Resolved Windows xp not loading after updates

Can someone please help me with this problem?
couple of days ago i had some windows updates and i had a message saying asking me to restart my computer for the updates to take effect, i clicked the ok button, after a few secs the computers restarts and it gets to a black screen with some error message saying windows was unable to start and has options like start in safe mode, safe mode with command prompt, last best saved configuration, start windows normally. I've tried all of these, however whenever i choose one of these options it tries to restart and for a second a blue screen with error message pops up i cant read what the message says as it only pops up for a second and then the computers restarts again and i end up at the black screen asking me to choose an option. I'm on windows XP. I dont have alot of experience with computers so any help would be appreciated.

 

Hi Evan thanks for the quick response, regarding the instructions above, i dont have the windows xp cd as i bought the computer from a friend couple of years back, he doesnt have the cd either as ive tried asking him, also booting up from a cd will it keep all my saved files on th hd safe? is there another way that i could boot up the computer without the cd?

 

You can borrow one from a friend, as long as it's the same version.

 

hey guys i got a copy of windows xp from a friend, tried the above instructions but it didn't work its still the same black screen asking me to choose an option and keep looping back to it.
I found a link that might help i'm going to try it when i get a chance see if it helps, the link is http://www.prevx.com/blog/140/Black-Screen-woes-could-affect-millions-on-Windows--Vista-and-XP.html
let me know if this is any good to try, would be greatful for any other suggestions, not sure if i want to do a full repair as im hoping to save the files on my hardrive, cant conne4ct the hardrive to another computer as i dont have one, but will try and see if the above link helps.

 

First thing I would do is find out what the blue screen says... If you repeatedly press F8 after the POST, you will get a menu screen up that asks how you want to boot your computer - a much longer one than you get after a crash. If you are running service pack 1 or later (I think it's SP1) you have an option in that list that says "Disable automatic restart on system failure." Select that one, and when it gets to the Blue Screen, it will stop, and you can get the information from it. What you are looking for is a description of the problem at the top, for example "UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME" - and a STOP message, e.g. STOP 0x000000EB - That can tell a lot about what's going on. Let me know if you get this info, and we'll see what's going on.

 

tried the prevx link today followed the instructions but when i press ctrl+alt+del it just restarts my computer, the mouse doesnt work on the black screen anyway and the task manager does not appear so i guess that doesnt help, would have been great if it did though , i will try the f8 suggestion gsmithx gave above and see if i can get the blue screen to stay up longer than a sec and check what the error message reads.

 

Try these steps

1. Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer.

Click to select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted.

2. When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console.

3. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you must access from the Recovery Console.

4. When you are prompted, type the Administrator password. If the administrator password is blank, just press ENTER.

5. At the command prompt, type chkdsk /r , and then press ENTER.This command will try to fix bad sectors

6. At the command prompt, type exit , and then press ENTER to restart your computer.

This takes a bit longer, but the system should boot back into Windows.

 

pccarehimanshu,
I think you should read the posts again, particularly #2 & #3. Evan gave all the necessary info which won't work as there is no XP CD with the owner.

 

Ok i managed to get to the blue screen and the message reads as follows:
A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer. If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, restart your computer, if this screen appears again follow these steps:
Check for viruses on your computer. Remove any newly installed hardrives or hardrive controllers, check your hardrive to make sure it is properly configured and terminated.
Run CHKDSK /F to check for hardrive corruption and then restart your computer.
Technical Information:
***STOP: 0x0000007B (0xF79F7528, 0xC0000034, 0x00000000, 0x00000000)

I opened up the computer and checked to make sure the hardrive was connected properly, everything looked ok, i also tried running the chkdsk /f command but it kept saying unable to recognise command.

 

When you say you checked the hard drive, did you actually disconnect the cables and re-seat them or just look at them. It does pay to physically disconnect the cables like the IDE/SATA from the HD and the MB and ensure that they clean and reinstall them securely.
Naturally when you open the comp, make sure you have switched off and disconnected the power plug from the wall socket, and use an anti-static wrist strap or ground yourself to metal parts of the comp first to ensure body discharge of static electricity.
Don't touch any of the contacts with your fingers as you can leave oils from your skin which will cause further problems later. Cheers Neil.

 

hi neil, yeah i took all the necessary precautions and did disconnect the cables and reconnect them as they were, i've never had any problems at all since i got the computer, this is the first problem that has ever happened though.
Regarding the blue screen error message i pasted above about running the chkdsk /f command do you need to have the windows cd running to run the chkdsk /f command? i did try it this way but the command could not be found.

 

Askanion, normally you would Start > Run > type in chkdsk /f > OK. You then get a message telling you that the chk will run when you next start the comp. This is because nothing should be running when this action takes place. Are you getting this message? Have you Shut down and restarted? what happened? Your CD does not have to run. Have you tried a barebones start.(Minimum unit start)? Neil.

 

Askanison, have you posted you System Details yet? Did you make any changes to your comp before the updates were installed? Neil.

 

Evan, I searched and found found the same article and that is why we need to know what Askanison has in his comp. Still no System Details entered and no indication if there was/is any conflicts??? Cheers Neil.