Restart Loop

[tvaughn05]

I was having a small problem with pop-ups, and I posted my problem on
geekstogo.com. One of the Staff there told me to install Windows XP
SP1a.
So, I went to
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/sp1/default.mspx,
and I downloaded the service pack. After installing the service pack, I
restarted the computer. And now it just sets itself on a restart loop!
It won't stop restarting!! I tried loading Windows normally, Last Known
Good Configuration, and in Safe Mode, and each time I as soon as the
Windows XP logo disappeared, the computer restarted. I did not back up
my data, and I need this data for work tommorow. I had fixed this once
before while installing SP2, but I had access to safe mode.

I found these links, but none of them addressed my specific topic.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/873161/en-us
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deplo...
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/bro...
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/pcmaintenance/qt/rebootbreakout.htm

You can view my original issue at the below link. It contains
additional information about my system.

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/index.php?act=ST&f=37&t=88465

Any help would be greatly appreciated ASAP, as I need my computer by
tommorow, and I did not backup my data...I learned my lesson about
backup...

-Tony

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Your PC may have been more compromised than you realised,
with the unwanted pop-up only being the tip of the iceberg.
Installing SP1 may have pushed it over the edge.

There are several issues in your post:

a) How do restore WinXP. I don't know. A "Repair" installation
might fix the problem but I'm not at all sure.
b) How to get at your files. There are several methods - see below.
c) To back up your data. You're already aware that you must
back up your data. Get a 2.5" laptop disk and an external USB
enclosure to match, then back up your important files every
week and in particular ***before*** any software installation.

Here are a few methods to get at your files:
- Boot the machine with a Win98 boot disk (www.bootdisk.com),
then run this command: ntfsdos.exe /L:mn
You can get this tool from www.sysinternals.com. You can now
copy any file to floppy disk, provided you know where it is and
provided its size is less than 1.44 MBytes. You will get short
file names only.

- Install your hard disk temporarily as a slave disk in some other
WinXP/2000 PC, then copy the files to a suitable medium.

- Boot the machine with a Bart PE boot CD (www.bootdisk.com),
then copy your files to a suitable carrier medium such as a USB
disk. A Bart PE boot CD is a very handy thing to have but it
takes several hours to make one.

 

[tvaughn05]

Thank you very much! Hopefully I will be able to fix this...I will post
back with my results..

 

[tvaughn05]

Thank you all for helping me with my computer problem. The issue has
been resolved.
-Tony

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Thank you all for helping me with my computer problem. The issue has
been resolved.
-Tony

How did you resolve it? Other people with the same
problem might be interested!

 

[Guest]

I'm having a similar issue with my laptop, but nothing to do with pop-ups and
my laptop only has a CD drive/burner, no floppy disk drive. Here's my
problem more specifically:

My laptop runs on Windows XP and it's not starting up. I get the message: We
apologize for the inconvenience, but Windows did not start successfully. A
recent hardware or software change might have caused this.

I've clicked on every option given and the same thing happens every time.
The windows startup begins, a blue screen flashes--too quickly to be able to
read the text, then the screen with the boot up options appears; immediately
afterwards it goes back to the original screen with the "apology" quoted
above.

I read the article: The Automatic Recovery Screen Is Not Displayed If the
Bootstat.dat File Is Compressed found in
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309481, but I didn't get it. If windows
doesn't start, how do I "access the Bootstat.dat file, and then click
Properties" ... etc?

I read somewhere else that if windows doesn't start, press F8 and start in
safe mode with command prompt. I tried that too but it just lead me to the
"apology" again. When from the original screen I enter "Safe Mode with
Command Prompt" it lists a bunch of commands, but gives me no prompt. It then
goes into the sequence of events already described above.

So now what? I do have my Operating System CD (Microsoft Windows XP Home
SP1a), but first I'm not sure how to use it, and worse I'm concerned about
losing the data that I haven't recently backed up (only within the last week
but unrecoverable). I'm hoping that would be my last resort.

Any help would be fantastic.

Thanks,
Maria

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I'm having a similar issue with my laptop, but nothing to do with pop-ups and
my laptop only has a CD drive/burner, no floppy disk drive. Here's my
problem more specifically:

My laptop runs on Windows XP and it's not starting up. I get the message: We
apologize for the inconvenience, but Windows did not start successfully. A
recent hardware or software change might have caused this.

I've clicked on every option given and the same thing happens every time.
The windows startup begins, a blue screen flashes--too quickly to be able to
read the text, then the screen with the boot up options appears; immediately
afterwards it goes back to the original screen with the "apology" quoted
above.

I read the article: The Automatic Recovery Screen Is Not Displayed If the
Bootstat.dat File Is Compressed found in
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309481, but I didn't get it. If windows
doesn't start, how do I "access the Bootstat.dat file, and then click
Properties" ... etc?

I read somewhere else that if windows doesn't start, press F8 and start in
safe mode with command prompt. I tried that too but it just lead me to the
"apology" again. When from the original screen I enter "Safe Mode with
Command Prompt" it lists a bunch of commands, but gives me no prompt. It then
goes into the sequence of events already described above.

So now what? I do have my Operating System CD (Microsoft Windows XP Home
SP1a), but first I'm not sure how to use it, and worse I'm concerned about
losing the data that I haven't recently backed up (only within the last week
but unrecoverable). I'm hoping that would be my last resort.

Any help would be fantastic.

Thanks,
Maria

Sigh . . . today seems to be the day fir not backing up files.
I'm still thinking about the OP of this thread who sounded
really, really, REALLY desperate but who appears to be
so centred on his own problems that he does not deem it
necessary share his solution with the rest of the world.

This link might solve your problem:
http://support.microsoft.com/Default.aspx?id=310396

If it does not then you need to get your important files
off your laptop. There are several ways of doing it safely,
and several to do it unsafely. Reloading WinXP is not a
safe way - if you select the wrong option then you might
lose the lot.

Post again if you need more details, and let other readers
know if the above link works!

 

[tvaughn05]

Thank you, I apologize for not getting back to you quicker. I fixed the
problem by running the Windows repair console, and using "fixboot c:".
I then restarted the computer, and booting of my Windows repair CD
provided by Gateway. I ran that installation asking it to repair my
Operating System. All my data was preserved (i did have to regain
ownership of the files and folders however).

Thank you for your help,

Tony

 

[tvaughn05]

I hope everything goes well for you Maria. Thank you Pegasus for
emailing me. I've been having Microsoft Office Problems now, and I am
trying to fix it...

-Tony

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Thank you, I apologize for not getting back to you quicker. I fixed the
problem by running the Windows repair console, and using "fixboot c:".
I then restarted the computer, and booting of my Windows repair CD
provided by Gateway. I ran that installation asking it to repair my
Operating System. All my data was preserved (i did have to regain
ownership of the files and folders however).

Thank you for your help,

Tony

Thanks for the feedback. It seems you had some corruption
inside Windows, which you fixed by running a repair job. The
fixboot command would have repaired the boot environment
but nothing else.