Boot failure

[Guest]

Power went off. When I restarted computer, got the message: Boot failed;
system halted. Any ideas?

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

Try booting your PC with the XP CD and then perform a 'Repair' install of
XP:

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

 

[Guest]

Does the PC boot in safe mode?

Could be damaged memory as a result of the power loss / surge.

Stevo

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Reed.

Sounds like a hardware problem before Windows even gets a chance to try to
load. :>(

WHY did the power go off? If it was just a power failure, it should be no
more harmful to your computer (or to Windows) than abruptly pulling the plug
from the wall or hitting the off switch. The computer and Windows should
recover gracefully, perhaps with a scolding for an improper shutdown.

If the power failure was caused by something like a lightning strike,
though, the damage could be severe. Components inside, including the hard
drive, might be "fried", even if everything looks right on the outside. You
should have it checked by a qualified technician.

RC

 

[Guest]

And if you don't already have one, you should have surge protector for the
computer. Probably don't need anything too special.

 

[w_tom]

Try another bootable device such as a boot diskette or boot
from the CD-Rom. Bios outputs a message suggesting computer
is working; that boot sector information was lost.

If you don't have a boot diskette, downloaded one from
www.bootdisk.com or from www.nu2.com.

Had you provided more information (is filesystem NTFS or
FAT), then more solutions could have been provided. But
ignore the silly surge protector recommendation. A surge
protector adjacent to a computer can even make hardware damage
easier. You do need effective protection. But that is not
available adjacent to the appliance. Effective protection is
earth ground. The 'whole house' protector connects to earth
ground - protects every appliance for many times less money
than ineffective plug-in protectors. Furthermore surge
protection has nothing to do with this possbile boot sector
problem.

 

[Guest]

You're a moron. Of course the "whole house" thing would be more protection.
The point is that some sort of protection should be implemented. And I've
never heard of the "hardware damage easier". How exactly would that happen?
I'm sure you're right though, since most surge protectors offer some sort of
warranty for hardware if it is damaged while plugged into their protector.

 

[w_tom]

Amazing how many just know it provides surge protection due
to word association. It is called a surge protector; therefore
it must be surge protection? Cited as technical proof: a
hyped warranty that is chock full of exemptions. That one
post is irrelevant to the OP. Below is only to teach the
technically uneducated.

Any protector that works adjacent to an appliance is already
inside that appliance. If those $0.10 parts inside a grossly
overpriced plug-in protector are so effective, then those
parts were already inside the appliance.

Appliances already have sufficient internal protection.
Protection that can be overwhelmed if the 'whole house'
protector connected 'less than 10 foot' to earth ground is not
implemented. Plug-in protectors don't provide such useful
functions. Internal appliance protection assumes the 'whole
house' system is installed.

What does an adjacent protector do? Does it stop or absorb
what miles of sky could not? Of course not. Reality: a
plug-in protector shunts (distributes, connects, shorts) a
destructive surge from one wire to all others. The
recommended adjacent protector can provided a surge with more
destructive paths (more wires) through an appliance.
Protector can even contribute to damage of the adjacent
appliance.

Rather than admit this, plug-in protector manufacturers
avoid discussing what their product does, why internal parts
are so grossly undersized, and the most important component of
effective appliance protection - earth ground. No earth
ground means no effective protection. Therefore earthing is
not even mentioned. It's called an ineffective, overpriced,
and undersized protector even promoted by urban myth
purveyors.

People who cannot even say what a protector does still
recommend these grossly overpriced protectors. Those who
promote these myths would even cite warranties as technical
proof? Go figure.

Again, irrelevant to the OP since surges have nothing to do
with his failure. His failure involves another completely
different electrical event called a blackout. This post only
repeats what was accurately posted previously:

ignore the silly surge protector recommendation.

If necessary, boot media can be downloaded from
www.bootdisk.com or from www.nu2.com.