XP Pro won't boot into safe mode

[mjones]

Anyone come across this before? PC boots fine into normal mode but
won't boot into safe mode.

Sticks on a driver then reboots.

Tried disabling the driver that it stuck on - then it simply stuck on
another driver. Disabled that too, and it stuck on another driver.
Etc.

Phoned MS Support - they suggested I disconnect all external
peripherals (except, of course, keyboard, monitor, mouse, etc) - still
no luck, just the same.

Has anyone come across this before?

SP2 *is* installed along with all critical updates.


Ta

 

[george]

do you know which driver it chokes on?
If you don't, consider trying a bootup with the bootlog switch set (Start,
run, msconfig and check the appropriate startup option)
This logfile might tell you what the last driver was that was loaded before
it chokes. THat might just be the one causing the problem.
If so, is it an essential one to get your system up and running?
If not, then you might consider starting your system using the Recovery
Console Option (started from the installation CD),
go to the command prompt and use the help disable command to see the syntax
and next type disable <device identification> to temporarily disable that
particular device, thereby circumventing the use of its driver.
Actually, since you can boot normally, you might just as well disable that
device through the GUI.
Now see if you can update that driver software and if that makes the problem
go away..

just some things I would try.

george

 

[mjones]

On Sat, 18 Dec 2004 00:59:33 +0100, "george"

Thanks but, as mentioned in my original message, I've already tried
disabling the driver it stuck on (agp440), and it then stuck on mup, -
disabled that and it stuck on nv_agp, so disabled that and it stuck on
prohlp02 ......... basically, whichever driver you disable, it then
sticks (and reboots) on the next one UP the list.

Most puzzling.

Any thoughts please anyone?


Thanks

 

[Malke]

On Sat, 18 Dec 2004 00:59:33 +0100, "george"

Thanks but, as mentioned in my original message, I've already tried
disabling the driver it stuck on (agp440), and it then stuck on mup, -
disabled that and it stuck on nv_agp, so disabled that and it stuck on
prohlp02 ......... basically, whichever driver you disable, it then
sticks (and reboots) on the next one UP the list.

Most puzzling.

Any thoughts please anyone?


Thanks

Do you have Nero's InCD 4.3 installed? Having this program installed
after SP2 is applied will cause the symptoms you are experiencing. If
you don't use InCD, uninstall it. If you do use it, Nero has an update
on their site.

Malke

 

[dugland]

On Sat, 18 Dec 2004 00:59:33 +0100, "george"

Thanks but, as mentioned in my original message, I've already tried
disabling the driver it stuck on (agp440), and it then stuck on mup, -
disabled that and it stuck on nv_agp, so disabled that and it stuck on
prohlp02 ......... basically, whichever driver you disable, it then
sticks (and reboots) on the next one UP the list.

Most puzzling.

Any thoughts please anyone?


Thanks

Have same.
Tried for month to have an answer.
The only reply ever received from one of the MVP.
Why do you need to boot in safe mode??
Usefull isn't?

DO NOT TRY TRU MSCONFIG - BOOT.INI - /SAFEMODE
if you do so your machine goes in a loop of start and reset and you are
stuck with no machine.
Will be watching and good luck.

 

[cquirke (MVP Win9x)]

Thanks but, as mentioned in my original message, I've already tried
disabling the driver it stuck on (agp440), and it then stuck on mup, -
disabled that and it stuck on nv_agp, so disabled that and it stuck on
prohlp02 ......... basically, whichever driver you disable, it then
sticks (and reboots) on the next one UP the list.

It's not the drivers. It's something that happens *after* the
drivers, by which time the OS has stopped telling you what is going
on, because no further problems are expected.

You'd see the same failure pattern if you isntalled SP2 on a Prescott
system that wasn't rev'd up to the correct microcode level, as per

http://cquirke.mvps.org/sp2intel.htm

---------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

On the 'net, *everyone* can hear you scream

 

[mjones]

Do you have Nero's InCD 4.3 installed? Having this program installed
after SP2 is applied will cause the symptoms you are experiencing. If
you don't use InCD, uninstall it. If you do use it, Nero has an update
on their site.

