my computer is stuck in a reboot loop. I have an intel pentium 4 desktop computer. it is windows xp home edition. the problem happened after I installed the windows service package 2 (i know, im a little behind). it seemed to install the update fine but after I restarted my computer I couldnt seem to get to my desktop. the computer manages to get to the light blue windows xp loading screen but instead of entering my desktop the computer reboots and the whole process starts over again. after reading other forums, I tried the F8 method but couldnt seem to make it work. last known configuration and safe mode dont seem to work but I may have not done them correctly; im no computer whiz. but after pressing the "disable automatic restart on system failure" option, I got this error message on the "blue screen of death" (this happened after the light blue xp loading screen instead of it restarting like it usually does):
STOP: c000021a Unknown Hard Error
Unknown Hard Error
what should I do? I dont want to have to reinstall windows xp and lose my data as I have some important documents and music mp3s on it. ive read about possibly doing a repair install? how does that work, would it work, and would it save my data? is there another option? thanks in advance.
This is how I fixed my reboot prob...I took my computer out in the driveway and booted it into oncoming traffic. I then went down the the store and bought a new computer. No file on that computer is worth an ounce of my sanity! Hope this helps.
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it has to do with your registry after installing sp3,i had it and fixed it myself,below is what I did after going on in safe mode. HOW TO STOP ENDLESS LOOP REBOOT FROM SP3 1.) First, boot into Safe Mode. After a reboot or two, you'll probably be given that option, but if not, just tap the F8 key a few times once you see the Windows logo pop up on your screen. 2.) Once you're in Safe Mode, go to Start, Run and type in "regedit" (without the quotes). 3.) That will launch the Registry Editor. Next, you'll need to navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Intelppm4.) Once you're there, look in the right hand side pane for an entry that says Start. Right click it and select Modify.5.) In the Value Data box, replace the 1 with a 4. Hit OK to exit the Registry Editor and then reboot your computer.
Dude, you are a freaking genius! Figured I would give this even though my gut told me it was too simple to actually work. This TOTALLY fixed the reboot loop problem for me!
FYI, the issue also started after applying SP3 for XP. Uninstalled SP3 and the issue went away (obvioussly did that from safe mode), reinstalled SP3, problem came back.
I am unsure if this will ever be read but I wanted to thank you for the tip regarding the registry entry.
I consider myself pretty apt at what I do however, there are two machines in my care and control that
have had this issue where the BSOD and looping restarts occur immediately after SP2 was applied.
Your registry entry tip led me to HKLM\System\ControlSet001\Services\Intelppm Note the absence of the
"4" at the end of "Intelppm". Though it wasn't the same (exactly) I saw the "Start" dword value as "1".
Once changed to "4", issue resolved.
I thought I would pass along a thank you...hopefully you see it.
When the computer restarts, press F8 and select safe mode.
It will switch to a black screen with script-like running.
Look at the bottom for "press Esc to .....sptd.sys"
press Esc immediately.
It will then bring a dialog box about running it on safe mode. Press ok. If system restore window comes up, close it. By now you should see your desk top in safe mode.
Go to
"C:\WINDOWS\systems32\drivers\sptd
Rename sptd file to sp....td or anything you will remember
Restart your Comp
When the computer restarts, press F8 and select safe mode.
It will switch to a black screen with script-like running.
Look at the bottom for "press Esc to .....sptd.sys"
press Esc immediately.
It will then bring a dialog box about running it on safe mode. Press ok. If system restore window comes up, close it. By now you should see your desk top in safe mode.
Go to
"C:\WINDOWS\systems32\drivers\sptd
Rename sptd file to sp....td or anything you will remember
Restart your Comp
Hi there. I read a lot of posts from various forums but in the end tried my own method for fixing the problem which has fixed other Windows issues in the past. It, seems the Windows registry controls this restart looping process.
What I did was booted in the Recovery Console using a Win XP Home CD (a home CD will let you fix Home or Pro apparently.) I used the following process to get the computer to a workable state:
To complete part one, follow these steps:
Insert the Windows XP startup disk into the floppy disk drive, or insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer.
Click to select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do so.
When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console.
If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you want to access from the Recovery Console.
When you are prompted to do so, type the Administrator password. If the administrator password is blank, just press ENTER.
At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:
md tmp
copy c:\windows\system32\config\system c:\windows\tmp\system.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\software c:\windows\tmp\software.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\security c:\windows\tmp\security.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\default c:\windows\tmp\default.bak
Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer will restart.
