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#16
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Can't get XP Professional to boot
OK, I removed the C drive and installed it into another computer. The Event
Viewer only seems to give me information about the computer I'm working on and not the one my C drive is from. How do I access the records to find out what happened? I searched for *.msc on my drive and found many in Windows/System32. When I open them, they don't refer to my drive, but the one I'm using to access it. Any suggestions? "Gerry" wrote: You could remove the hard disk from the computer and put it in another desktop as a slave drive. An alternative is put the drive in a external cradle linked to another computer. Often you can then read / access the drive. This one way to recover data but also you can look at Event Viewer reports and logs to see what brought the computer to a halt. HOW TO: View and Manage Event Logs in Event Viewer in Windows XP http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427/en-us The file you will be interested in is SysEvent.evt located i ??\windows\system32\config. Make sure it is dated when the computer failed. -- Hope this helps. Gerry ~~~~ FCA Stourport, England Enquire, plan and execute ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ marriedhsdad wrote: It is one I built myself 3 years ago. It has an AMD 2400 processor with 2G RAM. It's a desktop. Yes I have three other computers... Two desktops and one laptop. "Gerry" wrote: What is the computer make and model? Is it a desktop or a laptop? Do you own a second computer? If yes is it a desktop or laptop? -- Hope this helps. Gerry ~~~~ FCA Stourport, England Enquire, plan and execute ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ marriedhsdad wrote: This problem started just before we were to leave for out of town for Thanksgiving. I had been working on something and the computer froze. I pressed the quick flash to restart the computer. As it was going through the XP Windows startup screen, the system froze again. I closed it down and decided to deal with it when I returned home. Now I can't get into the machine. I tried to open it normally and it froze in the same place. So I chose to startup from the last known boot that worked. It froze in the same place. So I tried to start in Safe Mode. The computer went through loading the drivers until it came to "mup.sys" and it froze. Then I tried putting the original installation CD in and rebooted from the CD. Windows started to load all the drivers. When it tried to start Windows, it froze again. It's been sitting here for the last hour and nothing has occurred. What should I try now? I'm frustrated and NEED to access this thing today. HS Dad |
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#17
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Can't get XP Professional to boot
"marriedhsdad" wrote in message
... Then I tried putting the original installation CD in and rebooted from the CD. Windows started to load all the drivers. What version of Windows are you running and at what Service Pack level is it? At what Service Pack level is your installation disk? What is the make of your motherboard? Are you sure you configured the BIOS correctly to boot off the CD-ROM drive? Or to put it another way, is it possible you are still booting off the hard drive? When you boot off the isntallation CD, what exactly are you trying to do? Recovery Console? Repair Install? |
#18
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Can't get XP Professional to boot
marriedhsdad wrote: This problem started just before we were to leave for out of town for Thanksgiving. I had been working on something and the computer froze. I pressed the quick flash to restart the computer. As it was going through the XP Windows startup screen, the system froze again. I closed it down and decided to deal with it when I returned home. Now I can't get into the machine. I tried to open it normally and it froze in the same place. So I chose to startup from the last known boot that worked. It froze in the same place. So I tried to start in Safe Mode. The computer went through loading the drivers until it came to "mup.sys" and it froze. Then I tried putting the original installation CD in and rebooted from the CD. Windows started to load all the drivers. When it tried to start Windows, it froze again. It's been sitting here for the last hour and nothing has occurred. What should I try now? I'm frustrated and NEED to access this thing today. HS Dad "marriedhsdad" later adds... It is one I built myself 3 years ago. It has an AMD 2400 processor with 2G RAM. It's a desktop. Yes I have three other computers... Two desktops and one laptop. "marriedhsdad" later adds... If I could ge that far I would do it. Tried to start with XP startup disks rather than CD. It froze after loading all the drivers. I have removed the side panel of the computer to alieviate any heat buildup. The fans are working just fine. "Anna" wrote: HS Dad: While this could very well be a hardware problem as others have suggested, it's quite possible the problem is not hardware-related but involves a corrupt OS. You mentioned that you "rebooted from the (XP OS installation) CD" but that when you "tried to start