[Windows corrupted after disruptive shutdown]

My computer (always slow as it is) was taking its own sweet time to shut down, so me being the patient and tech savvy person that i am, i decided to do the right thing and shut it down by pressing the power button. It worked, of course, but when i next turned on the computer, the desktop wouldn't load properly- meaning the desktop icons were not loaded and the computer was pretty much frozen. I am very intelligent and learn from my mistakes, so when faced by this problem, which was obviously caused by me pressing the power button to shut it down, i quickly decided to press the power button to shut it down. Two wrongs make an idiot. And the result of this spectacularly stupid series of decisions is that my computer is now comprehensively scruued. When i turn it on, the normal blue screen with "F10= System Recovery" etc comes on, but next the safe mode menu screen comes on. No biggy, thought i, and i simply pressed "Start windows normally ". The computer then went to the Windows XP screen, with the windows logo and the little loading bar. Then it just restarted and took me back to the safe mode menu. The same thing happened when i pressed the "Last known good configuration option ". Even worse, when i tried any of the safe mode options, a whole bunch of commands just filled up the screen and then the computer restarted- straight back to the safe mode menu without even reaching the windows XP screen. As you have probably gathered from my post, I am technologically retarded. I know very little about computers. I could do system recovery, but i dont want to unless i have to. Can someone tell me how to fix the problem without using system recovery? Or is recovery the only way?

 

Hi bodhamilla, and welcome to the Board.
Pressing the power button to shut down the system most of us will do at some time, but when you do, you have to keep your finger at the button for some 4 seconds or until the power light shuts off and that way you will not do any damage to your system.
Now this is a somewhat controversial suggestion some people believe in it some don't. Personally it has worked for me on some occasions and that is to unplug it at the wall for some 5 -10 minutes before re-connecting and booting up.
Generally speaking though if things are as bad as you say with no Safe Mode options available to you my preferred option would be a Windows Repair from the second R with your original Windows XP CD it should restore your Windows without loosing any data. You will however have to re-install all your Windows updates, as your Windows installation will be as it is on the CD. Unless you can make a Slipstreamed XP SP3 than you won't have very many updates to catch up to.
Maybe one of the more experienced members here will have a simpler way for you to get back your system.
hawk22

 

thanks for the help, but as i said im a real beginner so can you please clear up a couple of points for me? First off, im not sure if i have an original WIndows XP CD. THe system came preinstalled and i had to make the recovery discs (there are 6 of them) with a program that came with the computer. Is it the same thing as a Windows XP CD? I have a Windows XP CD for my laptop, but im not sure what will happen if i use it in my desktop- im guessing that microsoft doesnt want people to go around sharing their operating system CD's, so there'll probably be a safegaurd against using it in another computer right? Secondly a Slipstreamed XP SP3 is like french to me, so could you please clarify what that is too? Finally, am i right in guessing if i press F10 at the start up screen to enter and proceed with system recovery, i'll lose all my data?