Note This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate windows_folder if it is a different location.
If you have access to another computer, to save time, you can copy the text in step five, and then create a text file called "Regcopy1.txt" (for example). To use this file, run the following command when you start in Recovery Console:
batch regcopy1.txt
With the batch command in Recovery Console, you can process all the commands in a text file sequentially. When you use the batch command, you do not have to manually type as many commands.
Part two
To complete the procedure described in this section, you must be logged on as an administrator, or an administrative user (a user who has an account in the Administrators group). If you are using Windows XP Home Edition, you can log on as an administrative user. If you log on as an administrator, you must first start Windows XP Home Edition in Safe mode. To start the Windows XP Home Edition computer in Safe mode, follow these steps.
Note Print these instructions before you continue. You cannot view these instructions after you restart the computer in Safe Mode. If you use the NTFS file system, also print the instructions from Knowledge Base article KB309531. Step 7 contains a reference to the article.
Click Start, click Shut Down (or click Turn Off Computer), click Restart, and then click OK (or click Restart).
Press the F8 key.
On a computer that is configured to start to multiple operating systems, you can press F8 when you see the Startup menu.
Use the arrow keys to select the appropriate Safe mode option, and then press ENTER.
If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, use the arrow keys to select the installation that you want to access, and then press ENTER.
In part two, you copy the registry files from their backed up location by using System Restore. This folder is not available in Recovery Console and is generally not visible during typical usage. Before you start this procedure, you must change several settings to make the folder visible:
Start Windows Explorer.
On the Tools menu, click Folder options.
Click the View tab.
Under Hidden files and folders, click to select Show hidden files and folders, and then click to clear the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) check box.
Click Yes when the dialog box that confirms that you want to display these files appears.
Double-click the drive where you installed Windows XP to display a list of the folders. If is important to click the correct drive.
Open the System Volume Information folder. This folder is unavailable and appears dimmed because it is set as a super-hidden folder.
Note This folder contains one or more _restore {GUID} folders such as "_restore{87BD3667-3246-476B-923F-F86E30B3E7F8}".
Note You may receive the following error message:
C:\System Volume Information is not accessible. Access is denied.
If you receive this message, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article to gain access to this folder and continue with the procedure:
309531 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309531/ ) How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder
Open a folder that was not created at the current time. You may have to click Details on the View menu to see when these folders were created. There may be one or more folders starting with "RPx under this folder. These are restore points.
Open one of these folders to locate a Snapshot subfolder. The following path is an example of a folder path to the Snapshot folder:
C:\System Volume Information\_restore{D86480E3-73EF-47BC-A0EB-A81BE6EE3ED8}\RP1\Snapshot
From the Snapshot folder, copy the following files to the C:\Windows\Tmp folder:
_REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM
Rename the files in the C:\Windows\Tmp folder as follows:
Rename _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT to DEFAULT
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY to SECURITY
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE to SOFTWARE
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM to SYSTEM
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM to SAM
These files are the backed up registry files from System Restore. Because you used the registry file that the Setup program created, this registry does not know that these restore points exist and are available. A new folder is created with a new GUID under System Volume Information and a restore point is created that includes a copy of the registry files that were copied during part one. Therefore, it is important not to use the most current folder, especially if the time stamp on the folder is the same as the current time.
The current system configuration is not aware of the previous restore points. You must have a previous copy of the registry from a previous restore point to make the previous restore points available again.
The registry files that were copied to the Tmp folder in the C:\Windows folder are moved to make sure that the files are available under Recovery Console. You must use these files to replace the registry files currently in the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder. By default, Recovery Console has limited folder access and cannot copy files from the System Volume folder.
Note The procedure described in this section assumes that you are running your computer with the FAT32 file system. For more information about how to access the System Volume Information Folder with the NTFS file system, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
309531 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309531/ ) How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder
Part Three
In part three, you delete the existing registry files, and then copy the System Restore Registry files to the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder:
Start Recovery Console.
At the command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:
del c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy c:\windows\tmp\default c:\windows\system32\config\default
Note Some of these command lines may be wrapped for readability.
Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer restarts.
Note This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate windows_folder if it is a different location.
If you have access to another computer, to save time, you can copy the text in step two, and then create a text file called "Regcopy2.txt" (for example). To use this file, run the following command when you start in Recovery Console:
batch regcopy2.txt
Part Four
Click Start, and then click All Programs.
Click Accessories, and then click System Tools.
Click System Restore, and then click Restore to a previous RestorePoint.
