The Computer is Broken. Seems to be Circling the Drain in a Loop. TECH PING LIST SUPERSTARS

03.02.08 | chickensoup

[Chickensoup]

Help!

Came home last night. Turned on the trusty computer and up came a long message, white on black saying: We apologize for the inconvience but Windows did not start successflly... with several option to start.

None of them work.

It then loops to the windows xp screen

Then to an ad for the mainboard

then to a scan devices screen

then to some sort of listing

This morning there was a listing that on each line named had a number of the programs I run at the end of each line. It has not come up this time.

The hard disk comes on for the main board screen and the listing screen

[Chickensoup]

This is the family computer. We do about 35% of our homeschooling on the puter.

Pleas help

[Viking2002]

See if you can boot into safe mode first....

[Chickensoup]

I need your help please.

Please ping tech support list for me.

Thank you.

[Chickensoup]

Safe mode and safe mode is an option of screen one

no dice

[txzman]

Hit f8 and try to boot into Safe Mode. Computer is trying to boot obviously into Win XP and something is killing it.

If you can get into safe mode you can run msconfig and try to prevent anything from running except XP. You might just be missing a .dll or have a corrupt start up file from one of your programs.

Once you get back up and running, download CC Cleaner and use (free). If you need free antivirus - AVG is very good.

If safe mode does not work, post the type of computer or motherboard here and we’ll see what we can do.

[Chickensoup]

Other options include safe mode with networking
plain old safe mode
safe mode with command prompt
start windows normally

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

Seems the electronic sky is falling on our friend Chickensoup... please HALP.

[Quix]

imho,

there should be a master thread for this and it should be prominently displayed at the top of the screen on all threads.

We have a host of folks hereon. I think doing that would minimize individual vanity threads every time one of us had a desperate need.

THANKS TO ALL who help out in this case. Your tireless efforts are Godsends to the rest of us.

[Cousin Eddie]

buy a Mac, you will never regret it.

[Chickensoup]

I hit F8

Then I hit command F8

The countdown on the inconvience screen has stopped

[brivette]

I believe you are screwed.

[kinoxi]

[txzman]

Another option is to get into the case and look for the CMOS battery which keeps the startup options for your PC. You can take the battery out (just clips in) and replace after 30 seconds or so and try booting again.

Sometimes this causes problems as well.

Also, do you get any “POST” beeps when you start up? These are the beeps the motherboard gives out that can tell you where problem lies - ie 3 short beeps and then 1 long, 3 long beeps, etc.

POST Codes can identify which part of the hardware is not cooperating, or even if it appears to be a hardware based issue.

[RosieCotton]

If it’s restarting itself even when you try to boot into safe mode, there *may* be a hardware issue. I’ve seen that with motherboard problems.

What model is it, out of curiosity?

[kinoxi]

Do you have an XP disk?

[dennisw]

Go into safe mode then go to “system restore” and go back a day or two

Above works for Windows XP

[Viking2002]

If you're not coming up in safe mode, and you're not getting at least a split-second BSOD to see what the error might be, your last, best hope would be the recovery CD.

You do have a recovery CD, yes?

[kinoxi]

Get an XP disk. Any XP disk and run chkdsk first.

[Chickensoup]

One beep and then to the windows xp screen
the scan screen
then to the inconvenience screen
then looping

[monkeycard]

Other options include safe mode with networking plain old safe mode safe mode with command prompt start windows normally

Select: safe mode with command prompt.

Let me know what happens please.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

Sounds as if your disk drive is hosed.

[Chickensoup]

What is a cmos battery?

[top 2 toe red]

Mine is doing almost the same thing...happened yesterday afternoon.

I went into safe mode, couldn't locate the problem...then restored to an earlier date, that worked for awhile, then problem started all over.

Finally, located that it seems to be my comcast connection. I don't know if it is the comcast receiver [unplugged and reset it several times] that is giving me the problem or if it is a comcast overall thing.

The TV lost it's signal a couple of times in this same timeframe and the laptop lost it's connection, too. [although, at no time did the laptop have either that dreaded black or blue screen.]

Do you by chance have comcast, too?

