Windows XP won't load even after format!

[exit]

Hi guyz, this if my first post so letz so hope i do well... anywayz

My aunties computer has always had problems and always fixeable untill a recent problem. When windows xp starts loading it quickly shows a blue screen (which im guessing is an error msg) and the PC restarts. I tried going into safe mode, and last good known configuration by pressing F8 when the computer starts and it keeps doing the same thing. What i done then is, took her HD out and connected it to mine as a slave, so that i could back up her files, after that i pluged it bak into hers, and tried to do a full format of the HD and done that succesffully but while installing it, it kept on telling me there were files missing from the cd so it wouldn't install the OS properly.

WHat i did after that is, plug the HD back into my computer as a master, and did a full format, and managed to install win xp media centre succesfully confirming that there was nothing wrong with the two cdz. and also confirming that there was nothing wrong with the hard disk as far as my knowledge goes, because it would load winxp on my computer. After that i put her HD back into her computer and tried to load windows again... and suprise suprise again the same thing happened, blue screen pops up :evil: and the PC restarts, and it keeps doing this.

I tried removing the sound card, video card, and disconnecting a few of the CD-Roms (she'z got three on there) just to see that it might not be some sort of power failure, but nope it keeps on doing the same thing. I tried taking out and in the ram as well and then re-trying but same problem keeps happening over and over again.

Any ideas or suggestions... or any sort of help would be greatly apperciated ;)

[moderate_rock48]

Did you try and update the BIOS recently? Im having the same problem your having. It might have something to do with the BIOS, not sure though.

[exit]

Yeah i had a read of your post as well, and im pretty sure she didnt try to update the BIOS as she doesn't know how to, and her 9year old daughter was the last person to use the computer so that brings up questionz as well, but she wouldn't be able to create a problem as dramatic as this. I thought it might be something with the bios and the only recent hardware thatz been added to the computer was a scanner & printer package thing, but the PC worked fine afterwards.

The BIOS of this computer has its own problems, i think her brother flashed the motherboard or somethin, because everytime the computer restarts the date and time reset... not even changing that battery doesn't fix it... well thats far as my knowledge goes on the background of the computer.

[Soupy]

Yeah i had a read of your post as well, and im pretty sure she didnt try to update the BIOS as she doesn't know how to, and her 9year old daughter was the last person to use the computer so that brings up questionz as well, but she wouldn't be able to create a problem as dramatic as this. I thought it might be something with the bios and the only recent hardware thatz been added to the computer was a scanner & printer package thing, but the PC worked fine afterwards.

I would be careful when recommending that problems can be fixed by flashing the BIOS...problems can also be introduced by the same, as you've experienced.

When the menu to load into Safe Mode pops up is there an option to "Disable automatic restart on failure" or something to that effect? If there is, select that option and let us know what error is occuring. It should be in the format 0x######.

Also, something else to check would be memory. Download memtest86, burn it to a cd and pop it into the CD drive and start the system up and see what it comes up with.

Cheers!
Soup

[youdamstupid...]

Ive just had a PC that did the same, just locked up and reset - now it wont restart at all. It also says the HD needs formatting when used as a slave, now im thinking too options - virus or HD failure.

Does anyone know of any virus' out there that do this sort of thing? Problem is the blue screen is so quick to flash that there is no chance of seeing what is actually wrong with the PC. Ive never seen it happen where you cant get all your data off the PC via using the HD as a slave.

Does anyone know if you can boot disk the computer and get into dos to do a backup of my docs?

[exit]

Soupy... i've tried what you recommended and nothingz worked so far :rolleyes: the error msg is too quick to see to know where the failure is happening! I've tried taking out the RAM's one by one and cheking if they'd work on their own, but still the same problem is happening... it is very strange that out of nowhere it should stop working, and no new hardware had been installed onto the PC. :?:

[zalakes]

have any of you tried to re- install windows, or try to update ur bios

[kccomputerdr]

Hi guyz, this if my first post so letz so hope i do well... anywayz

My aunties computer has always had problems and always fixeable untill a recent problem. When windows xp starts loading it quickly shows a blue screen (which im guessing is an error msg) and the PC restarts. I tried going into safe mode, and last good known configuration by pressing F8 when the computer starts and it keeps doing the same thing. What i done then is, took her HD out and connected it to mine as a slave, so that i could back up her files, after that i pluged it bak into hers, and tried to do a full format of the HD and done that succesffully but while installing it, it kept on telling me there were files missing from the cd so it wouldn't install the OS properly.