With the computer I fixed, I had no restore points. Not sure if you will have restore points available or not. Anyway, I actually ran a Windows repair over the installation and that got it working well enough to troubleshoot any further little problems.
To do a Windows repair, you'll need to boot with the XP CD and in some cases you'll need a product key.
Let us try to repair windows.
Insert your Windows XP CD and restart the computer.
The Windows Installation wizard will appear.
Carefully proceed, till you find an option to "Repair...."
Click on Repair. Let it complete. This should fix our issue.
Note : IF CD is not detected automatically, you have to re-set BIOS configuration.
Press Del or F10 (depends) when the system starts and then set the Boot Priority.
Here make sure, CD drive is before Harddrive.
Hi,
I am facing something similar. but atleast I am getting my desktop seen , after that if I click on either explorer, Iexplorer or any other program from the program menu it reboots.
It says an error message with blue color screen stating that probably due to recently installed new hardware or software is causing this problem. But I have not installed any software or hardware as such.
What I tried so far -
1. System restore in the safe mode. - restore successeded but result is the same
2. Virus scan - No result
My Dell Laptops details -
1. Windows Xp Home Edition with SP2
2. Intel core duo
I dont have orginal CD of Win XP, unfortunately due to added cost I have not opt to buy one.
Could you suggest me how to repair the Win XP without having CD ?
This looks like Os problem only, because if it has to something with hardware malfunctioning then in my other partition I have Windows Vista Home Basic also that works fine.
Hey, I'm Edwin. Well, I have the same problem or at least similar. I ordered the Windows XP Home Edition disk from HP. I just had to pay with credit card $23.00 dollars including shipping which isn't that bad. Anyway, they asked me for my Serial Number and Product Number which comes on the back of my PC Tower. I got their number calling 411 and calling also the guys from microsoft. You should check if your Task Manager window still works by pressing CTRL + ALT + DELETE and from there you should click New Task in File and run your Programs from there. I recommend you to create a shortcut icon of the System Restore and leave it on your desktop so if something is malfunctioning or running weird, you could do a System Restore as I just told you, using the Task Manager window and opening the Restore Icon. If you don't know how to create shortcut copies, well. Go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, then right click where it says System Restore and click on Send to Desktop.
My problem is that now I don't get any response using the Alt Ctrl Delete keys combination on the desktop. I can only see the background pic of the desktop and no files are there at all. I right click and left-click the mouse but nothing shows. Now, my files are gone and I can't do the System Restore neither the System Recovery so I also need help.
If you do a System Recovery you will lose all the data (songs, files, videos and pictures) You may still be able to do a System Restore or System Recovery tho, when you turn on your computer and it is about to start, hit as many times F8. Then from there go to Windows XP System Recovery on Safe Mode. You may be able to bring your computer back to normal from there as when you first bought it without having to buy a Windows XP Home Edition disk yet. Your computer may also have come with a program that can make a Windows XP Home Edition disk. You just have to buy the 2 DVD disk and find out how to make a copy from your own computer. Someone in here may no. E-mail me if I find out later, I'll let you know, ok.
If I don't have the reboot cd and I cannot acces the safed mode option due to the system not taking any action when ever I click F8. What else could I do. Appreciated any help or info you can provide me.
y laptop language set up is in belgium and am not understanding so am trying to re-format from windows 7ultimate to xp service pack 3.Laptop model is IBM Pentium 3 and I juss know that F2 is for Exit and I wanted you to uncode for me what key to press inorder to start the windows xp set up insatllation.............ASAP pliz.</ital></code>
I had same issue when after much trial and error that it was a defective ram stick causing my issue. I even put it in a different machine to confirm and it did the same thing. Turn off your machine and try installing the ram one stick at a time to see if it will boot properly with only one stick in. Repeat until you have tried all the sticks individually. It may give you a message saying the boot config. has changed. Tell it to continue. Hope this helps. Dave
u just enter cmos setup menu, and just configur urs setting to default value.
restart computer after saving the cmos setting.
press f8 and start computer in safe mode and remove services.exe from start up list for that u just open run command and type msconfig..
next u can try by running system scanner.
for that u just open run command.
type
sfc \scannow but be sure that u must have an win xp cd in yours cd rom.]
hi...i have a problem!!!
i am making an assignment and dont know what to do....
will anyone please help me out???
my question is: how does access save data in output mode?
this means that how data is saved in the memory of computer if we donot save it???
quite difficult,right????!!!
hope someone will give me satisfying answer.....!!! :D
If you want people to answer your question try making your own thread instead of trying to hijack another thread that has nothing to do with what you are asking.
