Start up problem

[Keith]

Using Sony Vaio laptop with Windows XP Professional installed. About four
years old. Using XP normally doing ebay stuff and it froze. Stopped by
holding down Power button. Tried to start again but loading bar on XP start
screen froze after about ten seconds. Tried again same thing. I can run in
Safe mode and have tried a System Restore at two earlier dates. Tells me I
am successful but will not Start normally - just freezes. I have not added
any new hardware or software. I would appreciate knowing what this symptom
may mean. Is there a troubleshooting path I could explore or do I have to
re-install XP? Thanks

 

[Malke]

Using Sony Vaio laptop with Windows XP Professional installed. About four
years old. Using XP normally doing ebay stuff and it froze. Stopped by
holding down Power button. Tried to start again but loading bar on XP
start
screen froze after about ten seconds. Tried again same thing. I can run
in
Safe mode and have tried a System Restore at two earlier dates. Tells me
I
am successful but will not Start normally - just freezes. I have not
added
any new hardware or software. I would appreciate knowing what this
symptom
may mean. Is there a troubleshooting path I could explore or do I have to
re-install XP? Thanks

It could be hardware or software. Since you can't run Windows successfully,
try booting with a rescue system such as a Bart's PE or a Linux Live CD (I
prefer Knopppix). This will give you a quick way to tell if the problems
are hardware or Windows and also give you the opportunity to retrieve any
data that hasn't been backed up.

If the computer runs perfectly under Knoppix for example, it is unlikely to
be hardware. In that case, you can try scanning for malware with a Bart's
PE and plugins or pull the hard drive and scan from another working XP
machine. Or just retrieve the data and restore to factory condition per
whatever method was provided by Sony.

If the computer doesn't run perfectly under Knoppix (for ex.) but continues
to freeze, then you know it's hardware. You can try troubleshooting it
yourself or take it to a competent local professional. I don't recommend
using a BigComputerStore/GeekSquad type of place.

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Tshoot

Malke