XP does not boot, keeps on going to safe mode menu

My Toshiba notebook with XP does not boot.

It shows the welcome screen and goes to the menu that has safe mode, last known good menu, etc. If I select any of them, it again goes back to the welcome screen and the menu screen.

I do not have a bootup disk/cd, but Toshiba provided a recovery CD-ROM. When I tried booting with this CD, it asks me whether to reinstall the original image (that is, with all the data and applications installed when I bought it). The other option is "Cancel ". So I will be loosing all my data.

Any idea what causes this (virus?) and please, how to solve this issue? (I need at least my data back)

Thanks!

 

I suggest that you do a Repair install but you will need to have a full XP program disk to do that. Perhaps borrow one from a friend or else call your source vendor and ask for one. You may have to pay a modest cost for the disk but it is your right to have one if you bought the equipment with XP pre-installed. You can likely get a disk if you raise the issue.

Even so, if you choose to do the work using a friend's disk the worst thing that could happen is that your original key code (you do have that code don't you?) wouldn't work and you would be required to reactivate it by calling the MS number displayed when you first boot it. Sometimes that isn't necessary but sometimes it is.