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Background:
I was away at work one day when my dad recently installed a new DVD burner on my PC. After installation he was having problems with burning DVDs so he jumped on the net and downloaded a trial version of Nero 8 and installed it as he believed our version of Nero (v6) wasn't compatible. The computer was still working fine at this stage. I don't know which site he used to download Nero 8 and he doesn't remember either. But after he installed it i noticed that my PC was running slowly. I remarked on that and was concerned that he may have downloaded a corrupted / compromised version of Nero 8. I ran AVG Anti-virus scan which turned up some results which were cleaned up fine. I then installed a new version of SpyBot and also a new version of Ad-Aware 2007 (both downloaded from www.cnet.com). During the setup of SpyBot it asked me if i wanted to create a new system backup. I said yes. During the installation of Ad-Aware it asked me to make an edit to my registry which i declined. I installed and ran Spybot with no problems and it cleaned up any issues i had. I then tried to run Ad-Aware which kept stalling when it came time to check cookies. I thought it may have been because i hadn't rebooted since installation so i rebooted. Upon reboot i was again asked to make an edit to my system registry. This time i clicked Ok. Things were still working fine on my PC at this stage though Ad-Aware was still freezing mid-scan. I searched for a solution on the web and found some users on a forum who recommended going to settings and turning off the option to scan for cookies and MRUs. I did that and started scanning and things appeared to be running fine.
A little while after that i got an error message that a file in MSN Messenger was corrupted and that i should run chkdsk. I also got the same error message from iTunes. I decided to reboot rather than run chkdsk as i thought this might solve the problem. I rebooted but found myself at a screen after startup saying my PC had experienced problems and Windows had not been shutdown properly etc and gave me a variety of options for loading my OS: safe mode, safe mode with networking, safe mode with command prompt, last known good configuration, start windows normally. I've tried every single one of those options and each time my PC keeps rebooting never even reaching Windows. I searched for a solution on the web and found someone suggesting that i hit F8 during startup and choose from the various options there. I've tried that and tried every option available and it still keeps rebooting.
This is extremely frustrating and i'm at my wit's end trying to fix it particularly as i have several important professional and personal documents on that PC which are not backed-up -- many of them with sentimental importance.
I'd really appreciate any help i can get."
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Run a hard drive file system check on the system drive:
In Explorer right-click on the system drive (usually the C: volume) and select:
Properties > Tools tab > Error Checking: Check now button
Check the box Automatically fix file system errors.
Click the Start button. A message will display about having to restart to run the scan - Agree to that and then restart the PC.
If you can't boot into your account or any of the Safe Mode accounts from the F8 boot menu, BUT you have an XP Installation CD (not a Restore/Recovery CD) then you can boot off the CD to start the installation program. Choose to run the Recovery Console repair utility instead of doing an install by pressing R. From the Recovery Console command-line program you can issue the command:
> chkdsk C: /r /f
Which will repair any problems with the file system on partition/volume C:
Using either method only the file system will be checked and repaired if necessary. Any corrupted files will remain corrupted and unusable.
CHKDSK can be run using the Recovery Console.
How to obtain a Recovery Console Boot Disc to Make XP OS Repairs
The Recovery Console is normally only available only if the user has an XP Installation CD, not a Repair CD or a Recovery CD. Microsoft does not offer one !! A little know MS article describes how to make one from the 6-diskette XP Boot diskettes that are available from MS. Others have figured out how to make this boot CD from an XP Installation CD.
If you can't boot into your account or any of the Safe Mode accounts from the F8 boot menu, BUT you have an XP Installation CD (not a Restore/Recovery CD) then you can boot off the CD to start the installation program. Choose to run the Recovery Console repair utility instead of doing an install by pressing R. From the Recovery Console command-line program you can issue the command:
> chkdsk C: /r /f
Thanks for your response. When my system reboots it goes through the motions of loading -- showing what processor i have, my RAM, etc -- then it goes straight to a black and white screen where it tells me my system has shut down unexpectedly due to a possible hardware / software clash and that i need to choose an option to reboot:
-- safe mode
-- safe mode with networking
-- safe mode with command prompt
-- last known good configuration
-- start windows normally
I've tried each of those options and each time it just reboots and loops me back to the same screen over and over again. I've tried hitting F8 during startup which takes me to a slightly different screen with similar options. I've tried all the options on that screen with the same result.
We just tried using the Windows boot CD to fix it but upon pressing "r" we get a message that says the system could not detect that a hard drive is installed. Physically the HD appears fine and properly installed so not sure why we're getting that message, unless the message about corrupted files that i initially got has somehow wiped clean the entire drive?
"Booting Hangs at a Black Screen with a Blinking White Underscore Cursor"
The following is a procedure for repairing a system using the Microsoft utility called the Recovery Console. This will not affect any of your files or programs on your PC, but will allow you to restore the PC's booting functionality if "Booting Hangs at a Black Screen with a Blinking White Underscore Cursor" and your system is still functional otherwise.
Ways to Run the Recovery Console
Running the Recovery Console can be done several ways:
1) Booting from an XP Installation CD and then choosing the option to run the Recovery Console rather than actually installing or reinstalling XP. The vast majority of store-bought PC owners are not supplied with an XP Installation CD.
