Stopping Restarting/Rebooting

Hi,

One of my other PC's is automatically rebooting after the Windows XP loading screen. There's a BSD that I can't read because just as it pops on, Windows reboots.

I've been able to catch the BSD on my digital camera (set to video mode), but I'd like to try to read the who thing, so I need to know how to stop the PC from rebooting itself.

I can not get into Windows. I can not get in in Safe Mode. So I can't do anything from the Control Panel.

This is the BSD that I caught on video (in quotes):

"A problem has been detected and windows has shut down to prevent damage to your computer.

If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:

Disable or uninstall any anti-virus, dsik defragmentation or backup utilities. Check your hard drive configuration, and check for any updated drivers. Run CHKDISK /F to check for hard drive corruption, and then restart your computer.

Technical Information: "

Technical Information is blank and I think there would be something there if the computer wasn't rebooting so fast that I can't catch it on video. So that's why I need to stop it from restarting.

What can I do? Thanks!

 

Hello John,

See if you can do a System Restore from a command prompt: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304449&sd=tech

If that doesn't work, and I see that you write that you can't get into safe mode, the only other course of action would be to do a repair install: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

Regards - Charles

 

Thanks Charles. I was afraid of that (the repair installation).

So let me ask this:

Can I take this hard drive and put it in another computer where it won't be set as the boot drive and then boot that computer so that I can get files off the drive and then put the drive back in the problem computer and either do a restore or repair?

I've done the repair before and I'd like to try and get files off the drive before I do the anything to it.

So can I put the drive in another PC and transfer the files to that PC's main hard drive?

Thanks!

 

Hi John,

Can I take this hard drive and put it in another computer where it won't be set as the boot drive and then boot that computer so that I can get files off the drive and then put the drive back in the problem computer and either do a restore or repair?

If the other system takes a secondary drive, sure, I would do that. For the record, I have two internal drives, both have OS's on them, and when in either OS, the other is treated as a data drive, so I don't think you'll have a problem.

You might also think about doing a clean install if you're going to backup your data. If this is not the first repair you've done, there might be an on going problem for which a clean install might be a better solution.

Regards - Charles

 

Good, I'll give it a try then.

That's what I was thinking. Or junking the drive. I'm not sure, but I think it's about 5 years old. It seemed to be ok, but.....

 

If you have SP2, tap F8 (to get the menu "safe mode ". "last known good" etc) at boot. One of the choices is "disable auto restart ". Then boot it normally. If you get a BSOD, post back here with the error message.

Johanna

 

Johanna,

I did try F8 after I posted here. I figured it couldn't hurt and I did get the advanced menu that you're referring to, but it didn't help. But thanks anyway for pointing that out.

Interestingly, you say "if you have SP2" and this whole problem started when I got an error window from my anti-virus (Avast) saying something about an "update" and "RPC call ". I don't know what the update was though, exactly.

Later, when I was trying to get Windows to start from that same advanced menu, I happened to notice that a blue screen said "Service Pack 2 ". The problems are these:

a) I had auto update shut off. I don't let Microsoft update my computers. I never have and I never will.

b) I never upgraded to SP2 because I have software on that computer that won't work with SP2. It goes back a couple of years, hasn't been updated and just doesn't function with SP2. So I purposely didn't upgrade.

That all leads me to believe that somehow my preferences changed from auto-update being OFF not just to "download and notify but don't install ", but to "download, install and don't even ask "!

I didn't do that! It's as simple as that. I know my preferences, I know how to change them and I didn't do it.

Strange, huh?

Now the reason I started posting tonight:

Charles, THANKS!!!

I just put the "problem" drive in one of my other PC's and I've got that drive up and running and I can back it up. I don't know why I never thought of doing that before when I've had problems, but thanks for confirming that it would work.

I'm going to back up what I need to a few DVD discs (it's only a 13GB drive, and I don't need everything), put it back in the PC it was in and then reinstall Windows fresh.

 

John Thomas,
Glad that you managed to save your data files. Reinstalling XP will surely put things back to right, for the future.

If you go to the MS site to get updates, you have to have the "auto update" feature turned on in Services. Is it possible that you forgot to turn it back off again? SP2 will change your security settings (like leaving AU on, and checking w/ MS online everytime you boot the computer, automatically enabling the XP firewall etc. ) but it is a good update to have because of the new security functions, and they can all be configured to your preferences. I hear you- I do not let MS do any auto updating, either. Ever.

When I install XP, one of the first things on my checklist is to disable the auto reboot. (Control Panel>System>Advanced>Start Up & Recovery>Settings). I do not know why MS choose to turn that option on by default. Computers get stuck in endless boot loops with no error messages to at least point the user in the general direction of the problem.

Hope everything works out for you. For those of you reading that have never done a reinstall before, Clean Install of XP Tutorial.

Johanna