XP constantly re-starting (even in safe mode)

If you have Windows CD...(if you don't have Windows CD, scroll down)

1. Insert your Windows XP CD into your CD and assure that your CD-ROM drive is capable of booting the CD.
2. Once you have booted from CD, do NOT select the option that states: Press F2 to initiate the Automated System Recovery (ASR) tool.
You’re going to proceed until you see the following screen, at which point you will press the “R” key to enter the recovery console:



3. After you have selected the appropriate option from step two, you will be prompted to select a valid Windows installation (typically number “1″).
Select the installation number, and hit Enter.
If there is an administrator password for the administrator account, enter it and hit Enter (if asked for the password, and you don't know it, you're out of luck).
You will be greeted with this screen, which indicates a recovery console at the ready:



4. There are eight commands you must enter in sequence to repair your problem..
NOTE. Make sure, you press Enter after each command. Make sure, all commands are exact, including "spaces".
These commands are as follows:

CD..
ATTRIB -H C:\boot.ini
ATTRIB -S C:\boot.ini
ATTRIB -R C:\boot.ini
del boot.ini
BOOTCFG /Rebuild

Note about the above command.
BOOTCFG /REBUILD command which searches for pre-existing installations of Windows XP and rebuilds sundry essential components of the Windows operating system, recompiles the BOOT.INI file and corrects a litany of common Windows errors.
It is very important that you do one or both of the following two things:
A.) Every Windows XP owner must use /FASTDETECT as OS Load Option when the rebuild process is finalizing.
B.) If you are the owner of a CPU featuring Intel’s XD or AMD’s NX buffer overflow protection, you must also use /NOEXECUTE=OPTIN as an OS Load Option.
For the Enter Load Identifier portion of this command, you should enter the name of the operating system you have installed.
If, for example, you are using Windows XP Home, you could type Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition for the identifier (it's not crucial, however what the name is, as long, as it's meaningful).
Here is your computer screen:



5. Following command verifies the integrity of the hard drive containing the Windows XP installation. While this step is not an essential function in our process, it’s still good to be sure that the drive is physically capable of running windows, in that it contains no bad sectors or other corruptions that might be the culprit:

CHKDSK /R

6. This last command writes a new boot sector to the hard drive and cleans up all the loose ends we created by rebuilding the BOOT.INI file and the system files. When the Windows Recovery Console asks you if you are Sure you want to write a new bootsector to the partition C: ? just hit “Y”, then Enter to confirm your decision:

FIXBOOT

7. It’s time to reboot your PC by typing
EXIT
and pressing Enter.

With any luck, your PC will boot successfully into Windows XP as if your various DLL, Hive, EXE and NTLDR errors never existed.



If you don't have Windows CD...
Download Windows Recovery Console: http://www.thecomput...om/files/rc.iso
Download, and install free Imgburn: http://www.imgburn.c...hp?act=download
Using Imgburn, burn rc.iso to a CD.
Boot to the CD...let it finish loading.
When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console.
Then, follow instructions from Step #3 above.

Thank you.
I will try this tomorrow.

I ended up just installing XP on the second drive to access my files to copy them to removable HD to back them all up.

Had to use NTFS Undelete to get them, but I got them.
What a waste of a day . . . *sighs*

I'll let you know how the Recovery Console goes tomorrow.

Carpe diem

Hmmm, things have gotten interesting.

I downloaded the recovery .iso, burned CD, Booted from disk and it started running as normal and then before the Setup Screen comes up, it hits me with this STOP error message:

(all redundant "0"s are taken out)
STOP:0x7E (0xC0000005, 0xF748E0BF, 0xF78DA208, 0xF78D9F08)
pci.sys - Address F748E0BF base at F7487000 Datestamp 3b7d855c

So,
I now have 2 XPs on both hard drives on my machine.
The second/newer installment seems to be working fine.

Any new suggestions?

RSHAFFER61 told me I have a post (here) ?? so all my posts go here, I guess. . .

Here's what I posted elsewhere, but told to post here to save 'confusion'
(I'm already confused, but . . )

"Sitrep:
My XP on C: drive just crashed last week.
Safe mode doesn't work.
Recovery Console brings up a new error message of it's own.
Last Safe Config? Yeah. Sounds nice. Not this time . . .

So, what I did was install XP on my D: drive, brought my precious files back from the dead via NTFS Undelete -Freeware.
That's fine.
Got my files.

But I still have the problem with the XP on C:

Question:
Is there a way I can 'hack' into C: using the D: drive XP?
See, the problem I'm having here is I know the STOP error is telling me it's a software/hardware conflict (0x0A error), but it shuts down before I can access the system and cut off any new software.
(Why Safe Mode doesn't work, is beyond me . . )

My theory is, if I can access it through the D: drive OS, I'll have more of a chance.
Problem is, the Admin folder is 'locked' because I password the [bleep] out of everything. . .

Anyway,
It sounds reasonable and do-able.

Any ideas? Suggestions?"

It just makes it easier if the issues are with one system to resolve one issue instead of having two different topics with two different techs helping and neither knowing what the other is advising.
There could be a conflict which could end up with your system being unusable.
I don't mean to be a bear about it but Broni is more then capable to assist in this and he will continue with you till it is resolved.
Thank you for your cooperation Brad2.

It just makes it easier. . .
Thank you for your cooperation Brad2.

You have my cooperation and my sword

I'm just pissy because I know I'm going to loose my saved FallOut 3 game time.
(Something like 42 hours . . .)
:-/

Edited by Brad2, 27 October 2009 - 12:26 PM.

Now, I'm little bit confused.
If you boot to D installation, you can't see C drive?

Now, I'm little bit confused.
If you boot to D installation, you can't see C drive?

I'm afraid I've jumped the gun.
Couldn't take it any more.
I've formatted/installed XP on C: drive.
Now I'm formatting D: drive.

To answer your question, though, I could see C drive, but couldn't access the Admin account (which was my old account).
I thought if I could gain access to C by installing XP on D I could view the error files to see exactly what was going wrong.

But, this is my work machine as well, so I don't have time to 'study'. . .
I'll just use it until I can put a PC together from scratch.

/post

Thanks for posting back

I do have a quick parting question:

When you do a backup (through the Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools) does that do a backup of all your drivers and installed programs?

Or is it just folders and files (photos, etc?)

Thanks again

It backs up data only.