Laptop gets to XP logo screen then nothing.....

Hello all I am a novice so please have patience.

My laptop will not start up, I power it up, I see a black screen with f3... in top left hand corner, then I get the XP logo screen. Nothing happens after this.

I have tried pressing f8 continually at start up. Last known good configuration takes me back to the XP logo screen as before, start in safe mode brings up lots of information about drivers for various items. My supplied recovery disk disk also takes me back to the XP logo screen.

Does anyone have any suggestions please?

 

Hello alleycat,

See if you can get to a good restore point with System Restore.

I see that you can get into Safe Mode. Try getting into System Restore. All Porgrams > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore.

If you can't that way: Try thru a command prompt: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304449&sd=tech

If you can, pick a day in bold prior to the problem.

Regards - Charles

 

Hello charles, thanks for replying.

My original post might not have been clear enough. I am unable to start in safe mode. If I select safe mode after having repeatedly pressed f8 at start up, the screen becomes full of information in words,? command prompts relating to drivers.

Sorry to have been vague.

 

Hello alleycat,

Can you:

From Start > run > type cmd > ok

In the white on black screen at the blinking cursor, type the command from the link in the MS document C:\Windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe

Regards - Charles

 

Hi again charles.

I am unable to get as far as being able to use

Start > run > type cmd > ok

The sequence of events is

power on

screen apologising for inconvenience and offering options

choosing last known good config takes me back to the XP logo screen almost immediately then nothing hapens other than the "blue dots" moving across the screen beneath the logo

choosing safe mode takes me to a screen which fills up with for example

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS\system32\DRIVERS\compbatt.sys

I am only able to close down the laptop using the power off button, otherwise it remains unresponsive. I'm beginning to fear the worst.

Many thanks for your patience.

 

I seem to be experiencing the same issue. It began immediately following the installation of this morning's windows update.

 

After performing a windows repair installation, the problem appears to be resolved here.

 

Hello Phirro and welcome to the Board,

Could you elaborate. Does that mean you couldn't either uninstall the MS patch or use SR?

Regards - Charles

 

Hello, and thanks,

The issue that I had been having sounds very much like that of alleycat's:
When my laptop attempted to boot up, the screen would go blank immediately after the windows xp loading screen and the system would become unresponsive. None of the options in the 'f8' menu were of any use, particularly, if safe mode was selected, lines like alleycat's "multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS\system 32\DRIVERS\compbatt.sys" would fill the screen, followed by an automatic reboot to the same problem once more. The first time that I encountered this issue was the reboot directly after installing today's windows update.

I was able to resolve the problem by performing a repair install, booting from my windows xp cd, and things seem to be ok now.

(EDIT: To be more specific, no, I could not find a way do either of those, as I couldn't get past this intial boot up issue into any sort of a more useable interface.)

 

Pete I have left the laptop for over 30 minutes after choosing safe mode, nothing happens.

Is it relevant that after powering up, then the manufacturer's logo screen I get "f3...." with a flashing cursor/underscore at the top left of my screen for a few seconds before going automatically to a screen apologising for the inconvenience etc?

 

Hi alleycat,

What type of Recovery disc do you have?

Is it the operating system or is it a "back to as delivered" type?

If you have the OS, then you can do repair of XP per these instructions: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm doing what Phirro did.

But hold off for a while, lets see if anyone else has any other ideas.

Regards - Charles

 

Pete the recovery disk I have is one supplied by the manufacturer and not an XP operating system. I have put it into the drive before starting up the laptop, I get a message on screen asking me to wait while the disk does it's thing but after that I just get returned to the XP logo screen and back to the original problem.

 

Hi again Pete, I have tried to download and run both memory utilities you suggested from a CD RW. Neither programmes activate when I try to start the laptop with the CD in the drive as suggested. I have tried to run the programmes at start up on a laptop which is working well and again nothing happens. I guess my level of expertise is the common denominator here.

Any further suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks for your patience here.

 

I would like to see what error message you get, if any. At the Advanced Boot Menu (F8 startup), select 'Disable Automatic Restart'. Instead of rebooting at the usual place, it should instead blue-screen with an error message. Please post the entire message.

Note: You will have to hold the power key down to shut down the computer after blue-screening.

 

noah, i am unable to access the advanced options via f8.

If press f8 continually at start up nothing happens. When I stop attempting to use f8 I am taken immediately to the screen telling me that windows didn't shut down properly and inviting me to start as normal, last known good config, safe mode etc. Unfortuunately none of these options work.

Thanks for replying, I am starting to fear for my laptop!

 

alleycat - Sounds like you've found tough going in a dog eat dog world.

Ouch ........ not a good situation but you already know that. The good news is, you have three of the most talented people on this board already involved in trying to find a solution. The bad news is, you can't get to start up options or a command prompt to do anything they have recommended.

First question - what brand and model # is your laptop?
Second question - what type of anti-virus and anti-spyware programs did you have installed?
Third question - How important is the data you have on your machine and can you live without it?

Please try this and report back with what does or doesn't happen along with answers to the above. With no peripherals attached to your laptop (no, not even a mouse) try starting up while continually tapping your ctrl key.

 

I really appreciate the attempts to help

Laptop is MSI M662

AVG anti virus/anti spyware & Zonealarm installed

Data isn't so important

Tried start up while hitting Ctrl, I get "f3..." top left hand corner of screen for a few seconds before being taken to the "sorry for the inconvenience...." screen, 30 second countdown before laptop starts up, then XP logo screen and ongoing problem

 

Can you use your down arrow during the 30 second countdown to get to Safe Mode with command prompt and then highlight it and hit enter?