[besty18]

Well, I have a Gateway computer, it's fairly old and last year, a technical guy gave it a prognosis of about 2-3 years. He installed Windows XP Service Pack 1 and all was fine. When the Service Pack 2 update came out, we downloaded it, but then it caused even more problems on the computer, such as it not even starting up all the way. Somehow, through a miracle, I managed to fix it. Well, it's been fine for a very long time, but yesterday, a guest of ours was on the computer and didn't ignore the SP2 update and it was causing problems again. So I removed it, but once I did...the computer would not start up again. It loops every time I try to enter Windows. So I've tried using the Windows XP CD and recovery and CHKDSK and FIXBOOT....but the thing is, there are 2 HDs. C: went through CHKDSK and was fixed. But when I tried it on F:, the second drive, it told me that there is one or more irrecoverable errors.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Please ask me anything I left out.

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Hi besty18! Welcome to G2G!

So I've tried using the Windows XP CD and recovery and CHKDSK and FIXBOOT....but the thing is, there are 2 HDs. C: went through CHKDSK and was fixed. But when I tried it on F:, the second drive, it told me that there is one or more irrecoverable errors.

When you did the fixboot, did you do the bootcfg /rebuild first? you need to do that, else you are just fixing your boot sector with the bad boot sector.

Also, when you do chkdsk, try do chkdsk /p /r

Fenor

[Fenor]

Hi besty18! Welcome to G2G!

So I've tried using the Windows XP CD and recovery and CHKDSK and FIXBOOT....but the thing is, there are 2 HDs. C: went through CHKDSK and was fixed. But when I tried it on F:, the second drive, it told me that there is one or more irrecoverable errors.

When you did the fixboot, did you do the bootcfg /rebuild first? you need to do that, else you are just fixing your boot sector with the bad boot sector.

Also, when you do chkdsk, try do chkdsk /p /r

Fenor

[besty18]

Thank you so much for the quick response, Fenor, but I'm afraid I still can't get it to work. Should I be worrying about the F: drive at all? It's not the main HD, but it's the one with the 'unrecoverable errors'. I have so much data on these two drives, and I'm so afraid of losing them. I've tried doing a repair of windows, i.e., downloading a new XP SP1 over the old, but that hasn't worked either. Maybe I'm just doing these things wrong. Anyone, please, if you have any idea, even the smallest, I would appreciate it so much. Thank you.

[Retired Tech]

Please go here to repair your operating system

Repair XP

If no change, or you are unable to run XP Repair

Alternate XP Repair Guide

Use the last one - Windows Installation CD to repair the current installation, which uses a slightly different method

Windows XP repair feature won't delete your data, installed programs, personal information, or settings. It just repairs the operating system

After running the repair it will be necessary to install all Windows Updates

[besty18]

Thank you Keith, for those links. Unfortunately, I tried it and it didn't work. It will loop to the screen where "Windows XP Home Edition" comes up and then beeps and shows the BSOD for a flash, too quick to see and then just restarts all over. I tried F8, to disable the automatic restart, but that option isn't available. I opened up the computer and there was a cpu connector thing...one of those long things...loose in there. But I don't know whether that was an extra we just kept in there or of it's loose and if it is loose from somewhere, I don't see where it could go. And I don't know the insides of a computer too well, so I'm at a loss.

The repair setup didn't ask for a CD key or anything, so I hope it's working right. It actually told me it would 'retry' it because I had already attempted this.

Any help would not hurt, please offer some, thank you so much.

[besty18]

Okay, so I tried this link: http://support.micro...b;en-us;q307545

I only got past part one and it made the computer stop looping. Now, after the Windows Home Edition Screen, it sits there with a full black screen. Which is what it did originially. I don't know if it's a step forward or back.

[Retired Tech]

Move through each part until you see an improvement

[besty18]

But I can't go to part 2 if Windows won't even load.

[Retired Tech]

Part one is supposed to make it start so you can carry on

Were any error messages shown

[besty18]

No, no error messages. WHere it used to loop and flash the blue screen, it now just sits black. If I try Safe Mode, it will show a bunch of commands and then stop there.

[Retired Tech]

Can you try the alternative repair method

http://www.theelderg..._windows_xp.htm

Use the last one - Windows Installation CD to repair the current installation, which uses a slightly different method

[besty18]

Well, when I just tried that repair method, it told me that there was no previous installation of Windows. So...I figured all hope was gone and I went to set up another installation and forget about the data, but now it's saying it can't read the CD.

Edited by besty18, 22 October 2005 - 12:03 PM.

[Retired Tech]

Can you double check there isn't any version of Windows left on the PC

I'm sure you have but best to re-check

[besty18]

Okay, I double checked and it's still saying it's not there. But when I leave the CD out, it still starts with "Windows XP Home Edition" and then stops at a black screen. Makes no sense.

[besty18]

Should I just give up?

If so, and I can get a new computer, then will my data still be on my hard drives?