Member Avatar for GeekDice

I can only seem to open in Safe mode. (any and all safe modes), however once every ten tries, it opens normally.

There doesn't seem to be a pattern. At first I though it was the DVD drive, because when I disabled it (Physically unplugegd IT), the machine loaded fine. However the next time I loaded the machine the same problem occured again about ten times, I loaded up in to safe mode, disabled, unplugged polished devices etc. and then magically again it has started perfectly for no apprantly reason.

The only software I have installed recently, has been a few games i purchased (all now unisntalled),plus I used a LExar JumpDrive.

Prior to this happening, occasionally when I use the Internet, If I move the mouse to a specific point at the bottom left hand side of the screen (near or on the start button), the mouse goes crazy running round the screen opening and closing windows, etc. It stops after about 5 or 6 seconds. Is this connected?

I have used F-prot (DOS version) to try and scan for a virus (It claims nothing), and use Ad-aware and spy-bot. I have Hijack This, is there a place anywhere to post the report from this?

Thanks very much in advance.

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Intermittent normal boots while Safe Mode always works usually means something that only loads during a full boot — a third‑party driver/service, a flaky power/connector, or failing RAM. already noted the optical drive being disconnected sometimes fixed it, and several replies pointed at hardware and startup items (, ). Below are complementary, practical checks that haven’t been suggested yet.

Start with a careful autostart/service sweep using Autoruns (Sysinternals). From Safe Mode run Autoruns, tick “Hide Microsoft entries,” then disable suspicious entries in the Logon / Services / Drivers tabs in small groups and reboot after each group. That narrows which component triggers the hang without relying on simpler toggles alone. Also inspect the System event log (Event Viewer) for Error/Warning entries at the exact timestamp of a failed normal boot — copy the Source and Event ID; that info often names the failing driver or service.

Run basic integrity and disk checks from Safe Mode or recovery media:

chkdsk C: /f /r
sfc /scannow   (Windows XP requires the original install CD)

chkdsk will catch file-system problems; sfc will restore missing/corrupt system files. Back up important data before long repairs.

Because disconnecting the optical drive helped, treat power/connectors and RAM as suspects: run Memtest86+ (bootable) for several passes; swap the drive’s power lead to another Molex/SATA connector or test with the drive powered off to see if the behavior returns. Try a minimal hardware configuration (one RAM stick, no extras) and also test with a different mouse/keyboard (the pointer “going crazy” can be caused by a joystick/gamepad/HID driver or a faulty input device). Collect Autoruns output and the System log entries (and Memtest results) when posting back — those logs let people pinpoint the offending driver or device. Always keep a current backup before doing disk or hardware work.

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Member Avatar for mikeandike22

press F8 when booting and choose boot normally.

Member Avatar for alc6379

I have Hijack This, is there a place anywhere to post the report from this?

Thanks very much in advance.

Yes. Feel free to post an HJT log in our Security forum. :)

Member Avatar for GeekDice

Sorry not made myself clear enough.
If I boot normally, then it hangs. If i boot in safe mode, all is well.
In the meantime, I have run regSupreme which cleared out about 1500 dead entries.
I also downloaded McAfee Virus (absolute nightmare to install).
I have re-booted twice and everything seems(?) okay (Though I havent reconnected my DVD drive yet).
I'm going to post my HJT in the security forum just to be sure.

Thanks very much for the help

Member Avatar for Kinseeker69

I can only seem to open in Safe mode. (any and all safe modes), however once every ten tries, it opens normally.

There doesn't seem to be a pattern. At first I though it was the DVD drive, because when I disabled it (Physically unplugegd IT), the machine loaded fine. However the next time I loaded the machine the same problem occured again about ten times, I loaded up in to safe mode, disabled, unplugged polished devices etc. and then magically again it has started perfectly for no apprantly reason.

The only software I have installed recently, has been a few games i purchased (all now unisntalled),plus I used a LExar JumpDrive.

Prior to this happening, occasionally when I use the Internet, If I move the mouse to a specific point at the bottom left hand side of the screen (near or on the start button), the mouse goes crazy running round the screen opening and closing windows, etc. It stops after about 5 or 6 seconds. Is this connected?

I have used F-prot (DOS version) to try and scan for a virus (It claims nothing), and use Ad-aware and spy-bot. I have Hijack This, is there a place anywhere to post the report from this?

Thanks very much in advance.

Check the IDE cable from the DVD to the Motherboard it might be bad so replace it.

Member Avatar for abbasmj

1. Disable all the Startup programs and all non-microsoft services using MS Config and then try to boot normally.
2. If unsuccessful then do a system restore to a back date from Safe Mode.

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