Error booting PC

[vanquish]

Our family PC seems to have a serious error.
It won't go into windows (XP) at all, you'll see the Windows logo and the little loading bar, and then it just restarts again. Even choosing last known good configuration or safe mode from the startup menu, gives you the same problem.

And the cmos setup menu is password protected, and we don't know the password so that's a dead end.

Any ideas?

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Look in your motherboard manual to see how to reset the cmos. Usually you power off, move a jumper on the motherboard for a few seconds, then move it back and power on again.

Most likely a Windows repair installation will fix the issue. It's often simpler and quicker to do this and re-install the Windows updates since then. It may be an issue you can figure out, debug and fix, but that will take a long time, especially if you're the sort of user that doesn't know basics like how to reset the CMOS manually to get around the password protected BIOS. Simpler to do a repair install.

 

[vanquish]

That needs just the regular XP install disk right?
Will it delete all the files as well? what about the CMOS reset method?

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

That needs just the regular XP install disk right? Will it delete all the files as well?

Yes. It will ask for your installation key, so make sure you have that. It won't delete your files, it will just repair/reinstall your windows installation. Make sure you do a repair install, and not a full install. It should recognise your C drive and Windows installation and give you the option to do a repair install. If it doesn't, then you have bigger problems, but don't do a full install unless you want to lose all your data.

what about the CMOS reset method?

I don't think resetting the CMOS will help unless you have been overclocking in the BIOS (which you can't get into), but it will default your system, including defaulting to the BIOS's default state of not being passworded.

If there was a problem with your BIOS, I would not expect you to be able to boot the machine. The fact that you can start windows but it then crashes out usually indicates a windows problem. Something important in the OS has been corrupted, you have a low level driver that is falling over badly, something is triggering a critical bug in a driver, etc.

 

[vanquish]

Yes. It will ask for your installation key, so make sure you have that. It won't delete your files, it will just repair/reinstall your windows installation. Make sure you do a repair install, and not a full install. It should recognise your C drive and Windows installation and give you the option to do a repair install. If it doesn't, then you have bigger problems, but don't do a full install unless you want to lose all your data.



I don't think resetting the CMOS will help unless you have been overclocking in the BIOS (which you can't get into), but it will default your system, including defaulting to the BIOS's default state of not being passworded.

If there was a problem with your BIOS, I would not expect you to be able to boot the machine. The fact that you can start windows but it then crashes out usually indicates a windows problem. Something important in the OS has been corrupted, you have a low level driver that is falling over badly, something is triggering a critical bug in a driver, etc.

Ok thanks a lot , I will try that.

 

[Snyder]

Do you have any USB peripherals connected that haven't been before?
I've seen this several times - a PC wouldn't boot up reliably when a new hdd, webcam etc. was connected.