Continuous rebooting

[Guest]

I have been having a problem running a game and tech support for the game
company suggested booting into safe mode to install. Here is where my problem
starts. I don't have any problems using f8 to get to select to boot into safe
mode. When I would select safe mode the computer would not boot into safe
mode, it would get to the screen where safe mode is in all four corners of
the screen and the system would go directly to selecting which user to log in
to. No matter which user I select the computer would reboot into regular
windows.
So, I entered msconfig>boot.ini and checked safe mode. Since then I have
been in a continuous reboot. How can I get out of this cycle?

 

[John John]

Boot to the Recovery Console and use the BOOTCFG command to rebuild the
boot.ini file. When you used msconfig and selected the safe mode option
it added the /safeboot:minimal switch in the boot.ini file, you have to
remove that switch.

A discussion about the Bootcfg command and its uses
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291980

Description of the Windows XP Recovery Console
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058

John

 

[Guest]

I can't find my XP setup disk but I have a Win2K setup disk. If I try this
suggestion with the Win2K disk, there isn't a bootcfg command.
Is there any way for me to open and edit the boot.ini form the command line?
Or could I put the drive in my external enclosure and access the boot.ini
file from my laptop?

 

[John John]

As you have already discovered, the Windows 2000 Recovery Console
doesn't have the bootcfg command. You can use this method to edit the
boot.ini file:

How to Retrieve One Page Text Files in the Recovery Console by Using the
Batch Command
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/243067

Use the COPY command to then copy the edited file from the diskette back
to the hard drive:

copy a:\results.txt c:\boot.ini

(you may need to rename or delete the existing c:\boot.ini file before
you can copy the one on the diskette to the hard disk)


You can also use the 6 setup XP floppy diskette set, but that takes a
bit of time to download and create and you have to plop the diskettes in
and out of the computer when you boot with the diskette set.
Nonetheless it is a useful alternative for users who have no other way
of booting to the Recovery Console.

How to obtain Windows XP Setup boot disks.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994

You can obtain an ISO image of the Recovery console here and burn it to
CD: http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/

Finally, yes you can put the disk in your external enclosure and edit
the file then return the disk to the computer. Keep in mind that the
boot.ini file is a Hidden, System, Read-Only file, you will have to
change its attributes to edit it. Use the Folder Options to view hidden
files and use the Windows Explorer GUI to change the read-only flag, or
you can change the attributes at the command prompt by navigating to the
directory holding the file and issuing the following command:

attrib -s -h -r Boot.ini

John

 

[Guest]

OK, I'm back into XP but I still can't get into safe mode.