endless reboot 1

[sandwedger]

HP Pavilion WIN XP Pro Getting an endless reboot on startup ... Tried removing/replacing memory sticks because that has cleared up other problems in the past, but this time it doesn't work. How do I get out of this endless loop?

 

[NoCalAdmin]

boot up in Safe Mode and run a virus scan.

 

[sandwedger]

I have tried to get into safe mode, but every time I select it, it goes right back to Windows XP Pro to boot ... this is driving me nuts!

 

[Drewsoftware]

If the SAFE MODE reboot doesn't work, hope you've kept a current valid data backup. Only solution to this (that I'm aware of before coffee) is to completely reinstall Windows and pull your data back in (or alternately, pull in your backup if it was a mirror).

Second alternative is if you created an "emergency boot disc" often offered by such programs as AVG, Norton or McAfee. If you have ever made such a disc... now is the time to use it. The primary thought is to get into your system so you can pull your data to an external source before wiping and re-initializing your system.

Third alternative is the nice feature now offered in many versions of Windows where you can re-install Windows while saving your data to a "MyBackup" directory. Before this feature was offered, users were up the proverbial creek... but now data is rarely lost due to a Windows boot failure. Just insert your install discs (if you didn't make them when the system offered, you may have to order them from the computer manufacturer) and choose the 'Install Windows and back up existing data' or similar option. Be careful to not choose the 'Full restore with format' or you will lose all existing information.

If you don't have a backup-- hasta la vista data. If not this time... then some future time. If the data is essential (such as your entire business will go down in flames if it's not recovered) then can always take it to a recovery tech and see if he knows a trick or two we don't.

As general practice, I suggest using a secondary hard disk (especially one of the relatively new external drives) as a data backup. Cheap, reliable, fast, easy to use. $200 worth of external hard drive is far faster and better than the old, clunky, time-consuming, prone-to-failure streaming data tape drives or zip drives. Otherwise, one is playing Russian Data Roulette with 5 loaded chambers.



Drewsoftware deals in Personality Management software to reduce employee turnover.

http://Drewsoftware.com

 

[sandwedger]

I've got most of my stuff on an external hard drive, but it is such a total p in the a to reinstall Windows. What really frosts me is that I do a virus scan every other day, and yet this thing happens! Curse, swear, fume !!!

 

[jlockley]

I have had occasional success by booting from the Windows CD. That is to say booting with the cd in the drive. Try that before going forward with restore.

If you can get in once, try unchecking "reboot on error" in management options.

Buy.com currently has external USB drives - aoubt 250g, for a little over $100.

There ought to be a shopping and deal thread here. HEY, LOOKIE WHAT I JUST FOUND.

 

[sandwedger]

Tried F10 to get into D: system recovery partition, but an "unexpected error" screen came up, sending me back to the Windows start up screen, and thence the endless loop. This bug is a nasty one !!! I'm trying to avoid a complete reformat if possible ...

 

[wolluf]

Assuming SP2 - press F8 to get safe mode menu up, then select disable automatic restart on failure. Hopefully this will make the system stop on the blue screen, which should give you some (hopefully helpful) information. I'd guess you have a filestore or registry hive corruption (or both). If so, booting into recovery console and running chkdsk c: /p may fix it (if not, then post back, other possibilities exist, especially if you have a BartPE Cd, or similar). If unmountable boot volume, also run fixmbr and fixboot in recovery console:-

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307654

(if all else fails, repair reinstall will normally fix this if not actual hardware damage. I'd also run the hard drive manufacturer's diagnostic - usually available from their site)

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315341

 

[sandwedger]

unfortunately, disable automatic restart doesn't work either ... Somehow, though, a "check disk" screen momentarily appeared (a nice blue), but it said that check disk had been stopped, and it went back into the black boot screen again ...

 

[jlockley]

You know, there used to be a lot of virus strains that did this, but I haven't seen one for a couple of years (That klonking sound in me knocking on wood - hard).

I run 2k with a copy of xp on my desk (Hey, that's why I am upgrading..I thought this part of Bill's wonderworld was fixed in XP) so I am not up on all the details, but in 2k there is an option to revert to last good registry, and I remember hearing that there is a restore function for XP (with f8).If these fail, you are really better off for the time being to do a repair from the CD. Boot from CD, when given the choice choose to repair an existing installation. After you are done you will have to update again, replace IE with the newest version and possibly replace install.exe (search on MS website ..it's there, or search here. I put up a link somewhere) if you get notices that this or that program has to be reinstalled.

At some time you have to quit throwing good time after bad. With Windows issues like this I usually set the limit at about eight hours.

 

[NoCalAdmin]

Doesn't this sound like the symptoms of the Sasser string that was going arounng a few years ago?

