Windows XP recycles without starting

[izim]

Windows xp recycles to a window with folowing options.
Start Windows normal in 30 sec, in last known good configuration,and in all safe modes. Windows will not start in any function. Will not recognize the D drive
will go into A: with a start up floppy and show the folowing dir egae cp1, ega3 cap1, ega cap1, keyb com, mode com, command com, display sys, and config sys. only comfif sys has 0 bytes,. Can anyone help. Thanks izim123.

 

[bankboysb]

Is the boot floppy from Windows 98? Or is that part of a system restoration that came from the manufacturer (which it sounds like)? And what do you mean it shows you the directory? How does it do that without you asking it to do so?
It would help if you could be more specific.

If you are trying to boot to Windows using a recovery floppy it won't work. Those are for use with a CD that has the operating system on it. THOSE WILL WIPE OUT ALL YOUR DATA! BE CAREFUL.

Post back with more details please.

 

[garebo]

If you can use up and down keys to move it over the "last known good config" then do that end hit the enter key and wait a while, takes about 30 seconds or so and it may boot to windows and all may be well.



Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[izim]

Thank you for your help nothing works so I am concidering reformating my hard drive.I have a Win 95 floppy can I use the fdisk.exe or the format.com files. on that floppy?
I have an E-Machine with a restore CD can I use that to reinstal the programs

 

[garebo]

The restore cd should install both the os and the progs, should it not?
But why not do some morre troubleshooting first.
Have you replaced the ide cable for your c drive?

How about a re-set of the cmos?


Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[mainegeek]

izim,
You would probably be better off by booting with your restore cd and re-install xp.

 

[garebo]

I mentioned to re-set the cmos because its one of the first trouble-shooting methods and often clears up problems. A change can inadvertently be made in the bios without our even knowing it sometimes, so its best to re-set cmos before going on to other methods of trouble-shooting.

If all else fails, you could run killdisk, a free prog that you can google. That will get the hard drive ready to accept win xp and your restore cd.
Or go to the hard drive mfgr website and download their free utils for your hard drive and use them to format the hard drive. Dont use any overlay utils though, just format.




Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[tpman]

I would tend to agree with garebo. Reset the cmos first, before you spend the time reloading. It takes less than 2 minutes to do. Time well spent if it works IMHO.

 

[garebo]

And check mobo manual about this as some (most) want you to remove battery and unplug ALL possible power to mobo, then set jumper from 1-2 to 2-3, wait half hour or so, then put jumper back to 1-2 and apply all power you unhooked and go.
Others will have you boot with jumpers on 2-3 and others will say its damaging to mobo, so check manual. If no manual do the first method only, dont apply power.
The few times i have every made a mistake and applied power no damage was done but i would hate for you to be first that i know of!


Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[tpman]

Make sure you unplug the PC from power source and unplug all peripheral usb hardware from the pc as well. I never have had to take the battery out, but what the heck, it won't hurt anything. I have just waited for the LED to go out before swapping the jumpers, about 30-45 seconds, swap jumpers, plug pc back in, turn the power on for about 1 minute, turn pc off, unplug from power source, wait for LED to go out, swap jumpers back to original pins, plug pc back in and see what happens. I have never waited for 30 minutes, but like I said, what the heck, 30 minutes is better than a couple hours of reloading time, at least in my book it is. I guess resetting the cmos may be different for each mobo. I have always turned my pc on to reset, but that is what the directions for my mobo state.

 

[hatebreed]

have you checked the hard drive?

 

[hatebreed]

Just boot to your windows xp cd & then reformat the drive & do a fresh load on it.