Only boots in safe mode

I'm having an issue with my laptop booting up in windows xp. It gets to the point with the black windows screen and the status bar starts to move but then it just locks up. The only way for me to log in is under safe mode. Any suggestions.

 

When you say it locks up, do you mean that even overnight nothing has changed on the screen?

Do you have a wireless adapter, and if so, what happens when you use Device Manager in Safe mode to disable it. Then reboot to Normal Mode?

In Safe Mode, use MSCONFIG to enable Boot logging. Boot to Normal mode. After a reasonable period of time restart into Safe Mode and see what is in the bootlog file:

If the system hangs during the boot display of drivers being loaded, then the last file in the list is the one that may be corrupt or an incorrect version.

If the drivers all load successfully but the system hangs before the Windows Desktop is reached, you can examine the C:\WINDOWS\NTBTLOG.TXT log file in Safe Mode for information.

The case where all drivers load and the system subsequently hangs can again be tested:

Use MSCONFIG and remove the bootlog option.

Then click the Startup tab. Disable all but Windows services.

Boot to Normal mode. You will then have to use MSCONFIG to selectively re-enable and test one entry at a time until the system again halts. You know know the last entry enabled is the culprit. Disable it again and remove the entry using Add/Remove programs. Re-enable the remaining disabled items using MSCONFIG.

 

Anthony

After you follow Bill's excellent advice, the below may help.

You are lucky you can get to Safe Mode, at least we have something to work from.

So if safe mode is available try SAFE MODE Networking. This will allow you to access the Internet and download the below.

Do some cleanup. Download and install and run these:

The following are the best free cleaners below

DCleaner http://www.majorgeeks.com/DCleaner_d4790.html

ATF-Cleaner http://www.atribune.org/content/view/25/2/

Finally **** CCleaner get the slim version http://www.ccleaner.com/download/builds.aspx

Dcleaner and ATFClean are purely disk cleaners but CClean also has a registry cleaner (issues), run this also as many times as it takes to come up clean.

Now try a normal boot.

Get back!

Mike