XP Pro won't boot up

[Guest]

For some reason my other pc will not boot up XP Pro. It gets to the screen
with the logo and the box underneath with the blue bar moving across it and
then restarts the boot up process. Have tried booting from the CD, but the
same thing happens. I've put the hard drive in my main pc and did a vrus
scan, but that didn't find anything.

Does anyone know how to solve this problem?

 

[Timothy V]

What sort of hardware setup do you have?

 

[Guest]

It is a desktop pc with an intel processor (2.8 ghz i think). What
information do you need to know?

 

[KWW]

Windows XP logon screen does not appear and the computer continuously
restarts (but the logo screen may or may not have come up before this)

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310396

Hope that knowledge base item helps. If you are parinoid of clicking URLs,
go to MS' website and search for 310396.... select the knowledge base
article with the title that mostly matches the first line of my reply.
Good luck!
KWW

 

[Guest]

Didn't work. Any other ideas?

Windows XP logon screen does not appear and the computer continuously
restarts (but the logo screen may or may not have come up before this)

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310396

Hope that knowledge base item helps. If you are parinoid of clicking URLs,
go to MS' website and search for 310396.... select the knowledge base
article with the title that mostly matches the first line of my reply.
Good luck!
KWW

 

[T. Waters]

Can you get into Safe Mode?
From there, you can CHKDSK, System Restore, Repair Install, etc.

 

[Surfer]

For some reason my other pc will not boot up XP Pro. It gets to the

screen
with the logo and the box underneath with the blue bar moving across it
and
then restarts the boot up process.

My brother-in-law had a similar problem. Malware, spyware, adware, virus
infestation up the wazoo.

Have tried booting from the CD, but the
same thing happens.

Excuse me? Booting from the CD? What CD would that be? Windows XP CD?

I suggest doing what my brother-in-law found got him out of a bind. He
purchased a DVD-RW drive and installed it on the PC that wouldn't boot (his
primary PC). (If you've already got a burner of sorts, skip this step.) He
downloaded the latest Knoppix "Live CD" ISO and burned it (www.knoppix.org).
Since his machine worked with Knoppix it proved the PC wasn't the problem.
Then he used KIIIb to burn DVDs of the photos and files from the system
drive.

I recommended he wipe the disk, reinstall XP while not giving XP the entire
partition (save some HDD space for a new partition where he can save his
documents), then restore his files from the various disks he burned.

His response was that Knoppix was very friendly and appeared to recognize
all his components and burned the DVDs without any problem.

That's the basic overview. If you require more details on how to get this
done, just ask.

Surfer

 

[Surfer]

Oh, you might think: "I'll lose my programs and settings". Well, you can
export your personal things like your address books (search for *.wab), your
email (search for *.dbx) and grab your favorites and desktop items. Back
them up when XP works; burn them in Knoppix when you're in a bind.

Now, in my brother-in-law's case it was evident he had to do this. He tried
reinstalling XP on top of itself to repair it. However that process was
halted midstream due to some failure to copy files to the HDD. Result? He
was caught in a never-ending setup process that didn't allow for a Safe Mode
boot. I had the very same experience here with a friend's PC that went
rogue. Where are they now? Both friend and brother-in-law have their files
restored and a fresh snappy new XP installed on their PCs.

Please note: this is a last ditch measure. Perhaps some of the MVPs in this
group may point you to some MS knowledge base pages. But where the rubber
meets the road it's best to have a few things handy: 1) saved copies of your
documents on CDs or DVDs for restoration purposes; 2) LEGAL copies of the
software you use, not stuff friends "installed" for you; 3) a LEGAL copy of
XP; 4) A live CD (like Knoppix) as a life preserver that'll get your butt
out of a bind when the water's filling in too fast.

Sure, you can tinker for hours trying to repair a broken XP. The best thing
is to be prepared to wisk your files off the hard disk drive in a pinch and
do a clean install. Trying repair broken Windows is a crap shoot at best.

But hey: it's just my opinion.

:: Surfer ::

 

[Guest]

Surfer,

That's the most comprehensive answer I've ever had here. Thanks Dude! I'm
going to go with your suggestion to get it sorted out.

Zap

BTW - In my defence I have to say everything on the pc is legal!!

 

[Guest]

Thanks!

Can you get into Safe Mode?
From there, you can CHKDSK, System Restore, Repair Install, etc.

 

[Surfer]

Yay!

It's nice to know someone's using legal software. Kudos, dude. Kudos.

I walked my brother-in-law through the procedure... not with too much
detail; he was already savvy enough that he was able to do most of it on his
own. He was quite surprised that Linux (in Knoppix form) was so friendly and
accomodating. Heh. It was to the point where he's seriously considering
putting Knoppix on one of his PCs.

I'll be glad to point out areas if you need more assistance. I'll keep a
daily eye on this thread. I'm not an MVP. But I've worked with Windows since
3.0 when I wasn't even sure what it was. (I still recall being asked: "Do
you have Windows?" and my first thought was to the office windows.) I
honestly cannot tell you how many times I've re-installed Windows since I
first discovered it.

And I cannot tell you how many times I've gotten out of some serious binds
by experimenting, reading, etc. I really enjoy helping people too. So if you
need some assistance, return to this thread and I'll see what I can do.

Remember: the burning software is KIIIb or K3b.

:: Surfer ::