Computer Keeps Trying to Boot Over & Over - Harddrive Bad?

[lohryx5]

Just got back from a 7 month deployment overseas. Wife says the compute
(Medion, Windows XP Home, 3.2GHz Pentium IV Hyper-Thread, 512 DDR SDRAM
dual layer DVD/CD+/-RW x2, no floppy) not sure what else might help
would randomly restart on its own and boot back up. This go
progressively worse during the past week. Uninstalled a bunch o
Nikelodian flash games the kids had downloaded. Yesterday, I update
Spybot and Ad-Aware, ran them, and cleaned up a few other things.

Then, for no reason, the computer shut off. The Microsoft logo came u
(the blue bar got half way across), I saw the "blue screen" for a spli
second, then the following options came up for restarting:

Safe Mode
Safe Mode with Networking
Safe Mode with Command Prompt

Start Windows Normally (last known good configuration)

I started with Start Normally, no joy. Proceeded through the othe
three options, no joy. Can't even get in through Safe Mode. If I let i
count down the 30 seconds, it will just keep trying to boot and neve
get there. I F8 in Advanced Options during the next boot attempt an
none of those options worked either. I did Disable the auto restart s
I could see what error codes came up on the "blue screen." This is wha
I got (minus the text that preceeds it talking about power interruptio
and other possible reasons for the restarts).

Stop: 0x00000024 (0x00190203, 0x823790B0, 0xC0000102, 0x00000000)

I tried to use the System Recovery disk that came with the computer t
boot from it. When selecting CD-ROM it gives me these choices:

1. Recovery of Startup Files
2. Recovery of System & Driver Files
3. Restoring Factory Settings
4. Reboot

Option 1 didn't work. It keeps starting over and asks if I want to boo
from the Hard Drive or the CD-ROM. Just a neverending circle. Option 2
no joy, didn't do much. And I'd prefer not to restore to factor
settings or anything that will require me to format my harddrive a
this point. I have too many family pictures and personal files that
can't afford to lose, especially since none of them have been backed u
to disk in the 7 months that I was away.

Appreciate any help.
V/R,
Joh

 

[DatabaseBen]

hmmmmm......
sounds like you got a real problem.

it could be a deluge of infections
or simply some device driver that is
uncompatiable with the system.

others on this site might provide some
insight. But at this time it would
help to get a set of emergency repair
disks made off any functional computer.
These will get into the c drive if all else fails

to make emergency boot disks simply
get the other computer to format a
cd with the boot files options selected.
then before you eject/burn be sure
to copy over these files onto the cd:
fixboot and fixmbr then burn the disk.

this will be one tool that will get into
the harddrive and gain some control
and possible get those pics...Also,
the files above plus transferring
ntdlr files onto the hd may be able
to get you back into safemode as well.

you might have a hidden directory
on your harddrive with special recovery
tools. check your website or use manual
if you do. to access it would be something
like pressing an f10 key instead of an f8 during
bootups..

 

[Curtis Newton]

Just got back from a 7 month deployment overseas. Wife says the computer
(Medion, Windows XP Home, 3.2GHz Pentium IV Hyper-Thread, 512 DDR SDRAM,
dual layer DVD/CD+/-RW x2, no floppy) not sure what else might help)
would randomly restart on its own and boot back up. This got
progressively worse during the past week. Uninstalled a bunch of
Nikelodian flash games the kids had downloaded. Yesterday, I updated
Spybot and Ad-Aware, ran them, and cleaned up a few other things.

Then, for no reason, the computer shut off. The Microsoft logo came up
(the blue bar got half way across), I saw the "blue screen" for a split
second, then the following options came up for restarting:

Safe Mode
Safe Mode with Networking
Safe Mode with Command Prompt

Start Windows Normally (last known good configuration)

I started with Start Normally, no joy. Proceeded through the other
three options, no joy. Can't even get in through Safe Mode. If I let it
count down the 30 seconds, it will just keep trying to boot and never
get there. I F8 in Advanced Options during the next boot attempt and
none of those options worked either. I did Disable the auto restart so
I could see what error codes came up on the "blue screen." This is what
I got (minus the text that preceeds it talking about power interruption
and other possible reasons for the restarts).

Stop: 0x00000024 (0x00190203, 0x823790B0, 0xC0000102, 0x00000000)

I tried to use the System Recovery disk that came with the computer to
boot from it. When selecting CD-ROM it gives me these choices:

1. Recovery of Startup Files
2. Recovery of System & Driver Files
3. Restoring Factory Settings
4. Reboot

Option 1 didn't work. It keeps starting over and asks if I want to boot
from the Hard Drive or the CD-ROM. Just a neverending circle. Option 2,
no joy, didn't do much. And I'd prefer not to restore to factory
settings or anything that will require me to format my harddrive at
this point. I have too many family pictures and personal files that I
can't afford to lose, especially since none of them have been backed up
to disk in the 7 months that I was away.

Welcome back, I appreciate your service.

Perhaps others will have better answers. Do you have a CD or DVD
burner on your system?

If you can get to another machine, I would download Ultimate Boot Disk
for Windows http://ubcd4win.com/ -- it is free, burn it and boot from
it.

Once it loads, you can start to try and repair things. Check the
startup groups, run anti-spyware, anti-virus, registry repair, etc.

Worst case, you use UBCD4WIN and burn all of your files to CD or DVD,
once completed, choose option 3, move all of your files back and you
will be back up and running.

 

[lohryx5]

DataBaseBen,
I haven't installed any new devices, and the problem first popped up
relatively recently. It was random at first and then just became
constant yesterday. I'm beginning to wonder if it isn't a virus issue
as my Dad just found the same thing happened to his computer. I'm a
bit limited as to what I can do at the moment since I'm at work, I'll
have to try tomorrow. I have a laptop that we can use as a backup for
now to download/copy whatever programs may help in fixing my desktop.
I'm not quite sure where to find the fixboot and fixmbr files you
mentioned, and I can't quite figure out how to format a CD with the
Boot files options selected.

Curtis Newton,
Thanks, appreciate the support. I do have a dual-layer DVD/CD+/-RW
Burner. I checked out the UBCD website and tried to download the
program but I can't get it from here at work. I'll have to try using
my laptop tomorrow when I get off from work. The program looked
relatively simple to follow. Is this similar to Knoppix? I don't have
any experience with either program but they both sound very promising.


At worse, I assume I can buy another hard drive, install Windows XP on
it, slave my old hard drive to it, and copy the personal stuff to it
before formatting the old drive? Or what about using a USB Drive Caddy
to connect the old drive to my laptop? Any risk of messing up the
laptop? Thanks again.

 

[Curtis Newton]

Curtis Newton,
Thanks, appreciate the support. I do have a dual-layer DVD/CD+/-RW
Burner. I checked out the UBCD website and tried to download the
program but I can't get it from here at work. I'll have to try using
my laptop tomorrow when I get off from work. The program looked
relatively simple to follow. Is this similar to Knoppix? I don't have
any experience with either program but they both sound very promising.

It loads a GUI and allows you to troubleshoot XP issues. It has a ton
of programs that come on the CD, well worth it.

Again, I would run the hard disk diagnostics, anti-virus and
anti-spyware apps on the CD and see if that clears things up.

 

[DatabaseBen]

there is information
and instructions on how
to make them at microsoft.com
use the search engine there to
ascertain the knowledge base.

the 2 additional files i mentioned
are also located on the other pc.
for example, do a search on
your laptop for fix*.* to
discover there location. then
when you are ready to burn the
boot disks besure to include the
2 above.