Family members' pc is in a loop at start up

Family members' pc is in a loop at start up; please help me fix this.

Hello, a family member of mine is having pc problems. I want to see if it is plausible to fix the problem.

First, I will explain what happened when this problem arisen. My family member was using her pc two days ago. In the morning, that she was checking her email. She came across something she wanted to print out on her printer, so, she tried to turn on her printer. The printer did not respond to her, when she pressed the on button. The next thing she did was to see if the printer was connected to the pc from the back. Therefore, she attempted to check the connection to the printer, by moving the pc desk slightly forward. She had the pc turned on, and was logged in to her email account during this troubleshooting attempt. After looking for anything disconnected, she glanced back at her pc, and saw that the B.S.O.D had occurred. This is her accounts as to what happen, which she has told me. I was not present to view this incident.

First Question:
1. As far as the description is concerned. Does this problem sound more like a hardware issue, a software issue, or unclear at this point?

My personal experience with this problem:
After which, I was told what happened, and then turned on her pc. The pc starts up normally, but then quickly goes to a screen that lists the primary and secondary drive masters. This, by the way, there is no secondary master drive on her pc as far as I know. The Secondary drive is not displayed. The first, primary master drive is displayed. This screen allows the either user to input command, <Ctrl> <S>, or Escape, in order to go to another screen. This other screen allows the user to select either "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" or "Microsoft Windows Recovery Console." If the "Microsoft Windows Recovery Console," is selected, the system loads up something, and then the B.S.O.D occurs. The B.S.O.D lists a technical Information, as, "***STOP: 0x0000007B (0xF7C53524, 0xC0000034, 0x00000000, 0x00000000) ". The B.S.O.D also states that, after the usual "if this is the first time you see this screen, please restart your pc. If not, then..." "That the user should run virus scans..." Now, if I choose the "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" selection from the previous screen, the pc goes to the Safe Mode selection screen. The one where at the top, a message that windows did not shutdown/load properly, to please select one of the following. I would like to also point out that, this screen would automatically come up from the screen with the list of master drives, which is previous from this screen. Now, from the safe mode selection screen. Regardless of what is selected, the pc pauses, the screen resets, and then the pc go back to the initial loading screen, as if the pc was just turned on.

Second Question:
2. At this point in the description, where is the problem most likely to reside in?

Now, as the pc was running during this problem, I took down some information that I thought would be vital towards this issue, which I wish to fix.

From the initial loading screen:
1. Intel Celeron
2. P4S8X-MX
3. ASUS

From the front of the pc case:
1. Begonia
2. www.Begonia-usa.com

OS Being runs on the pc:
1. Windows XP-SP2

From the screen after the loading screen:
1. Press <Ctrl> <S> to enter setup menu or escape to skip waiting.
2. Primary Master: WDC WD800JD-60LSA5 74GB UDMA 5
3. Secondary Master: <SATA Device Not Found>
4. (If you wait a bit, this screen goes to safe mode selection screen. If you do as point one of this section indicates, then you are taken to the setup menu screen).

From the setup menu screen:
1. Microsoft Windows XP Professional, selection of the two listed.
2. Microsoft Windows Recovery Console, Selection of the two listed.

From the selection of Microsoft Windows Recovery Console:
1. A Loading message appears on the screen.
2. B.S.O.D appears on screen.
2.2. Technical Information: ***STOP: 0x0000007B (0xF7C53524, 0xC0000034, 0x00000000, 0x00000000)

From the selection of Microsoft Windows XP Professional selection in the setup menu, or by waiting on the second screen from the initial loading screen:
1. Goes to safe mode select screen, then, the pc restarts, regardless of selection.
1.2. This screen displays a list of options to load the OS from.
2. PC Pauses, and then loops back to the initial loading screen.

There, I hope all of this information will suffice in finding a solution to this problem.

If something is not clear, please ask me as to what it is that needs to be clarified.

Thank you for your time, I look forward to reading the responses I will get within this thread of mind.

 

Sounds fishy to me, are you sure this isn't homework?

If not then in answer to question one, either hardware (something may have been unplugged whilst moving the system causing damage) or software, she was online at the time and may have become infected.

In answer to question 2, still a choice between hardware, Stop 7B errors indicate a harddrive failure or malware (a boot sector virus).

Let's test the hard drive first, download

Disk Diagnostic Software ....

Download Data Lifeguard from Western Digital and run non destructive tests.