2) Booting from a Recovery Console CD.
3) Booting into the Recovery Console as a dual-boot option after it has been installed onto the hard drive using an XP Installation CD.
If you have a Windows XP Installation CD (not a Restore CD or Recovery CD):
Insert your Windows XP Installation CD into the hoarked PC's primary optical drive and reboot the PC.
NOTE: Keep in mind that burning an ISO image file to a blank CD-R is different than burning an ordinary data file. If you do not know how to burn an ISO image, then download CDBurnerXP Pro to another Windows machine and install it. http://www.cdburnerxp.se/
Starting the Recover Console (from either kind of CD)
Make sure the hoarked PC's BIOS is configured to try to boot from the optical drive before it tries to boot from the hard disk drive.
NOTE: You do this by starting the BIOS configuration program by pressing a key such as F1, F2, Esc or the Delete/Del key just after the BIOS finished it's POST (Power-Up Self Test), but before Windows announces it is starting to load.)
Press any key to boot from the CD. After the first several screens display, you will be given a choice to choose R to run the Recovery Console rather than performing (or trying to perform) an XP installation or reinstallation. You will be asked to log in.
NOTE: For Windows XP Home, there is no password necessary, just press Enter. For Windows XP Pro, MCE and 64-bit, ask whomever set up the machine what password they used and then enter that.
When you see the Recovery Console's command-line prompt, > , then continue to the section Recovery Console Commands to Enter.
If you get an access denied error when doing the above, then enter the following at the Recovery Console prompt:
cd \windows\system32\config {Enter}
ren system system.bak {Enter}
exit {Enter}
Your PC will reboot, restart the Recovery Console and start the instructions from the beginning of this section.
If you still cannot get access to your installation in the Recovery Console then your SAM Registry file is corrupt. There is no way you can restore this with the Recovery Console. You may need to do a fresh XP install, Repair Install, a Recovery or a Restore.
Recovery Console Commands to Enter
1) CHKDSK corrects any file system problems.
Syntax: chkdsk [device] [/p] [/r]
Example: chkdsk \Device\Harddisk0\Partition1 /r
Device is an option parameter that specifies which partition/volume on which hard drive should be checked. All the drives and their partitions can be listed by issuing the map command. The XP OS partition is usually designated as \Device\Harddisk0\Partition1
> chkdsk /r {Enter}
This will make sure the file system is working properly. However, if any files are corrupted, they will remain corrupted. This will also try to recover the contents of any corrupted files, but this may not succeed in any/some cases.
2) FIXMBR rewrites the Master Boot Record (MBR) on the hard drive.
Syntax: fixmbr [device_name]
Example: fixmbr \Device\Harddisk0
Note that device_name omits any partition notation since all hard drives can have only one MBR no matter how many partitions it has been divided into.
> fixmbr {Enter}
3) FIXBOOT write a new Boot Sector to a partition/volume on the hard drive. The Boot Sector contains the Boot Loader program which loads the operating system.
Syntax: fixboot [drive]
Example: fixboot c:
Note that drive is a partition/volume letter. The map command also lists partition/volume letters.
> fixboot c: {Enter}
At this point you are ready to exit the Recovery Console and restart your PC to see if, once again, you are able to boot to your account's Desktop.
> exit {Enter}
Other Things you Should Know
So, you have started or restarted your PC and get the "Blank screen with a blinking underscore cursor".
This is what you can tell so far:
• The CPU is OK – otherwise you'd have a dead PC. There is no such thing as a "marginally functional" CPU – it either works right or it doesn't work at all.
• The RAM is probably OK. However, it may be faulty, but this is easy to check and replace if necessary.
• The motherboard is probably OK – otherwise you'd have a dead PC.
• The Power Supply Unit (PSU) in a desktop PC or the power regulation circuitry in a laptop are probably OK – or you'd have a dead PC or one that randomly reboots or bluescreens (the feared BSOD - Blue Screen Of Death). If it is a laptop then the battery is functional.
• The BIOS (Basic I/O System) is OK because it has done its POST (Power-On Self Test) and has detected the keyboard, mouse, memory, RAM and video adapter. You know this because is has not complained about not finding any of these.
• The Video Adapter (a chip on a laptop's motherboard, a chip or plug-in card in a desktop PC) has been found by the BIOS, has been initialized by the BIOS and is working properly – at least in text mode. That blinking cursor has been created by the BIOS program and being generated by the video adapter. Oh yeah, the monitor is working, too, displaying that cursor.
• The BIOS has located a hard drive – it hasn't complained that it could not find one.
This is all very good. It means that the BIOS and the majority of the hardware components are working properly.
So, what's left that could be wrong ? The Hard Disk Dive (HDD)
The operation of the hard drive's electronics and mechanics;
The files that are supposed to be on the drive.
Hard drive electronics and the mechanical operation can be directly checked with a diagnostic program:
Run drive test utility from your drive’s manufacturer to make sure the drive is functionally OK. Use the diagnostic associated with the brand drive you have:
There's lots more information out there about the Recovery Console and all its available commands. Some commands work similarly to the ones in XP's command window – but watch out because they may have different options and work differently to their counterparts. Here are the official MS web pages describing the 3 commands listed above used in the Recovery Console:
