Resolved Bootup does not finish anymore

You guys were so helpful when I put this system together a few years ago and it has been a flawless beast since then. My chipset fan started to go and Asus sent me a new one to install. I chipped the mainboard in the process with a pair of needlenose pliers and seemingly killed the PCIe slots. So, I have been running lately (quite comfortably) with a PCI video card.

I ordered another mainboard, same as the old one, and when I installed it, it, too, would not recognize the PCIe video card (no video signal to the monitor). I then went back to the PCI video card and was recognized but the boot up only got to the Windows XP Pro window with the scrolling blue progress bar. The bar would take about 6 passes (it used to take 9 passes to complete) before slowing down, stopping, and then the computer would reboot.

So, I went back to my old board using the PCI video card and it now does the same thing!! OMG, I am officially lost. I did have the PCIe video checked out by the manufacturer and it is fine. What can I do now to resolve this? Is this a familiar scenario to someone? I hope that it is not the main processor!

BTW- It will go into safe mode, but not with Networking.

Lar

 

Well sure looks like a Vendetta, the fact that you can load safe mode OK I would try a Last Known Good Configuration, to see if you can get back into Windows, then try to re-load your Video drivers and also check for newer drivers.

If you can, try your PCIe video card in another PC just to make sure the card is OK. If you have the original XP CD you have one other option to get Windows, by performing a OS repair.

 

Hi Bill, tried Last Known..., no good. For now, the PCIe card is moot. I just want it to load Windows at this point. I was wondering about Windows but it seems like the computer just dogs down when it loads up. Though, it can seemingly run permanently in Safe Mode. Maybe I will try pulling one of the 2 RAMs out to see if there is an issue there. Since I had to move the RAM and the CPU during the mobo changeout, it could be them but both went smoothly. Hmmm.

edit: I tried the pulling the RAM one at a time but with no benefits. I do get the "we apologize... Start Windows Normally screen" after everytime it crashes.

 

Are you certain that the hard drive hasn't got corrupted at some point? It could be possible (with your clumsy history) that you have also damaged the drive.

 

I don't think my clumsiness went beyond one missplaced thrust with the needlenose pliers. Haven't touched the HDD. I did try different SATA cables, though.

I think that I need to eliminate hardware before I jump into software. Is there another way that I could have damaged the HDD or Windows? Is there a way to test the RAM or the CPU from a command prompt or Safe Mode?

Again, besides the PCIe issue, the computer was working perfectly before the mobo changeouts and going back to the original mobo did not help.

 

Have you tried to boot into Windows with a Barts Boot CD, I had an issue with my Vista machine when I upgraded the CPU, like you I could boot into safe mode but not windows and I had made a Vista Boot CD and a Start Up Repair with that CD set things right.
Have you had a look through the BIOS to see if there are any changes there, what happens when you put the XP CD in will it start to boot from the CD.

 

Yes: you could have brought a magnet close to it, or vice versa. Was the screwdriver magnetized?

 

I did use a magnetized screwdriver once. If this is the cause, is the software damage irreversible?

 

If that's the case, and it has magnetized the hard drive, then it is probably irreversible. - it probably wiped data out, if it did magnetize it. Be thankful the HDD isn't bricked, however!

 

Anyway to fix Windows? I do have the original CD.

Bricked vs corrupted... is there any difference besides the cost of a new drive?

 

I would expect a repair install would work, but try and use the recovery console, if it's on the disc, to see if it is a simple corruption, and not data loss.

 

I'll look for some info on the Recovery Console's use when I get back from work. Thanks a lot.

 

As to the bricked vs corrupted... A corrupted drive can usually be fixed at worst by a full format, whereas a bricked unit will not work at all, and require dismantling at least. However, as yours appears to work (if not properly), I would doubt it's bricked.

Good luck with the Recovery Console

 

Well, I tried the repair install and it installed fine but Windows stopped at the exact same place, after 5 cycles of the blue progress bar. Now, when I go into Safe Mode, it says that Windows Setup cannot continue in Safe Mode and will reboot. So, I gather that since Windows could not fully load up and settle down, the setup is considered incomplete. I seemingly when further down the ladder instead of up. Of course, this seems to tell me that the repair install did not fix anything.

Should I try, if it is even possible, to retract the setup, and have access to safe mode again, or should I try BartsPE or the Recovery Console.

How can the recovery Console tell me if Windows is messed up? I need to get back to Safe Mode to at least have a command prompt. Any pointers?? Thx, Lar

 

If a repair install failed, I can't see the recovery console doing anything at all. I hope you've got backups of your important files, for I fear a full format of the drive might be required...

 

I have been playing with the recovery console. Reminds me of the bad ol' days of DOS. I do not miss them.

I should mention that upon booting up, the computer does give a single beep. I assume that this means that the BIOS part of the process has successfully loaded up and has passed the baton to Windows.

I ran CHDSK /r to find and correct any drive issues.. One or more errors were found and corrected....to no benefit.

Then I was hoping to look into the bootlog to see if I could determine where Windows was dropping the ball. My info off the net tells me that after enabling bootlogging in Safe Mode, I should find a file called ntbtlog.txt, but the c:\DIR finds no such file. I did find bootlog.txt. Is that the same thing?? That log had quite a few files were were not loaded and 2 files at the end of the list that had pathnames like "Loaded driver \??\ c:\windows\system32\systeminfo.sys ".

Before the repair install, I could use Safe Mode to go into My Docements and access all of my data. I am hoping that my worst case scenario at this point is to buy a new HDD, do a fresh XP install and then move the data over. Is there anyway to reverse the repair install so that I can get Safe Mode back??

Are we still sure that it is either Windows or the HDD that is causing this to happen? Since Safe Mode and the Recovery Console were working doesn't that mean that the HDD is OK?

 

It could be damaged, but it isn't bricked. Systeminfo.sys is rather important, if my memory serves correctly... Do you have a friend/another NTFS-format PC which you can use a HDD from?

 

Not one with a SATA controller. You want to see if the HDD works right in another system? Everyone I know still has IDE or a MAC.

Anyway to reverse the repair install? I would really like to get Safe Mode back.

If there are files on a formatted HDD and you do a fresh install on it, does it erase those files (assuming that there is adequate room for both) or can they co-exist?

 

I actually meant using their Windows XP to backup, but either way works. I don't think there is a way to reverse a repair install, however, if you have restore points, you *might* be able to do so.

A quick hard-drive format simply creates a new file table, and doesn't overwrite the files. However, the files will be overwritten as new data comes on. I believe there are tools to recover data from such a result, but you would need a second HDD, with an OS on it, to make sure you don't overwrite some of the data. A full format overwrites all the data with blanks, as well as creating the new file table.

 

RE: restore point-- Is there a way to access System Restore without Safe Mode?

I do have a 2nd HDD on this computer with files on it. Without Safe Mode, I did not think that I could access it. I am not sure if your last reply answered the query "if I installed XP on a second HDD with files on it, would they be deleted? ". Is a quick HDD format the same as an XP install, or am I missing the point?

What about Barts PE or is that barking up the wrong tree?