Resolved PC constantly rebooting in Normal Mode

This morning I used the 'Burn Image' function and created a CD but the system (that ran all night in Safe Mode) got hung up when I went to Restart. I activated the on/off button to shut it down and upon reinitialization the CPU started to race and would not boot. Is the hard drive dying? I am letting the unit cool down and will attempt another reboot. I will initialize in Normal Mode and insert the Diagnostic disk between restarts (just to make sure that it will boot up and is not dead).

 

I appears the system has degraded further. Every attempt to reboot and bring the system up is unsuccessful. The CPU attempts to load from the CD/Drive but doesn't and then the CPU begins to race and has to be shutdown. Should I continue to attempt to get the system booted into Safe Mode again so that the important files can be copied and saved or is it a lost cause? I don't think the owner of the unit has done any backups in a while. Can the files be taken off the hard drive if it is removed?

 

Yes I'd stop right now until a backup is made.

You can install the drive as a slave/secondary (not a boot drive) in another system and make a backup from there.

 

Thanks .. Should the systems be the same OS or can I slave the bad drive (XP Home) to my Windows 7 unit at home?

 

As long as the new system can read the old drives filesystem, In this case Windows 7 will have no problems read XP's NTFS or FAT.

But seriously are you sure you're up to the job, perhaps taking a time out and have someone else physically look at the system may be better?

 

I can pull the drive.. and insert it into my unit at home .. done that before. Do I need any special program to see the files and programs in the second drive? I am a good learner... but that doesn't say much now does it ...ckl

 

Carl, seriously messing with someone's (probably important) data is not something you want to be learning with.

I'm quite a bit away from you and even I'm getting nervous. My final say on the matter is to get a local expert to take a look at the system.

 

K... Thanks...carl

 

Really, it depends on whzat you are trying to do.

If you just want to backup the files, you can just get a usb enclosure or cabling, and copy/paste/burn to a dvd without disturbing the original files.

Or even better, while in safe mode, attach a usb enclosure or use a network storage and copy paste stuff.

When you say the cpu starts to "race ", you mean the fan correct?
All systems boot at 100% fan until the bios or windows kicks in to control it.

 

Thank you all very much ... Sorry schedule/holiday/and funerals took me away for a few days... After much deliberation and clear thinking, I have decided to take Wildfire's advice. We cleaned the viruses and at this point it appears to be a pending or eminent hardware failure issue, so my friend is buying a new unit (overdue) and having the desired files from the old drive copied anew. I will mark this thread as "Resolved "

 

Well that will fix it, always does , but you need to make a decision one way or the other, eventually.

Your friend can can look forward to a new system, that's always something to anticipate. It can be pleasant or possibly a little unpleasant, do they have any older hardware or software that might not work on the new computer?

Thanks for the update and letting us know there is a resolution.

Matt

 

Couldn't have been without you guys anyway...Thanks Mattman and Broni and Wildfire and Evan and Patonb ... and ...and .... wait for it .......ARIE !!!! Seriously you guys are more than worth the price of admission ...grazie mille.