Yep I have the same problem too and I tried this a few times and one thing I found out was the the cd was not going around and once I found out why the cd was not working is because my internal hard drive was not working right. So just a few minutes ago I turned on my computer and I had the screen with the safe mode and windows will start normally which it didn't and I got a blue screen which said unmountable_boot_service so now I have to get an internal hard drive.
I have a Dell Latitude D610 laptop. I can't get it to start up. I keep getting a disc reading error occured message.
I ordered a restore disc but am not quite sure how to use it to restart my laptop any help would be appreciated.
So I also have a corrupted Windows, however, I cannot find my Windows XP disc anywhere. My friend was going to use his, but he lost it as well. Is there a way I can get a new one, or would it be better if I bought a new computer? (its 4 years old) If I do need to buy one, how can I get all of my important files and pics off my computer? Thanks!
Hi, hey... I had this same problem before & didn't wanna lose my info (data). Well, if u buy a CD to recover your computer back to normal... that will save u money, so u won't buy a new computer, but that's actually going to delete all your data if u run that way of System Recovery. One of my cousins is a technician and he extracted all my music & files using 2 computers, but not sure how he connected both and transfered the data, tho. Depending on how much information u wanna save from your computer, it's gonna be the time that it will take to transfer as well. It's like burning a CD but obviously with all u got. Also try to run the System Restore to an earlier time. If u can do that, it will actually bring your computer back to the status u had before.
Oh, another good thing u can do, if ur computer is having errors or not letting u do stuff as if it was blocked by viruses, u should scan your whole computer using free anti-virus softwares. That brought my computer back to normal in many ways and now I'm still using it and it's kinda protected. Another thing which went bad for me. I bought an "anti-virus program" from the internet. I paid with a credit card and well, believe it or not, it had some Trojan Viruses. Now, I'm still claiming that money back. The software name is Inteli Smart. Don't ever buy that shit.
Google & install for free, CCleaner, Avast! Antivirus, (Spybot - Search & Destroy), Smart Virus Remover. Well, I'm still using those and they are working fine. Eventho, I still have some little issues, I'm still using this to protect my computer from stup viruses haters create. Usually pop-ups are the ones I believe that come with viruses too. All those cookies are placed in your computer and they re-open now and then. Some cookies are malicious. There's many websites with lots of viruses nowadays so be careful what u visit. I believe I started getting Trojan Viruses from Game Websites as well so imagine. Well, hope this helps a bit.
hello
my computer not install sound driver (realtek ac,97 audio) the installion starting then the computer automatically restart..blue screen of death" (this happened after the light blue xp loading screen instead of it restarting like it usually does):
STOP: c000021a Unknown Hard Error
Unknown Hard Error
my computer is stuck in a reboot loop. I have an intel pentium 4 desktop computer. it is windows xp professional edition. the problem happened after I installed the windows service package 1 (i know, im a little behind). it seemed to install the update fine but after I restarted my computer I couldnt seem to get to my desktop. the computer manages to get to the light blue windows xp loading screen but instead of entering my desktop the computer reboots and the whole process starts over again. after reading other forums, I tried the F8 method but couldnt seem to make it work. last known configuration and safe mode dont seem to work but I may have not done them correctly; im no computer whiz. but after pressing the "disable automatic restart on system failure" option, I got this error message on the "blue screen of death" (this happened after the light blue xp loading screen instead of it restarting like it usually does):
STOP: c000021a Unknown Hard Error
Unknown Hard Error
sir I again reinstall the window then I install the sound driver the problem same..plz must be reply me waiting 4 ur reply...
Someone help please my computer has done something weird for some reason my task manger won't open so that I can't reboot and the start menu won't work either .... any suggestions?
It's free of cost and is an awesome s/w . I have spent about 45 hours in research , tried installing thousands of software's and atlast it was spybot which fixed my issue.
Seems you know what your saying so here is the problem:
XP SP2 Disk
DX58SO MB - 3GB memory, ATI PCEx card & i&Extreme cpu..
Upon boot it takes me to the HIT ENTER so Windows can start loading...ugh NO Keyboard!
1. Tried hauling out of mothballs PS@ KB with PS@ to USB adapter...ugh - NG
2. Tried to power down and reset BIOS...successful but to no avail!
3. Pushing F2 at startup (since keyboard does not work) doesn't go there...back to square 1.
NOTE: Memory loads correctly...lite on USB plug goes green and I'm at wits end...next stop INTEL and/order take $1200 back to Reseller for refund which I hate...
