Need help, suddenly cannot load windows xp

[Guest]

I have been using Windows XP on a Pentium 4 machine for about 1 1/2 years without problems. I have up to date antivirus protection and a hardware router/firewall on all my computers. This machine worked fine last night, tonight it cannot be started. When I try, it gives me a display that says Windows failed to load, we are sorry for any inconvienence. It then gives several possible reasons for this, and then down at the end of the screen asks if I want to start Windows Normally, last known good configuration, safemode with networking, safemode with command prompts or safe mode. It also shows a timer ticking down, and when it hits 0 the machine again tries to start and the entire cycle repeats itself. I have tried selecting every option on the list, and it does not make any difference. I also tried to boot from my Norton cd, but that did not work either. Any ideas? Or am I just up a creek and will have to take it in to be reformatted. I have a lot of work on it I hate to lose.
Thanks for any help.
Sally

 

[bullwinkel J. Moose]

Please don't reformat that is a last ditch effort. Try a safe start. You
probably picked up a virus or trojan.Are all yourt cxomputer on a network?
If so can you load windows on the others? If so be careful you don't
transfer the problem to your other machines. If you can make the problem
machine a stand alone machine then make yourself a boot cd or floppy and try
to boot from that. If that doesn't work try to make a boot floppy or cd
(assuming you can make the cd the 1st disk loaded and run from it a virus
checking tool. Then run avg 6.0 then spybot then adaware. If your a
bediviled with a virus/trojan/worm that may clean it out.

IF you are on a network be sure to remove the machine from the network or
you will spread the disease.

Good luck.
--
Regards,
Werner
(e-mail address removed)
Remove "Nospam" when e-mailing

I have been using Windows XP on a Pentium 4 machine for about 1 1/2 years

without problems. I have up to date antivirus protection and a hardware
router/firewall on all my computers. This machine worked fine last night,
tonight it cannot be started. When I try, it gives me a display that says
Windows failed to load, we are sorry for any inconvienence. It then gives
several possible reasons for this, and then down at the end of the screen
asks if I want to start Windows Normally, last known good configuration,
safemode with networking, safemode with command prompts or safe mode. It
also shows a timer ticking down, and when it hits 0 the machine again tries
to start and the entire cycle repeats itself. I have tried selecting every
option on the list, and it does not make any difference. I also tried to
boot from my Norton cd, but that did not work either. Any ideas? Or am I
just up a creek and will have to take it in to be reformatted. I have a lot
of work on it I hate to lose.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your response. I can't get the computer to let me into safe mode to do anything that way. I have tried using the F8 button to get into the mode to use alternate ways to boot the machine. I can get to the menu, but none of the ways to start the machine work. I've tried safe, safe with network, restore to last known working point, etc. None of them work, they just start the same cycle over again. I'm afraid if I try and start it from this computer, I will end up crashing it, also. They are networked together.

 

[Kelly]

Hi Sally,

The 'reasons' would help here. And this is generally the
unmountable_boot_volume error which is corrected by a reinstall. Good luck!