Here is what is happening. My PC was acting rather sluggish, so I restarted it. It started booting, then went to the XP loading page. After which, the screen went black for a second and the system restarted and repeated.

I tried to boot in Safe Mode. The Safe Mode would start loading, and right when it went to throw the GUI up to replace the loading text, it restarted.

What is happening? How can be fixed?

Please! Someone help me!

Devan

Try to invoke last know good configuration, past that .......

(Past that I would try to ascertain whether it is hardware or software fault. If you don't care too much for the data on your HDD, a rebuild is easier to ensure the software is at fault, rather than trying to prove the hardware is at fault. If you don't like the sound of that, either use other PCs you may have access to to swap out components, or take it to a PC repair place. But personnally I would reinstall the Operating system rather than part with some cash.)

Devan
i faced the same thing and i was told by a friend to update windows
specifically sasser and blaster patch.might work
try and let me know


Here is what is happening. My PC was acting rather sluggish, so I restarted it. It started booting, then went to the XP loading page. After which, the screen went black for a second and the system restarted and repeated.

I tried to boot in Safe Mode. The Safe Mode would start loading, and right when it went to throw the GUI up to replace the loading text, it restarted.

What is happening? How can be fixed?

Please! Someone help me!

Devan

Marty, thanks for the advice, but sadly the "Last Known Configuration" reacted the exact same way. I appreciate the deconstruction/construction idea and am considering trying it.

Tanvi, thank you for writing. I like your idea, but how do I apply the Patch if I cannot get into Windows?

Devan

Devan, I always feel bad just suggesting a rebuild, but in this case I think its best course of action. If you got some much required data on the hard drive, then try using it in another PC if you can, but the fact it gets past POST to the boot up suggests to me its a OS fault. What that is I don't know.

Good luck, David

Hello,

Some patches are designed to be executed in DOS; you will need to read up on the patch in question and determine the installation method. The problem is that DOS does not understand NTFS, and if you formatted your hard drive NTFS, then you will need a DOS driver to access the NTFS.

I am in agreement here on re-building the hard drive. I am hoping that you have good reliable backups. You might consider making a second partition this time around to store all your data there. That would protect you from a second software failure, but would not protect you from a hardware failure.

When rebuilding machines, I always make a data partition, and then backup that data partition.

Christian

Ok, so lets say I go and buy a new internal hard drive today and format it. Would it be possible to take the "document" information (text, music, video) off of the old drive, say in a Slave Drive capacity or otherwise, and then reformat it as a storage back up? This is assuming that my drive isn't crashed.

Yes, that would be a sensible way to approach the job. Leave the original drive out of the system till after you get windows installed on the new one, and ensure you create a separate partition on the new drive for data. You won't need all of it for Windows.

Devan Hi mate,
I know exactly how you feel, I have been having the same problem here for a couple of months now. Whilst other members here mean well, I strongly suspect it is not a sasser or blaster problem, as you make no mention of an "RPC" popup warning of shutdown in 60 secs.
If it helps eliminate the possibilites, I have had this problem on 2 different install disks of Xp pro, numerous actual re-formats and re-installs. Like you I also go round the same loop when trying to boot with Last Know or Safe Mode. I have wondered if the problem lies in the bios? altho I have had this motherboard for 18mths and untill now no problems. Also the problem arise irrelevant of whether SP1 or 2 in installed, it has happened with both. However I do have 1 common factor when this problem arises. My entire pc freezes and I have to use, begrudgingly, the reset button.

Sorry I dont have an answer, but your not alone in this one, but maybe some of the geniuses on here can analyse this info and shed a lil more light on our plight. Please.

Dave

If you don't want to lose anything you can try an overlapping install of your windows. reinstall without formatting etc... this works sometimes.

Repair install?

Repair install?

there is a way to install over the same o.s. without repair install, however he could have to re-install certain programs, but wouldn't lose any data if done correctly.

In place upgrade install is what you are referring to.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315341&Product=winxp

Windows updates will need to be reinstalled afterwards. Thus it is a good idea for those with broadband connections to first download and save to CD the full installation package for Service Pack 2:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=049C9DBE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en

yes, that would work as well, but if it were an OEM version it would be a reinstall without upgrade though.

The procedure works fine with OEM CDs. It is a reinstall of XP over the top of an existing XP install, not an upgrade from an earlier Windows version ;)

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