Hello,
i m varun n my problem is when I install any window xp or 98 it go in proess on thats time pc restart or hang in the process then I restart my system and try again the resullt was same well my system configuation is intel p4 processer 2.0ghz intel pi45g motherboard may b not sure 512 mb ddr ram 80gb sumsung harddisk n 64mb videocard in build plzzzzzzzzzzzzzz any buddy help n I check my ram it aslo f9 !!
hi im having the same problem as they other person was explaining ok sounds good and all im going to try that but here is my ? how do you know the cd player is coming before the hard drive I understand that it gos master / slave !do"s the hard drive go on master ? and where do's the dvd player go ??? im so confuzed hope you can help
if you could just give me the rotation of wich they are all suppost to go in and what the pins are suppost to be set at it would be a great help I have a cd player dvd player hard drive but wich order to make the xp cd run when restarting??
hope you can help thanks
To fix your problem you must reboot your comp,holding down the F8 key on keyboard until your system menu appears.Then if you look at the very top of the box you will see in the choices one called "BOOT".To get to that you must use your LEFT\RIGHT keys on your keyboard. When you are on the "boot" heading press enter bar,
this will put you in the boot menu.Then you can use your UP\Down keys to go to your CD,and hit either +\- key to move the cd player up to the top of the "BOOT ORDER". Once you have done that you must look to the right side of the menu box and do what it says to save this change you have made. After that is saved ,open your cd player put in your win XP disc ,close your CD tray SHUT OFF YOUR COMP and RESTART> YOU will then be loading Your win xp to either try repair first, or reinstall. HOPE this helps you.
Hello Allwyn, What if you insesrt the Windows XP OS CD to reboot from it and the error messages that pops up is "The information is either corrupt or it is missing"
Steve, are you talking about System Recovery? (On Windows XP Home Edition? If you are, the Program SAVES all your Personal Files before it places a New Factory Fresh Copy of Windows Home Edition on your Hard drive.
It then Re-Installs all your Personal Files to the NEW COPY of Windows Home Edition.
Patlyn
Hi
people, where can I find this cd hat Allwyn talked about? if it's suposed to come with the computer, I already lost it, so where can I find that software online?
hi I have a compaq with xp home and I have this problem where when I start the computer it says configuring updates within about 20 seconds of that it shuts down and restarts again. I have gone through the full f8 menu and f10 tryed everything I think I can and now im stuck. could someone please point me in the right direction please. incase I loose this site again could you please drop me a link to a download or something I can use cheers. Email id removed for security
Hi there - I've got the CD and have changed the BIOS order, but the PC is still booting from the hard drive. This is an old Compaq NX9005 that I'm attempting to reset to the factory settings (but the system restore doesn;t go back far enough). Any suggestions?
When the computer restarts, press F8 and select safe mode.
It will switch to a black screen with script-like running.
Look at the bottom for "press Esc to .....sptd.sys"
press Esc immediately.
It will then bring a dialog box about running it on safe mode. Press ok. If system restore window comes up, close it. By now you should see your desk top in safe mode.
Go to
"C:\WINDOWS\systems32\drivers\sptd
Rename sptd file to sp....td or anything you will remember
Restart your Comp
HELP!!!!!!!!!! I have no idea how this happened but I opened excel viewed my file made changes saved it and I thought I closed it. Anyhow the next day I open excel try to open my file which opens with no problem but POOOF all my information is GONE!!!!!!!!!! Someone please help me figure out how to get all my info back. It was only 2 days ago. I can be reached at Email id removed for security thanks all
Start your computer in safemode and type msconfig in run command, then window will display, click startup tab and see which programs are start with your computer start in normal mode. if there is a command of " shutdown -k" or same kind , copy it and then run registry by typing regedit on run command and then go to find and paste it then searh it when you find such a command delete it then find next until no more found appear. then restart your computer.
Hope it will solve your problem. And remember don't forget to uncheck the startup command where you see that path ok..... If anybody have further any issue about computer please contact me at www.diggz.webs.com
Insert a Windows XP startup disk into the floppy disk drive, or insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer.
Click to select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do so.
When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console.
If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you want to access from the Recovery Console.
When you are prompted to do so, type the Administrator password. If the administrator password is blank, just press ENTER.
At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:
md tmp
copy c:\windows\system32\config\system c:\windows\tmp\system.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\software c:\windows\tmp\software.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\security c:\windows\tmp\security.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\default c:\windows\tmp\default.bak
Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer will restart.