[Hacklehead]

sounds like a software problem. Is it true that you cannot get into safe mode?

[Chickensoup]

It is a tiger direct Systemax AMD mother board 64

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

It sounds to me like you picked up a virus - I got one last week that destroyed a 200BB hard drive (for XP but not Linux).

I ended up catching the virus before it got to my C drive.

[mkmensinger]

Try powering up, then hit the F8 key about once a second. That may get you into safe mode.

[rocksblues]

After reading this I suggest that you pull your hard drive and take it to somebody that can copy files off of it without having to boot it.

[Chickensoup]

Wont accept the command

[txzman]

CMOS battery is about the size of a quarter, silvery metal, round that pops into a holder on the motherboard. Keeps your initial boot up settings in memory to sort of jump start the computer with info on how it is setup to run.

[Chickensoup]

just found it

[Chickensoup]

You do have a recovery CD, yes?

Would that be my xp pro disc?

[Chickensoup]

nothing

[Chickensoup]

True

[the invisib1e hand]

boot from disk and run "r" for repair and then chkdsk /r to do a disk repair.

Do NOT reformat the drive.

In the worst case, you'll have to buy a hard drive. Once that's installed, you can connect your old hard drive by USB and copy the relevant data files, after you've scanned them for viruses as someone else has already pointed out.

[firewalk]

here’s a bttt for help

[papasmurf]

your last , best hope would be the recovery CD.

Recovery disks usually re-format your hard drive. That means, they wipe it clean, and away goes data, down the drain.

As Viking2002 said...it's your last hope to reuse your PC.

Still waiting for you to gather the above asked for information..."beeps", "motherboard model", etc.

Using a "live" CD, from any Linux distribution is better than using a recovery cd, in that, you will be able to copy off your data.
You could also choose to install Linux by resizing yur partition, and using the available space, without losing your data.
You could also do a "side by side" installation of XP, without losing your data.

Good luck!

[Viking2002]

It would be the restore CD that came with the PC. If not, you can use your OEM XP CD, and reinstall Windows. Do not reformat the drive, or all of your saved documents, Internet shortcuts, etc. will go bye-bye. Your registry will be overwritten, so you'll have to reinstall several programs, but it beats losing everything on there.

[Chickensoup]

Try powering up, then hit the F8 key about once a second. That may get you into safe mode.

did it. new screen with lots of boot options.

The ones previously mentionded plus
Enable boot logging
enagle VGA mode
last known good config
degugging mode
diable auto restart on system failure

Start windows normally
reboot
returen ot OS choices menue

[Slump Tester]

It sounds to me like it's loading something that's blowing you out. Get a hold of or get on another box and download "Hiren's Boot CD" or a Linux boot cd.

Both will have stuff on them to help you clean up the boot process.

[Chickensoup]

Thank you

[roamer_1]

boot from disk and run "r" for repair and then chkdsk /r to do a disk repair.

BUMP. The hand speaks truth.

[mkmensinger]

Just for the heck of it, try last known. If that doesn’t work, do it again and go into safe mode & do a chkdsk.

[a_different_conservative]

I had the exact same problem 2 days ago. I see at least one other person here has the same problem. Nothing worked for me. I’m using my old computer. If you solve the problem, please let us know how you did it.

[Chickensoup]

The cd that came with it is lost. I am not sure where...although I have my ideas...

so are you saying that I can use the XP pro as a boot cd as long as I do not reformat the disc? do I have a choice or is this something I am supposed to know how to stop from happening.

[Chickensoup]

One beep and then to the windows xp screen
the scan screen
then to the inconvenience screen
then looping

from post 19 am typing as fast as I can.

[Libloather]

What’s so wrong with the computer you’re using NOW?

[kinoxi]

Boot from whatever you have. Click R to repair. Run CHKDSK first. If you have a CD you don’t need to lose your data.

[the invisib1e hand]

BUMP. The hand speaks truth.

there were times when I did this several times per day. still use the old hard drives for data storage.

Over the years I threw out three or four drives (and all their contents) at the insistance of dell techs before my warranty finally ran out and I had to figure it out myself.

[Chickensoup]

I can use this computer

How do I copy it off?

I have dvd r’s would they work?