Win will not load

[dek001]

My Dell laptop, running win xp (pro), was running fine when I was going to make a CD using Roxio Easy Media Creator. When I tried to start the program, it came up with "trial period ended". This program is the full program and not a trial or partial program. This has happened before on my desktop and I unloaded and reloaded the program with no problems. This time, with the laptop, I unloaded the program and was told to exit the drag to disk function, which I did. The program was then unloaded. I then proceeded to unload the drag to disk function. I was then instructed to reboot the computer now or later. I chose later. I then exited the control panel and proceeded to reboot. At reboot, it powered-up and then the screen indicated a problem and offered several methods to continue such as continue to boot in the normal method, safe or to a recover. None of them would work and the computer continued to reboot with the same offerings continuously. I tried to boot with a bootable disk to try and recover but it won't let me do that and will not boot off the disk. It just goes back to that same error selection. I even tried to get into my system setup but it was frozen and would not let me in. WHAT IS HAPPENING? And, from the looks of preceding posts, I'm not alone. My computer is a Dell 8100. Thanks, Dennis

 

[linney]

By System Setup, do you mean the Bios or a Dell Recovery Partition?

Are you able to get into the Recovery Console?

How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307654&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

310994 - Obtaining Windows XP Setup Boot Disks

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310994&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

If you do get in, try ChkDsk /r from the Prompt.

More information is to be found in this thread.

Cannot logon to winxp...losing lots of valuable documents
thread779-975236

BartPE has a ChkDsk program too.

 

[dek001]

I can't get into anything - not the bios, system, safe mode, etc, etc, etc, - nothing it just keeps loading the option to load in normal, safe, recovery and regardless of what is selected, it just goes back to rebooting and coming up again with the the same options - in perpetuity. I pulled the HD and set it up as an external drive so I could at least save my files. I will then reformat and reload my programs. I suspect the culprit is Roxio Creative Media 9 (the full program) which comes up with - the trial period has expired - when I select the program. I bought the full program and not a trial version. I will attempt to e-mail Roxio, if it's possible without having to pay, with the problem. For now, I have to unload and reload, unless the same thing happens to my desktop, at which point I'll have no computer. I think I'll also make a backup HD to install on the desktop, just in case. Thanks, Dennis

 

[wolluf]

If you press F8 at start up to get the full safe mode menu - there should be option to disable restart on error (assuming you're running sp2). If you select this you should get a blue screen with some info about the problem - which may or may not be useful in fixing it. But you may be better just doing clean install as you mentioned as you have rescued your files.

 

[linney]

Do you have the F keys working properly?

F Lock Key.

http://mvps.org/jtsang/flock.html

It is hard to figure how any failed program can stop you accessing the Bios, should you want to.