Constant restarting problem

[Donald L. Hoffpauir]

When attempting to boot my WinXP system I get to an option screen that
allows for safe mode booting, etc., mentioning that a recent change in
hardware or software could have caused this problem.

However, I've had no recent changes so I'm having trouble tracking this
down. Also, if I choose safe mode and run a scan disk, 9 out of 10 times it
will boot properly.

Has anyone experienced this or have any corrective suggestions?

Thanks!
Don

 

[Malke]

When attempting to boot my WinXP system I get to an option screen that
allows for safe mode booting, etc., mentioning that a recent change in
hardware or software could have caused this problem.

However, I've had no recent changes so I'm having trouble tracking
this
down. Also, if I choose safe mode and run a scan disk, 9 out of 10
times it will boot properly.

Has anyone experienced this or have any corrective suggestions?

Something is failing and you need to find out what. Start by looking in
Event Viewer for clues:

Start>Run eventvwr.msc [enter]

It wouldn't hurt for you to test your RAM and hard drive, either:

Test the RAM - I like Memtest86+ from www.memtest.org. Obviously, you
have to get the program from a working machine. You will either
download the precompiled Windows binary to make a bootable floppy or
the .iso to make a bootable cd. If you want to use the latter, you'll
need to have third-party burning software on the machine where you
download the file - XP's built-in burning capability won't do the job.
In either case, boot with the media you made. The test will run
immediately. Let the test run for an extended period of time - unless
errors are seen immediately. If you get any errors, replace the RAM.

Test the hard drive with a diagnostic utility from the mftr. Usually you
will download the file and make a bootable floppy with it. Boot with
the media and do a thorough test. If the drive has physical errors,
replace it.

Malke