cannot boot

[Carl Stockwell]

Hope someone can help with this. Am running a Compaq Presario 2100. Has been
running fine since I got it. I went to use it this afternoon and it failed
to boot. I tried safe mode, last known good boot, normal, safe mode with
command prompt. Nothing works. The boot screen is about 1/3 normal size.
After I select the boot mode, it goes to the splash screen and the visible
area turns blue with 2 small lines which disappear in 1/10 of a second. I
switched boot order and tried top boot with the XP system disk. After it
goes thru a few stages, I get message "session3_initialization_failed" and
it will not go further. I tried looking this up in Microsoft KBs and it
points to a change in hardware, but there have been none. I am running XP
Home, 512 MB RAM and the system has run perfect since I got it. Not sure
about what step to take next. The attempt to boot from the XP disk was to
either 1. repair the existing installation or reinstall it over the current.
Thanks

 

[Squire]

Try going all the way through the installation sequences until you get past
the Eula agreement, and then select Repair.
You don't lose any programs already installed, but you will have to download
all the security updates again unless your CD is SP2 integrated.

 

[Brian A.]

Try a Repair install.
How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315341

Be careful inside and make sure you keep in contact with the case to keep
any static from zapping anything.
Check inside the case and make sure all the fans are working.
Clean out the dust bunnies, especially in the heatsink (if installed) under
the processor fan.
Check all connections and adapters to make sure they are connected and
seated.

If that doesn't help, test the Hard drive for integrity and the memory.
Go to the hard drive manufcturers site and download their drive
diagnostics. Follow their instructions on creating a floppy and running
the diagnostics.

Memory testers:

http://www.memtest86.com/
http://www.memtest.org/
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

--

Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375