WHat i did after that is, plug the HD back into my computer as a master, and did a full format, and managed to install win xp media centre succesfully confirming that there was nothing wrong with the two cdz. and also confirming that there was nothing wrong with the hard disk as far as my knowledge goes, because it would load winxp on my computer. After that i put her HD back into her computer and tried to load windows again... and suprise suprise again the same thing happened, blue screen pops up :evil: and the PC restarts, and it keeps doing this.

I tried removing the sound card, video card, and disconnecting a few of the CD-Roms (she'z got three on there) just to see that it might not be some sort of power failure, but nope it keeps on doing the same thing. I tried taking out and in the ram as well and then re-trying but same problem keeps happening over and over again.

Any ideas or suggestions... or any sort of help would be greatly apperciated ;)

Most likely you have 3 bad cdrom drives. however it is also possible that the big flat cable that hooks to your motherboard is bad and causing the cdroms not to read properly. If installing XP, try this: Make a couple of temporary copies of your xp cd (On another pc)& when installing if it says it can not copy a file NEVER HIT SKIP, simply insert one of the other cd's & press Enter. If you hit skip even once then you will get the famous Blue Screen of Death.

Another way to test this ide cable idea, is hook up a cd drive to the other ide cable & see if it'll work properly. of course they could both be bad. The above way of using more than one cd probably should work though.
Good luck!

[exit]

kccomputerdr... thanx for the idea, i'll try the cd idea, although i've managed to install win xp on that hard-disk by connecting it to my computer, and it installed perfectly fine, but wen i put it bak into its original box, xp won't load at all it just keeps giving me that blue screen and then restarts when it says winxp loading , i've formatted and installed a fresh copy of windows xp several times and the same problem over n over again.

I'll give the ide cables a check, i've got a few new onez that aren't even being used, so i'll disconnected a few of the cd-roms, and just leave dvd-rom and the hard-disk connected to the motherboard and try it with the new cables.

thanx bud

[zalakes]

is you chipset the same as your Auntie's chipset, usually windows doesnt boot when installed from a different computer with a diferent chipset.

[Soupy]

kccomputerdr... thanx for the idea, i'll try the cd idea, although i've managed to install win xp on that hard-disk by connecting it to my computer, and it installed perfectly fine, but wen i put it bak into its original box, xp won't load at all it just keeps giving me that blue screen and then restarts when it says winxp loading , i've formatted and installed a fresh copy of windows xp several times and the same problem over n over again.

I'll give the ide cables a check, i've got a few new onez that aren't even being used, so i'll disconnected a few of the cd-roms, and just leave dvd-rom and the hard-disk connected to the motherboard and try it with the new cables.

thanx bud

Are you able to get to the menu that offers you Safe Mode, Safe Mode with networking and all that stuff? If so, do you see an option that says "Disable automatic restart on failure" or something to that effect? If you do, choose it, and let us know what the message says.

I highly doubt it is a problem with the CD-ROMs.

Cheers!
Soup

[kccomputerdr]

kccomputerdr... thanx for the idea, i'll try the cd idea, although i've managed to install win xp on that hard-disk by connecting it to my computer, and it installed perfectly fine, but wen i put it bak into its original box, xp won't load at all it just keeps giving me that blue screen and then restarts when it says winxp loading , i've formatted and installed a fresh copy of windows xp several times and the same problem over n over again.

I'll give the ide cables a check, i've got a few new onez that aren't even being used, so i'll disconnected a few of the cd-roms, and just leave dvd-rom and the hard-disk connected to the motherboard and try it with the new cables.

thanx bud

Sure, no problem. if trying a newer cdrom drive & IDE cables does not work, then it would most likely fall into possibilities such as:
Ram Memory that doesn't like XP, motherboard going bad. Maybe a downgrade to 98 or something might be unavoidable, but most likely it is either the cd drives or ide cables. Good luck!

