and run a test to see if it pass or there are
bad sectors.
What happen if you selected the last good known configuration that
worked..does boot up okay?
HTH
nass

 

[Geoff]

I did (see my original post) but it will not try and boot from the CD as the
first boot choice, just goes directly thru splash screen etc :-(

Perhaps I should just put the hard drive into another machine and reformat
and start over again........

 

[db.·.. >]

interesting. booting with
the cd is a very important
process and you should
not have any problems with
this, unless the device or
the connections is bad or
the cd is not a bootable one.

so i would double check
the pc and figure out why
the cd is not booting your
windows installation cd.

maybe instead of putting
the hd in another pc to
re format it, you can borrow
another cd drive and put it
into the dysfunctional pc
and attempt to boot the
win cd.

if this cd device doesn't work
either, then you likely have
a bigger problem that would
not be resolved by re formatting
the hd.

 

[Geoff]

and when I checked the boot order thru the BIOS, both the first and second
boot were from the CD and the third from the hard drive. I have a CD reader
plus a DVD burner fitted.

 

[db.·.. >]

i would disconnect
the dvd, temporarily
so that you can have
focus on the cd.

as mentioned, booting
with the windows cd
via the cd reader is a
critical process for
your pc to do.

also as mentioned, if
you cannot boot from
the cd, then reformatting
the hd as per your idea,
may be futile because
there is a hurdle that
your pc and your o.s.
is encountering.

for example, lets say
you reformat and
reinstall the o.s. on
another pc.

when you install the hd
back into the pc, there
will be a good chance that
it will still stall.

 

[db.·.. >]

btw: be sure that
you are using a
windows setup
cd to boot with.

the cd should have
a hologram inscribed
on its surface.

 

[Geoff]

I have Western Digital diagnostic tool running at boot up and there was no
sign of machine (HD) running hot and the report always said that the HD was
in good condition.

Was not able to select Last Known Good Configuration (or any of the other
choices) the keyboard did not work during this stage and just kept going
into this endless loop as previously described. The keyboard worked when I
needed to change the boot sequence via the BIOS.

The original BSOD stated there was a video card driver problem and that the
system was in an endless loop because of a hardware or software problem.
After some minutes then computer bought up the Windows splash screen and
then went into this endless loop. After removing the video card, I noted
that some capacitors were swollen (thus I assumed the card was passed its
"useby" date), replaced the ATI card with an Nvidia card and got the same
BSOD this time referring to the Nvidia driver. And once again into this
"endless loop"!

I would have thought that the Nvidia card would run on the Windows drivers
to start with and then I would be able to install the updated drivers for
this card. No such luck getting the system to start.

I am now thinking there was a software corruption problem bought about by
constant restarting and the endless loop it got itself into. This was the
time (I thought) that I should try a "Repair" install, but how to do it if I
could not get the computer to boot via the CD drive. I changed the boot
devices via the BIOS so that both first and second were set at CD and the
third and last one at the hard drive. No luck in reading the CD. I placed
the CD in another machine and it read it ok (not a CD problem). I trid the
CD in the DVD burner, did not read. I disconnected the DVD burner, leaving
only the CD player connected and that seemed to make no difference at all.

Both the CD reader and the DVD burner were working before this BSOD suddenly
appeared. Maybe I should take a known good CD reader out of another machine
and try that.

And therein lays my dilema and my curiosity to learn about what has gone
wrong.

My thanks to you and John John and DB.".. >< ))) (etc) for your inputs and I
am still listening for any further suggestions

 

[Geoff]

I hear what you are saying - thanks. But maybe I will have to give it a try
to reformat and load Windows in another machine, re-install in the
"troublesome" one and see if I can move on from there.

See also my reply to Nass.

 

[Mick Murphy]

I know it is a silly question Geoff, but are you hitting F10 to save
changes(boot order) and exit from bios?
Also, you might try F12 to change the Boot Order.

 

[db.·.. >]

well, the best method
to find a needle in the
hay stack is to begin
the process of elimination.

for example, i would
remove any speciality
boards from the mobo
and bring the system
down to a basic computer.

so removing the added
video board, additional
usb boards, an extra ram
module, any usb devices
other than the kb, mouse
and monitor should sound
like a reasonable step for
you to take.

so by having one cd device
one hd, you can focus your
attention on getting these
two things to work.

as mentioned, i doubt that
you will overcome the
problem you have now by
erasing the hd on another
system.

it might very well be that
your mobo has kicked the
bucket.

however, if you want to
proceed with reformatting
the other drive and resinstalling
the o.s., then go ahead because
it would be something towards
resolving your issue as best you
can.

but keep in mind that when
you install the o.s. on the other
machine, that o.s. may configure
itself for that particular machine.

keep us aprised...

 

[db.·.. >]

btw: you might also
consider re-installing
the mobo drivers that
are likely available
from it's homesite.

 

[Geoff]

Thanks db - will work my way thru your suggestions - not sure when I can get
on with it (gotta work for a living unfortunately) so not sure how soon I
can "report back" but you have my email address, feel free to contact me to
see what is happening.
Geoff