[p42oo]

i think my computer is screwed.

it was working 100% fine up until i updated itunes. it asked me if i wanted to restart or manually do it later. i did it like 5 minutes later.

After i re-startrd it, it asked me if i wanted to start it in:
Safe Mode With Command Prompt
Safe Mode With Networking
Safe Mode

Last Setting it Remembers it Working At

Start Windows Normally

And theres a 30 second timer saying that if i dont do anything it will automatically try.

Any option ichose just brings up the windows xp logo witht he bar scrolling by, and it just shuts off from there and starts over, bringing me back to the screen with the options of what to do.

I cant get past this so im thinking i need to just scrub (partition/erase) my hard drive and re install windows.

Anyone know if theres a way to salvage my stuff and/or fix it. Im pretty sure im screwd. Anyone that can help id really appreciate it. thanks.

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Hi p42oo...

What kind of computer is this? Do you have the XP installation cd?

wannabe1

[wannabe1]

Hi p42oo...

What kind of computer is this? Do you have the XP installation cd?

wannabe1

[silverbeard]

Hi p42oo,

It sounds like the partition table may be corrupted. I use Spinrite 6 for recovery and drive maintenance. It's not cheap but I haven't found anything better for data recovery on an operational Hard Drive.

There is also Live Linux CDs that should allow you to read the drive and recover the files and write them to other media.
Slax is fast and lite plus it reads and writes to NTFS volumes. Distrowatch is a good place to find what might help in the way of a live distro. DSL is pretty nice.

[p42oo]

The type of computer is a dell. As of all the data recovery software im not exactally sure how it all works. Is it just a disc you can boot from to "back up" your info? if so, where can i back it up to? cds? dvds? external Hd? i also DO have the windows xp reinstall cd but ive tryd to repair it, and it dosent work and ive also tryd to re install it but there is no way i can figure out without erasing the hd. I know if it comes to it, i can easily re install windows and erase it leaving usually no problems, but theres stuff on it i would really like off so if anyone can help me just get it off, ill then juts scrub it. Thanks again.