Occasional boot problem

[Bobby]

Every now and again my PC refuses to boot. I either get "Boot failure" or
"Press Control-Alt-Del to reboot". Sometimes after several attempts it boots
and sometimes I have to switch it off for 10-15 minutes and retry (when it
usually works). I've no idea why. This happens from cold so it can't be
overheating. Any ideas?

I'm running XP Pro (SR1) on a bog-standard PC.

Cheers.

Bobby

 

[GSV Three Minds in a Can]

Every now and again my PC refuses to boot. I either get "Boot failure" or
"Press Control-Alt-Del to reboot". Sometimes after several attempts it boots
and sometimes I have to switch it off for 10-15 minutes and retry (when it
usually works). I've no idea why. This happens from cold so it can't be
overheating. Any ideas?

I'm running XP Pro (SR1) on a bog-standard PC.

I'd diagnose a hardware problem of some kind - quite possible PSU,
although is could be other things (many of them .. memory, cpu,
motherboard, disk drive). It certainly isn't an XP problem, since it
doesn't get that far.

 

[Bobby]

Thanks for the suggestion. But it also happens when warm. Sometimes it goes
for days when it's OK - sometimes it happens every other boot.

Cheers.

 

[Ron Sommer]

Have you checked that the cables and power wires are tight?