[mwillis]

I hope im not to late for this post but the fix is real simple just go into bios and disable your onboard sound . I know it doesnt seem right but you gotta trust me on this .

Sorry I didnt see your prob sooner

[hp/compaqdave]

what type of pc is your aunties?

[hp/compaqdave]

Ive just had a PC that did the same, just locked up and reset - now it wont restart at all. It also says the HD needs formatting when used as a slave, now im thinking too options - virus or HD failure.

Does anyone know of any virus' out there that do this sort of thing? Problem is the blue screen is so quick to flash that there is no chance of seeing what is actually wrong with the PC. Ive never seen it happen where you cant get all your data off the PC via using the HD as a slave.

Does anyone know if you can boot disk the computer and get into dos to do a backup of my docs?

.you can back up from command promt to a usb device like a removable hdd or flash card.if your pc is a compaq or an hp i'd gladly tell you how to do this from within the recovery partition(access command promt to access files)

[exit]

hey guyz, thanx for the feedback... after all it was something simple to fix anyway... :twisted:

wat i have been doing, was trying to install WinXP Media Center on the PC, and it would never work, always restart just after that blue screen msg. So i went and just installed a normal fresh version of winxp pro wif sp2... and it worked lol... i don't know why i hadn't thought of it earlier... i fink its koz originally she had the winxp proffesional, and as far as my understanding went there wasn't that much difference in her original winxp and winxp MC. i thought upgrading to a better would fix the solution.. but obivously it did not. :rolleyes:

cheerz :cool:

[Tazz07]

I got the same prob, can anyone help us

Hi guyz, this if my first post so letz so hope i do well... anywayz

My aunties computer has always had problems and always fixeable untill a recent problem. When windows xp starts loading it quickly shows a blue screen (which im guessing is an error msg) and the PC restarts. I tried going into safe mode, and last good known configuration by pressing F8 when the computer starts and it keeps doing the same thing. What i done then is, took her HD out and connected it to mine as a slave, so that i could back up her files, after that i pluged it bak into hers, and tried to do a full format of the HD and done that succesffully but while installing it, it kept on telling me there were files missing from the cd so it wouldn't install the OS properly.

WHat i did after that is, plug the HD back into my computer as a master, and did a full format, and managed to install win xp media centre succesfully confirming that there was nothing wrong with the two cdz. and also confirming that there was nothing wrong with the hard disk as far as my knowledge goes, because it would load winxp on my computer. After that i put her HD back into her computer and tried to load windows again... and suprise suprise again the same thing happened, blue screen pops up :evil: and the PC restarts, and it keeps doing this.

I tried removing the sound card, video card, and disconnecting a few of the CD-Roms (she'z got three on there) just to see that it might not be some sort of power failure, but nope it keeps on doing the same thing. I tried taking out and in the ram as well and then re-trying but same problem keeps happening over and over again.

Any ideas or suggestions... or any sort of help would be greatly apperciated ;)

[exit]

Ahh this problem was a couple of years ago! Tell us about your specific problem that ur having at the moment?:)

[Tazz07]

Ahh this problem was a couple of years ago! Tell us about your specific problem that ur having at the moment?:)

I install XP on my hard drive form my brothers computer because i it was not working from my computer & it comes up with the blue screen then restarts quickly , it took out my graphices card & the blue screen is gone but it comes on the Loading XP Screen then restarts

[exit]

Did you put the hard-drive back into your computer? Maybe it's restarting now because the HD has the settings of your brother's comptuer, and your computer is not accepting it. Are you installing winXP through ms-dos, you know loading it from the cd when you start up the pc? if not try that, so it'll let you format the drive and then re-install another copy of winXP. Also leave the graphics card out for the moment if you try doing that, and then download the latest drivers for it once u get connected. Let me know how you go...

[Tazz07]

i have ordered a New XP Disc because the old one is broken & i will try it then