Note This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate windows_folder if it is a different location.
If you have access to another computer, to save time, you can copy the text in step five, and then create a text file called "Regcopy1.txt" (for example). To use this file, run the following command when you start in Recovery Console:
batch regcopy1.txt
With the batch command in Recovery Console, you can process all the commands in a text file sequentially. When you use the batch command, you do not have to manually type as many commands.
Part two
To complete the procedure described in this section, you must be logged on as an administrator, or an administrative user (a user who has an account in the Administrators group). If you are using Windows XP Home Edition, you can log on as an administrative user. If you log on as an administrator, you must first start Windows XP Home Edition in Safe mode. To start the Windows XP Home Edition computer in Safe mode, follow these steps.
Note Print these instructions before you continue. You cannot view these instructions after you restart the computer in Safe Mode. If you use the NTFS file system, also print the instructions from Knowledge Base article KB309531. Step 7 contains a reference to the article.
Click Start, click Shut Down (or click Turn Off Computer), click Restart, and then click OK (or click Restart).
Press the F8 key.
On a computer that is configured to start to multiple operating systems, you can press F8 when you see the Startup menu.
Use the arrow keys to select the appropriate Safe mode option, and then press ENTER.
If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, use the arrow keys to select the installation that you want to access, and then press ENTER.
In part two, you copy the registry files from their backed up location by using System Restore. This folder is not available in Recovery Console and is generally not visible during typical usage. Before you start this procedure, you must change several settings to make the folder visible:
Start Windows Explorer.
On the Tools menu, click Folder options.
Click the View tab.
Under Hidden files and folders, click to select Show hidden files and folders, and then click to clear the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) check box.
Click Yes when the dialog box that confirms that you want to display these files appears.
Double-click the drive where you installed Windows XP to display a list of the folders. If is important to click the correct drive.
Open the System Volume Information folder. This folder is unavailable and appears dimmed because it is set as a super-hidden folder.
Note This folder contains one or more _restore {GUID} folders such as "_restore{87BD3667-3246-476B-923F-F86E30B3E7F8}".
Note You may receive the following error message:
C:\System Volume Information is not accessible. Access is denied.
If you receive this message, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article to gain access to this folder and continue with the procedure:
309531 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309531/ ) How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder
Open a folder that was not created at the current time. You may have to click Details on the View menu to see when these folders were created. There may be one or more folders starting with "RPx under this folder. These are restore points.
Open one of these folders to locate a Snapshot subfolder. The following path is an example of a folder path to the Snapshot folder:
C:\System Volume Information\_restore{D86480E3-73EF-47BC-A0EB-A81BE6EE3ED8}\RP1\Snapshot
From the Snapshot folder, copy the following files to the C:\Windows\Tmp folder:
_REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM
Rename the files in the C:\Windows\Tmp folder as follows:
Rename _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT to DEFAULT
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY to SECURITY
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE to SOFTWARE
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM to SYSTEM
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM to SAM
These files are the backed up registry files from System Restore. Because you used the registry file that the Setup program created, this registry does not know that these restore points exist and are available. A new folder is created with a new GUID under System Volume Information and a restore point is created that includes a copy of the registry files that were copied during part one. Therefore, it is important not to use the most current folder, especially if the time stamp on the folder is the same as the current time.
The current system configuration is not aware of the previous restore points. You must have a previous copy of the registry from a previous restore point to make the previous restore points available again.
The registry files that were copied to the Tmp folder in the C:\Windows folder are moved to make sure that the files are available under Recovery Console. You must use these files to replace the registry files currently in the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder. By default, Recovery Console has limited folder access and cannot copy files from the System Volume folder.
Note The procedure described in this section assumes that you are running your computer with the FAT32 file system. For more information about how to access the System Volume Information Folder with the NTFS file system, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
309531 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309531/ ) How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder
Part Three
In part three, you delete the existing registry files, and then copy the System Restore Registry files to the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder:
Start Recovery Console.
At the command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:
del c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy c:\windows\tmp\default c:\windows\system32\config\default
Note Some of these command lines may be wrapped for readability.
Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer restarts.
Note This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate windows_folder if it is a different location.
If you have access to another computer, to save time, you can copy the text in step two, and then create a text file called "Regcopy2.txt" (for example). To use this file, run the following command when you start in Recovery Console:
batch regcopy2.txt
Part Four
Click Start, and then click All Programs.