Download the DOS Floppy or CD version (whichever is best) and set the problem machine to boot from the media you use.

 

how am I suppose to download anything on her pc, when the pc doesn't even get to the account log in screen selection?

Should I download those on my pc, (which by the way, is where I am posting and replying to this thread), and put them on a cd, that would run automatically once the pc of my family member is turned on?

I'm not sure how I'm suppose to go about using those downloadable files you just recommended. Please explain.

Nevermind, I read the bottom half of your post, wildfire. My apologies.

 

I would assume that the secondary master is her optical drive. If it isn't showing you will not be able to run a CD. Hopefully she has a floppy drive to run the hard drive utilities.

She may have had a Sata cable come loose from the drive or motherboard.

Another possibility is a rootkit on her computer and a certain Windows Update that has been waiting patiently to install did so which would give that same Stop error. I just dealt with that issue on a customer laptop and followed Arie's information at the below link to get back into Windows.

Windows patch cripples XP with blue screen

 

reply to thread

As far as the "Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for DOS (CD)" is concerned on the link previously provided, which is on the following direct hyperlink...

http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=603&sid=30&lang=en

Do I select the .iso type file, or the zip file?

My guess is the iso file, but I'm asking this anyways because I am not fully sure.

 

I downloaded the .iso file to a win-R CD. I'll see if it plays as instructed on the pc with the problem of looping.

I'd like to thank you all thus far for your help. I will continue with the troubleshooting of the other pc. I look foward to resolving this issue with the help from all those whom will show suppose within their posts'.

 

update...

I tried running the cd, but it didn't automatically start when I put the cd into the pc with the looping problem. How do I set the cd to run automatically on this pc. So that it will run automatically once I insert it into the other pc?

I should also point out that I downloaded the file directly onto the cd from the web site. The type of cd is a CD-R.

 

If you put the .iso file directly onto the CD by copying, it isn't going to do anything for you. An ISO file is an image of a CD. You need CD burning software (Nero, Roxio) to burn the ISO file onto a CD so it is a normal CD.

 

anybody know any free burning software that I may use?

 

ImgBurn

 

1.
O.k., I downloaded that burn program, installed it, and tried to install the "Diag504fCD.iso" from this web page, "http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=603&sid=30&lang=en." I put it into the CD drive right away in the pc within my household that is not working and is looping. No change has occurred from the CD. She has a drive on her pc, but I do not have any blank a drive disks. I'll go to office max this week end and get some to see if her a drive will work instead with the, "Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for DOS (Floppy) ", from the same site. I also saw that there is an ".msi" file on that same list for data lifeguard. I do not know how to burn an ".msi" file with imgburn, so, if that is a plausible course to take, please specify that. In addition, if it is plausible to try the ".msi" file, could someone tell me how to do it on imgburn? The path I used to burn the ".iso" file does not bring up the ".msi" file type.

2.
In addition, I am not sure as to how you people concluded that the drive is a western digital type of drive. Could someone please clarify that part? If it is unsure what drive it is in her pc, how do I verify the drive she has is actually a western digital type of drive? Do I possibly check what type it is in the bios screen? Alternatively, do I possibly check it physically by opening up her case? Which is the best course of action to take with this area, (if is it unclear as to what type of drive she has)?

http://www.imgburn.com/index.php?act=download

3.
Finally, what should I do next to fix this problem?

P.s.: In the mean time as far as the pc is concerned, she has been using my pc to check her email. However, I do not want the situation to stay this way; it is a temporary fix right now.

 

From the screen after the loading screen:
1. Press <Ctrl> <S> to enter setup menu or escape to skip waiting.
2. Primary Master: WDC WD800JD-60LSA5 74GB UDMA 5
3. Secondary Master: <SATA Device Not Found>

WD = Western Digital

Your entry on 1st Post. Neil.

 

o.k., that resolves point 2, what about points 1 and 3? Could someone help me along in this problem of mine, please?

 

Hi, on the link:http://support.wdc.com/product/downl...sid=30&lang=en
did you scroll down to follow the full set of instructions?

I would Copy and Paste to Notepad and print a copy to refer to and follow step by step.

If you have a look at the list: Available software for this product - you will see the 4th line down - Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows - click on that and the page that opens gives you a Download File: windig_117.zip.

Scroll down and make a copy of the instructions listed below it. As I understand it, you just Download the File to your Desktop and unzip and run it. This option doesn't require burning an iso to disc. Cheers Neil.