Problem with repairing Windows

[thehubb]

Hi im extremely frustrated and a friend told me about this site so i hope someone can help.

I was recently restoring my computer when in the middle of it a power outage in our house caused my computer to restart. Needless to say it messed my computer up and so i started trying to fix it. It would boot normally or in safe mode but i couldnt see anything. No start menu or icons but i could open the device manager and run programs, even though it would give me a ton of bad image file errors...

So i used the xp cd to repair the partition (the one that keeps your saved stuff and replaces critical windows files). The problem is after the repair was done replacing my files and restarted my computer, it was still booting in safe mode. Now whenever i try to go to advanced boot options and force it to boot normally, it will always remain in safe mode, then XP disc says the rest of the setup process cannot continue in safe mode, and reboots. I dont know how to make it boot normally so it just keeps continuing to boot in safe, error, reboot. ive tried boot with last known good configuration and basically all the other options. Now i cant even get to the login screen so i have no idea what to do. Is there some other way of manually forcing it to boot in normal mode other than f8? oh and after i choose start windows normally, it gives me the option to press esc to cancel loading d347bus.sys. Please please help, its greatly appreciated.

[thehubb]

All i need to know is how to get the damn thing to not boot in safe mode and it should finish the repair.

[abu taher]

If you install new windows then what problem?

[gerbil]

In safe mode.. would you mind giving us a copy of your boot.ini?
Paste into the Run window: control sysdm.cpl,,3
Startup n Recovery, Settings, press the Edit button.

[thehubb]

I wouldnt mind at all but i cant get to the login screen. Right when the login screen should come up, it gives me a box saying the setup cannot continue, windows will reboot. It forces me to reboot. Its trying to finish the repair but it cant while its in safe mode and i cannot get it to simply boot in normal mode.

[bobbyraw]

start the pc in safe mode, browse to the c drive you will see a directory will some strange character &$m delete it then open the registry and remove any reboot option that is listed in HKLM run section and HKLU run section. then do a new repair.

[gerbil]

"I wouldnt mind at all but i cant get to the login screen." Even in Safe Mode? Then use Recovery Console to get boot.ini. It is C:\boot.ini

[thehubb]

Yes even in safe mode it wont allow me to login because the repair process is trying to continue. What command do i type to view the boot.ini file in the recovery console?

[thehubb]

Ok so i dont know how to view the boot file but i did find this out. In the repair console i typed bootcfg /list and it listed my os. It reads:

"Windows XP: home Edition"
OS Load options: /fastdetect /noguiboot /noexecute=optin /usepmtimer /safeboot:minimal

Soo this means that my boot file is automatically booting in safe mode even though i say normal. Like booting in safe mode is in fact normal mode with these settings right? So is there a way to edit that manually so it doesnt have safe mode at the end of it?

[Bob_180_Bob]

Edit the Boot.ini File
To view and edit the Boot.ini file:
1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
-or-
Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then click OK.
2. On the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery.
3. Under System Startup, click Edit.

[Bob_180_Bob]

Sorry, you will have to access it through the repair console.

[gerbil]

In the Recovery Console you can use this command:
type c:\boot.ini ... to but view the file.
bootcfg /rebuild will give you the opportunity to set the correct boot.ini, though.

[comlor]

All i need to know is how to get the damn thing to not boot in safe mode and it should finish the repair.

Your original post says you were in the middle of a restore. Were you doing a clean install during that restore or an repair install.

If you were doing a clean install why not just restore the unit again

If you were doing a repair install to save data and programs try this from microsoft's website: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330184

****This will add a second entry to the boot.ini file and will display a menu to choose which installation to boot. You will have to test to find which one is the correct one. After you finish your repair you can edit boot.ini and delete the incorrect entry. I would suggest in the following steps naming the installtion something generic and easily distinguishable such as "test" so you can tell when editing later which one is the good one and which one to delete

1. Configure the computer to start from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. For information about how to do this, see your computer documentation, or contact your computer manufacturer.
2. Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer.
3. When you receive the "Press any key to boot from CD" message, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM.
4. When you receive the "Welcome to Setup" message, press R to start the Recovery Console.
5. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you have to use from the Recovery Console.
6. When you are prompted, type the administrator password, and then press ENTER.
7. At the command prompt, type bootcfg /list, and then press ENTER. The entries in your current Boot.ini file appear on the screen.
8. At the command prompt, type bootcfg /rebuild, and then press ENTER. This command scans the hard disks of the computer for Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000, or Microsoft Windows NT installations, and then displays the results. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to add the Windows installations to the Boot.ini file. For example, follow these steps to add a Windows XP installation to the Boot.ini file:
a. When you receive a message that is similar to the following message, press Y:
Total Identified Windows Installs: 1

[1] C:\Windows
Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All)
b. You receive a message that is similar to the following message:
Enter Load Identifier
This is the name of the operating system. When you receive this message, type the name of your operating system, and then press ENTER. This is either Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.
c. You receive a message that is similar to the following:
Enter OS Load options
When you receive this message, type /fastdetect, and then press ENTER.

Note The instructions that appear on your screen may be different, depending on the configuration of your computer.
9. Type exit, and then press ENTER to quit Recovery Console. Your computer restarts, and the updated boot list appears when you receive the "Please select the operating system to start" message.