Click Accessories, and then click System Tools.
Click System Restore, and then click Restore to a previous RestorePoint.
Back to the top
Please note: when I got to the point of restoring using restore points, there were none. Not sure if this has something to do with the restart loop problem. At any rate, I did an XP repair on the system to get it to a more functional state. :)
I had the same (or similar) problem, which caused me loads of anxiety over these past few days.
I have a Dell Dimension 5150 PC.
My symptoms: After Windows XP SP3 update, I experienced the same reboot loop. After disconnecting the keyboard/mouse, Windows loaded just fine. Plugging in a Wacom Tablet caused the same problem again. Plugging in the Printer: ditto. Not so with my external Hardrive. But without a keyboard or mouse, there is little you can do. So I took the PC tower to a local service tech (Dell Support wanted to reload the OS, but that would have ditched my files).
Service Tech at Computer Trends was able to fix the problem. I received my PC back this afternoon.
Here are his notes:
SYSTEM DID NOT UPDATE TO SP3 PROPERLY. MANUALLY COPIED USB FILES INTO %SYSTEMROOT%\SYSTEM32 FROM SERVICE PACK. SYSTEM NOW BOOTS WITHOUT BLUE SCREEN. ISSUE RESOLVED.
So, unless you know how to do that, don't screw around with it. Take it to a Service Technician. It cost me $ 50.-- plus tax.
Hi,
I just wanted to thank The Mystic for relating what he did. Thanks to that post and about 12 hours of research I finished by fixing my Dell Dimension 520.
After a SP3 update, I had a BSOD on each boot. I was never able to get to windows. I couldn't even put a XP boot disk whick also BSOD'd me after uploading the files. Incredibly, if I unplugged the USB keyboard and mouse The XP system completely charged correctly in normal mode, but as soon as I put the keyboard in I got the blue screen, so no way to do anything : non DOS, no recovery console, no windows, no keyboard, no nothing. The tech guys in Mystic's post wrote that they MANUALLY replaced the files that had not uploaded correctly so that's what I tried to do.
I download a Linux Live Disk (Knoppix) which can boot the PC on a linux OS. Already that worked, so I had keyboard and mouse control (which means that there was no hardware problem). After having read another post about which files are used to control USB, I used another old old old PC that was in XP2. I went to the Windows/System32/drivers/ folder and copied onto a USB key all the files that started with "usb" (I don't know much about computers!!!). Thanks to the Linux live disk, I could acceed my startup hard disk. I then tried to copy over the files with the ones on the USB key. This turned out to be harder than expected because the Windows NFTS disks are only readable in Linux, but not easily writable. Again, I found another forum where it explained how to get around that. I copied the files over the existing ones (SP2 files instead of SP3, about 8 files start with the letters USB). Well folks, my computer works perfectely since so thanks to the Mystic and to everyone who posted, otherwise my computer would definitely be deceased today.
Richy
Watch carefully as the computer starts up after a reboot. Select "Recovery Console" from the "Startup Options" list.
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Step 2
Install the Windows XP disk into the drive if "Recovery Console" is not listed in "Startup Options." Restart the computer. Follow the prompts and select "Repair" or "Recover."
#
Step 3
Type the administrator password for the computer. If there is only one user on the computer, it will be that user's password.
#
Step 4
Type "cd system32" without quotes when the command prompt appears. Press "Enter," type "ren kernel32.dll kernel32.old" and press "Enter" again. Type "map" and press "Enter."
#
Step 5
Type "expand d:\i386\kernel32.dl_" and press "Enter." If the Windows XP CD is inserted into a drive other than "D:" replace "D:" with the proper drive letter.
#
Step 6
Type "exit" and press the "Enter" key. The computer will shut down and reboot again. Remove the Windows XP disk. The reboot loop should now be resolved
Try the following. It fixes a different Windows problem but this worked for the restart loop also...
To complete part one, follow these steps:
Insert the Windows XP startup disk into the floppy disk drive, or insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer.
Click to select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do so.
When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console.
If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you want to access from the Recovery Console.
When you are prompted to do so, type the Administrator password. If the administrator password is blank, just press ENTER.
At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:
md tmp
copy c:\windows\system32\config\system c:\windows\tmp\system.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\software c:\windows\tmp\software.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\security c:\windows\tmp\security.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\default c:\windows\tmp\default.bak
Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer will restart.
Note This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate windows_folder if it is a different location.
