R
rb608
My kid was reading a web page (no music, video, or other downloads, he
assures me) when the shutdown screen appeared (Standby, Shut Down,
Restart) and the PC simply rebooted itself. Following that, this
sequence repeats itself:
1. The standard black & white BIOS screen comes up, with the memory
check and all that stuff.
2. The WindowsXP logo screen (black background, XP logo, progress bar)
appears as usual.
3. The screen goes black. (Normal)
4. The blue "Welcome" screen appears as usual.
5. After a few (about 10) seconds of the Welcome screen, the PC simply
reboots again and the process starts over.
So here's what I know. I have a router installed on a DSL connection,
with a firewall (Freedom). I run a Norton AntiVirus system scan every
night. I typically run one or two adware removal tools every day.
Things have been fairly clean lately, just a few tracking cookies that
I delete. Nothing malicious seems to get through.
I tried a full shutdown, power down, & wait. After a few minutes,
start up. Same thing.
I can boot from the XP disk, and I tried a Repair installation of XP.
I went through the whole process & restarted. Same problem.
It seems as though XP is trying to load but is hitting an obstacle
somewhere in the procedure. This leads me to several questions; and
I'd be happy with answers to any or all of them:
A. Is this likely an OS problem at all, or am I looking at a hardware
failure? (memory, HD, power supply)?
B. Given that I had a teenage child online at the onset, is this
likely a virus, worm, etc.?
C. In either case, is a full reinstall of XP a reasonable thing to try
next, or am I wasting my time with that before finding the real cause?
How much is that going to F up my software installations?
D. When I get home tonight, what's the chances I'll be able to boot up
in Safe Mode? Can I run Norton in Safe Mode?
Thanks to any and all in advance,
Joe F.
assures me) when the shutdown screen appeared (Standby, Shut Down,
Restart) and the PC simply rebooted itself. Following that, this
sequence repeats itself:
1. The standard black & white BIOS screen comes up, with the memory
check and all that stuff.
2. The WindowsXP logo screen (black background, XP logo, progress bar)
appears as usual.
3. The screen goes black. (Normal)
4. The blue "Welcome" screen appears as usual.
5. After a few (about 10) seconds of the Welcome screen, the PC simply
reboots again and the process starts over.
So here's what I know. I have a router installed on a DSL connection,
with a firewall (Freedom). I run a Norton AntiVirus system scan every
night. I typically run one or two adware removal tools every day.
Things have been fairly clean lately, just a few tracking cookies that
I delete. Nothing malicious seems to get through.
I tried a full shutdown, power down, & wait. After a few minutes,
start up. Same thing.
I can boot from the XP disk, and I tried a Repair installation of XP.
I went through the whole process & restarted. Same problem.
It seems as though XP is trying to load but is hitting an obstacle
somewhere in the procedure. This leads me to several questions; and
I'd be happy with answers to any or all of them:
A. Is this likely an OS problem at all, or am I looking at a hardware
failure? (memory, HD, power supply)?
B. Given that I had a teenage child online at the onset, is this
likely a virus, worm, etc.?
C. In either case, is a full reinstall of XP a reasonable thing to try
next, or am I wasting my time with that before finding the real cause?
How much is that going to F up my software installations?
D. When I get home tonight, what's the chances I'll be able to boot up
in Safe Mode? Can I run Norton in Safe Mode?
Thanks to any and all in advance,
Joe F.