Cannot boot Windows at all

[Adam Paul]

Help! Windows XP and my entire system just died. When I
try to boot up, I get the dreaded blue screen, with an
option to start the computer in either safe mode or in the
last working configuration. Attempting to start up from
either option yields error screens. In addition, booting
from the start-up CD also fails...it loads various files,
then says that "Setup is loading Windows", and then
crashes.

My computer is entirely inaccessible, the data is not
backed up, and I need to access the drive. Is there any
way to do this, or am I simply forced to format?

 

[Guest]

Sounds like a nasty virus. Get a friend to make you a
windows XP boot DISK (floppy.) If i remember correctly,
there are problems with the XP startup disk, call your
computer manufacturer for the best help.

 

[Guest]

Thank you for responding.

The manufacturer is Dell, and they say they can't help
with any software issues, even though XP came bundled with
the machine.

The only other possibilities are using Microsoft's pay
help (insane that they'd make you pay for support if Dell
doesn't provide it themselves), or else format the drive?
Are there any other options? And is it easy to make an XP
boot disk on a floppy?

 

[Malke]

Thank you for responding.

The manufacturer is Dell, and they say they can't help
with any software issues, even though XP came bundled with
the machine.

The only other possibilities are using Microsoft's pay
help (insane that they'd make you pay for support if Dell
doesn't provide it themselves), or else format the drive?
Are there any other options? And is it easy to make an XP
boot disk on a floppy?

Dell machines come with an operating system cd. Since you don't tell us
the error message *on* the BSOD, it is impossible to give you specific
advice. Your problems could be software or hardware. Your RAM could be
bad, your fans failing, etc. You can try doing a Repair Install
yourself, which should preserve your data and settings. Here are
instructions:

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

If that doesn't work, of course your data can be rescued if the hard
drive is intact. Take the machine to a good local computer repair shop
(not a Best Buy or CompUSA) and have them fix it for you.

Malke