If you have access to another computer, to save time, you can copy the text in step five, and then create a text file called "Regcopy1.txt" (for example). To use this file, run the following command when you start in Recovery Console:
batch regcopy1.txt
With the batch command in Recovery Console, you can process all the commands in a text file sequentially. When you use the batch command, you do not have to manually type as many commands.
Part two
To complete the procedure described in this section, you must be logged on as an administrator, or an administrative user (a user who has an account in the Administrators group). If you are using Windows XP Home Edition, you can log on as an administrative user. If you log on as an administrator, you must first start Windows XP Home Edition in Safe mode. To start the Windows XP Home Edition computer in Safe mode, follow these steps.
Note Print these instructions before you continue. You cannot view these instructions after you restart the computer in Safe Mode. If you use the NTFS file system, also print the instructions from Knowledge Base article KB309531. Step 7 contains a reference to the article.
Click Start, click Shut Down (or click Turn Off Computer), click Restart, and then click OK (or click Restart).
Press the F8 key.
On a computer that is configured to start to multiple operating systems, you can press F8 when you see the Startup menu.
Use the arrow keys to select the appropriate Safe mode option, and then press ENTER.
If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, use the arrow keys to select the installation that you want to access, and then press ENTER.
In part two, you copy the registry files from their backed up location by using System Restore. This folder is not available in Recovery Console and is generally not visible during typical usage. Before you start this procedure, you must change several settings to make the folder visible:
Start Windows Explorer.
On the Tools menu, click Folder options.
Click the View tab.
Under Hidden files and folders, click to select Show hidden files and folders, and then click to clear the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) check box.
Click Yes when the dialog box that confirms that you want to display these files appears.
Double-click the drive where you installed Windows XP to display a list of the folders. If is important to click the correct drive.
Open the System Volume Information folder. This folder is unavailable and appears dimmed because it is set as a super-hidden folder.
Note This folder contains one or more _restore {GUID} folders such as "_restore{87BD3667-3246-476B-923F-F86E30B3E7F8}".
Note You may receive the following error message:
C:\System Volume Information is not accessible. Access is denied.
If you receive this message, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article to gain access to this folder and continue with the procedure:
309531 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309531/ ) How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder
Open a folder that was not created at the current time. You may have to click Details on the View menu to see when these folders were created. There may be one or more folders starting with "RPx under this folder. These are restore points.
Open one of these folders to locate a Snapshot subfolder. The following path is an example of a folder path to the Snapshot folder:
C:\System Volume Information\_restore{D86480E3-73EF-47BC-A0EB-A81BE6EE3ED8}\RP1\Snapshot
From the Snapshot folder, copy the following files to the C:\Windows\Tmp folder:
_REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM
Rename the files in the C:\Windows\Tmp folder as follows:
Rename _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT to DEFAULT
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY to SECURITY
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE to SOFTWARE
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM to SYSTEM
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM to SAM
These files are the backed up registry files from System Restore. Because you used the registry file that the Setup program created, this registry does not know that these restore points exist and are available. A new folder is created with a new GUID under System Volume Information and a restore point is created that includes a copy of the registry files that were copied during part one. Therefore, it is important not to use the most current folder, especially if the time stamp on the folder is the same as the current time.
The current system configuration is not aware of the previous restore points. You must have a previous copy of the registry from a previous restore point to make the previous restore points available again.
The registry files that were copied to the Tmp folder in the C:\Windows folder are moved to make sure that the files are available under Recovery Console. You must use these files to replace the registry files currently in the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder. By default, Recovery Console has limited folder access and cannot copy files from the System Volume folder.
Note The procedure described in this section assumes that you are running your computer with the FAT32 file system. For more information about how to access the System Volume Information Folder with the NTFS file system, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
309531 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309531/ ) How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder
Part Three
In part three, you delete the existing registry files, and then copy the System Restore Registry files to the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder:
Start Recovery Console.
At the command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:
del c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy c:\windows\tmp\default c:\windows\system32\config\default
Note Some of these command lines may be wrapped for readability.
Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer restarts.
Note This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate windows_folder if it is a different location.
If you have access to another computer, to save time, you can copy the text in step two, and then create a text file called "Regcopy2.txt" (for example). To use this file, run the following command when you start in Recovery Console:
batch regcopy2.txt
Part Four
Click Start, and then click All Programs.
Click Accessories, and then click System Tools.
Click System Restore, and then click Restore to a previous RestorePoint.
Back to the top
hi
some times this may happen cuz of bad settings of the graphic card, if so you have to enter the safe mode and change the settings.
some times bad ram could do so .
