Pixie said:
Hi everyone,
Has anyone had this problem? This is the first time I have encountered this.
My computer will be booting up, and right when it is about to go into the
Windows XP loading screen, there will be a brief flicker of a blue screen
(like a fraction of a second), but then the computer will automatically
restart itself and begin the process again. It gives me the option to start
the computer normally, start with the last known good configuration, or start
up in safe mode (with/ without networking), it doesn't matter which option I
choose, the outcome is always the same -- it reboots itself.
Any ideas??
On the Startup Menu (the one with the choices for Safe Mode etc) is
there an option to "turn off automatic restart on system failure" (or
words to that effect)? If so then that is the option that you need to
try. This may just result in a "Blue Screen Of Death" STOP error
message instead of a restart. If that happens then the contents of
the error message including the STOP code, all 4 parameters, and any
file or volume names mentioned will be a direct clue as to the
underlying cause of your problems.
If this is not possible then there is one long shot chance that might
fix your machine. One of the more common causes of your type of
problem is data corruption on the hard drive such as can be caused by
an improper shutdown, power failure, etc. This is far from the only
cause but the recovery procedure is fairly straightforward and it is
extremely unlikely to make things worse so it is worth trying before
you resort to the more drastic action of a Repair Install as suggested
by Galen.
What you need to do is to boot the computer to the Windows XP Recovery
Console or equivalent using the Windows XP Installation CD, bootable
diskettes from Microsoft, or a third party product such as Bart's PE
Builder. Because there are so many other options and possibilities,
especially with OEM versions of Windows XP, I am going to suggest that
you use Bart's PE Builder.
On your functioning computer download the program from
http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/ and create the bootable CD. In this
circumstance it is not essential that CD be created on a computer that
is running the exact same version of XP as the problem machine.
Boot the problem computer with the Bart's CD and open a command prompt
window. In that window enter the following command:
CHKDSK C: /R
If the underlying cause of your problems was a corrupt data structure
on the hard drive (e.g. an UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME error) then this
should get you back in business with everything intact.
And if not then your next best option is the repair install suggested
by Galen.
Good luck
Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair
"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."