 

[sandwedger]

This thing may have come from an email attachment that I foolishly trusted ... it was from an advertising company, whose name I will not mention, who had issues with malicious downloads on their site not long ago. Anyway, a friend sent me this link

http://www.informationweek.com/windows/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189400897&pgno=5&queryText=

and if it works, I will post happy results here!

 

[Drewsoftware]

This is a good reminder for us all: never, ever, ever open an email attachment. Even if it's from a "trusted" source, even if it's from a professional source-- it can still carry a virus.

I bapped myself upside the head when someone mentioned the "repair Windows" function. Something at the back of my noggin told me I was forgetting something in my last post and duh, there it is. If you can get in far enough to initiate a "Windows Repair" or like someone mentioned, a restore to prior date, that's the ticket. Sounds like you haven't been able to get that far though.

Yup, viruses can do what you've described (hopefully it's not a Bios virus). I agree at this point with jlockley... after a certain amount of headache, often the best choice is to do a non-destructive reinstallation-- and I agree with the 8 hour mark. It takes about 4-8 hours for me to totally reinstall my system, so that's the breakpoint. At least it's not the days of 95/98 where you'd lose data as well.

I think it's a crying shame that Micro$oft is so paranoid about piracy that they don't allow a complete system file-by-file backup. I hate mirror backups because they don't permit partial restores. But, Micro$oft is paranoid, so best we can do is a Repair (if we can get that far in) or a non-destructive reinstallation. (Too bad too, because these days with Windows Authentication, they don't really have a reason to be copy paranoid any more. And if they'd have sold Windows for $29.95 as they should have... they'd have never had to worry about piracy in the first place).

Doncha just hate though, having to reset all those IM, Word, and other programming preferences all over again? I'd rather chew carbon.




---***--- Drew Software deals in Personality Management software designed to reduce employee turnover by matching people to the right jobs and improving workplace communications.

http://Drewsoftware.com

 

[sandwedger]

Can't do a partial recovery, because of this error message:
"An unexpected error (1073702976) occurred at line 1768 in d:\xpcclient\base\boot\setup\arcdisp.c press any key to continue" .... and pressing that key goes into yet another endless loop with this message. Tried a destructive reformat with the recovery disk ... same problem ... you can't get there from here. Catch 22 is driving me to town to pick up a new hard drive tomorrow.

 

[LawnBoy]

This is a good reminder for us all: never, ever, ever open an email attachment.

I'll open any attachment, from anybody. I ain't skeered 'cause I run linux. Or Mac. Or any thing except MS.

Not trying to start an OS war, just reminding you that your statement is FUD. The company I work for would collapse if people couldn't send and receive email attachments.

 

[Drewsoftware]

>Lawnboy: I'll open any attachment, from anybody. I ain't skeered 'cause I run linux. Or Mac. Or any thing except MS.

Not trying to start an OS war, just reminding you that your statement is FUD. The company I work for would collapse if people couldn't send and receive email attachments.<

Yeah, I'll grant you that. Not a big fan of Windows myself (for many reasons). And you're right-- for some businesses, opening up email attachments is an essential. But any business with sense also runs antivirus and other security measures to the gills-- so it's not as dangerous. I was thinking more from the standpoint of a home user, most of which even if "protected" don't have sufficient protection to stop an email-oriented virus. So yup, I'll admit to a bit of FUD in that one... but better to FUD on the side of safety.



---***--- Drew Software deals in Personality Management software designed to reduce employee turnover by matching people to the right jobs and improving workplace communications.

http://Drewsoftware.com

 

[LawnBoy]

Spoken like a gentleman. Have a star.

 

[jlockley]

Doesn't this sound like the symptoms of the Sasser string that was going arounng a few years ago?"

Been there, done that, despite av software, but I have also had this symptom following a MS update. Hard to tell.

You can't do a full restore either?

IF it is sasser, I think there is a sasser recovery program from Bill's Wonderland (MS), which you can insert and which will boot and clean. Then can I have the new drive? Please make it 300g SATA, if you don't mind.

Lawnboy: I'll open any attachment, from anybody. I ain't skeered 'cause I run linux. Or Mac. Or any thing except MS.

Well, yes. But we tough folk do it the old fashioned way. And all your neener neener neener LYnux/Mac taunting will never hurt us. Hah! (and anyone with any sense runs AV and does frequent checks. Sasser, if I remember correctly, has a dorment period before the payload is released)

 

[sandwedger]

Latest revelations: This appears to be a system failure, bad chip, or maybe a meteor strike. I have been advised that the recovery partition is toast, and that to have this machine back up and running will probably be half the cost of a new computer. Since it is five years old, I hereby move its status to LANDFILL. Side note: I also found out that if you modify any of the hardware that came with the machine, the recovery disks will not work, so that is another factor. I'd have to buy a new copy of Winders on top of everything else.