Thanks, but no - I don't use that program.

Also, further to that ......... I did a repair of XP from the original
CD, and even then it still wouldn't boot into safe mode! This time
though after loading the drivers it did blue screen with the error:

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

STOP: 0X0000000A

 

[mjones]

It's not the drivers. It's something that happens *after* the
drivers, by which time the OS has stopped telling you what is going
on, because no further problems are expected.

Gotcha. So how to find out the cause?

You'd see the same failure pattern if you isntalled SP2 on a Prescott
system that wasn't rev'd up to the correct microcode level, as per

http://cquirke.mvps.org/sp2intel.htm

Ah, but my CPU isn't an Intel, it's an Athlon XP.


Thanks

 

[Bill James]

Have you considered that the problem might be with the last driver previous to the first one reporting an error? In other words, that driver didn't return an error, but hosed up the process of loading additional drivers.

--

Bill James
Microsoft MVP - Shell/User

Windows VBScript Utilities » www.billsway.com/vbspage/
Windows Tweaks & Tips » www.billsway.com/notes_public/

 

[cquirke (MVP Win9x)]

Gotcha. So how to find out the cause?

Not so easy. Error messages are your friends, but here you're alone
:-(

I'd start with "the prelim", i.e.:
- check fans, voltages, eyeball motherboard caps
- check HD for physical defects (HD vendor's tools, SMART history)
- check RAM (www.memtest.org)
- formal virus scan

Then I'd see if there are any logs of what may have been "fixed" by
ChkDsk, or "cleaned" by av. If your OS can't boot, then you need a
maintenance OS to do that (just as you did for the formal virus scan
earlier). While it's easy on Win9x to see Scandisk history in
C:\SCANDISK.LOG, you'd have to dig deep to get the same info in XP.

So it's a lot more difficult than it should be, compared to Win9x, and
close to impossible if you're on NTFS.

It sounds like damages files in the installation, as can happen due to
bad hardware or malware attack, or a primary effect of bad hardware.

You could try removing some inessential hardware, but be careful not
to pick a fight with Product Activation or Plug and Play. Start by
disconnecting all outside-the-box stuff, including LAN / Internet.

Ah, but my CPU isn't an Intel, it's an Athlon XP.

Yep; pattern's the same though, even if not due to issues with
UPDATE.SYS as is the case with Prescott etc. Ah; is that one of the
64-bit-ish AMD chips that supports No-eXecute? If so, try the
Boot.ini syntax to suppress the No-eXecute feature that SP2 added.

Then again, that should already apply in Safe Mode

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The most accurate diagnostic instrument
in medicine is the Retrospectoscope

 

[mjones]

Yep; pattern's the same though, even if not due to issues with
UPDATE.SYS as is the case with Prescott etc. Ah; is that one of the
64-bit-ish AMD chips that supports No-eXecute? If so, try the
Boot.ini syntax to suppress the No-eXecute feature that SP2 added.

Thanks - what's the syntax?

 

[cquirke (MVP Win9x)]

Thanks - what's the syntax?

"Thank you for asking that question" - I don't know, but it is known.

Let me ask Uncle Google...

SP2 No Execute Boot.ini

....ah:

http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=232276

Example:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Media Center
Edition" /fastdetect /EXECUTE

This describes the feature in general:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/sp2mempr.mspx

This offers a lot more fine-grained control,. including Boot.ini

---------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

On the 'net, *everyone* can hear you scream

 

[mjones]

"Thank you for asking that question" - I don't know, but it is known.

Let me ask Uncle Google...

SP2 No Execute Boot.ini

...ah:

http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=232276

Example:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Media Center
Edition" /fastdetect /EXECUTE

Great, thanks.

So if I try that, there's no chance that it will prevent my PC from
booting into normal mode is there?