Windows, it froze again". Are you indicating that when you boot to the XP installation CD you are unable to reach the XP Setup screen display? It's a bit unclear from your original description of the problem because you refer to the system "start(ing) to load all the drivers" as you boot to the XP installation CD. Then again you refer to using "XP startup disks rather than CD". Are you referring to the series of floppy disks containing the XP OS installation program? In any event, if you *are* able to reach the XP Setup screen, hopefully you'll be able to run a Repair install of the OS, so that if you are able to do so and the problem is not hardware-related but is one of a not-terribly corrupt OS, perhaps the Repair install will return the system to a bootable, functional system. It's entirely possible I may be misunderstanding the precise nature of your problem but I thought I'd mention the above as a possibility for your consideration in the event you are able to reach the Setup screen via the XP OS installation CD. I assume you know how to undertake a Repair install of the OS. Anna "marriedhsdad" wrote in message ... Anna, When booting from the original installation CD, the set of 6 floppies or from the C drive, I never get to the XP setup screen. When using either form of installation, the computer hangs when it says it is loading Windows. HSDad: It sounds as if you're *not* actually booting to the XP OS installation CD (nor the XP installation floppies for that matter). Rather it sounds as if you're actually booting to your HDD. I would guess that your BIOS boot priority order setting indicates a *first* boot to the HDD rather than to the optical drive. But since you obviously have some familiarity with your PC (having built the machine) I assume you've checked your BIOS boot priority setting to insure the optical drive is *first* in boot priority order. You have done this, yes? Anna |
#19
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Can't get XP Professional to boot
Yes I can see the problem. I tried some tests but these did not come up with a satisfactory resolution. To read the file you need it in a different format and you need the original Event Viewer running to be able to save it in that format. Opening the file using Wordpad succeeds but it is not in a readable form. I cannot at the moment suggest anything else to resolve your problem. You can of course backup any data files you wish to recover from the original disk. -- Gerry ~~~~ FCA Stourport, England Enquire, plan and execute ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ marriedhsdad wrote: OK, I removed the C drive and installed it into another computer. The Event Viewer only seems to give me information about the computer I'm working on and not the one my C drive is from. How do I access the records to find out what happened? I searched for *.msc on my drive and found many in Windows/System32. When I open them, they don't refer to my drive, but the one I'm using to access it. Any suggestions? "Gerry" wrote: You could remove the hard disk from the computer and put it in another desktop as a slave drive. An alternative is put the drive in a external cradle linked to another computer. Often you can then read / access the drive. This one way to recover data but also you can look at Event Viewer reports and logs to see what brought the computer to a halt. HOW TO: View and Manage Event Logs in Event Viewer in Windows XP http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427/en-us The file you will be interested in is SysEvent.evt located i ??\windows\system32\config. Make sure it is dated when the computer failed. -- Hope this helps. Gerry ~~~~ FCA Stourport, England Enquire, plan and execute ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ marriedhsdad wrote: It is one I built myself 3 years ago. It has an AMD 2400 processor with 2G RAM. It's a desktop. Yes I have three other computers... Two desktops and one laptop. "Gerry" wrote: What is the computer make and model? Is it a desktop or a laptop? Do you own a second computer? If yes is it a desktop or laptop? -- Hope this helps. Gerry ~~~~ FCA Stourport, England Enquire, plan and execute ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ marriedhsdad wrote: This problem started just before we were to leave for out of town for Thanksgiving. I had been working on something and the computer froze. I pressed the quick flash to restart the computer. As it was going through the XP Windows startup screen, the system froze again. I closed it down and decided to deal with it when I returned home. Now I can't get into the machine. I tried to open it normally and it froze in the same place. So I chose to startup from the last known boot that worked. It froze in the same place. So I tried to start in Safe Mode. The computer went through loading the drivers until it came to "mup.sys" and it froze. Then I tried putting the original installation CD in and rebooted from the CD. Windows started to load all the drivers. When it tried to start Windows, it froze again. It's been sitting here for the last hour and nothing has occurred. What should I try now? I'm frustrated and NEED to access this thing today. HS Dad |
#20
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Can't get XP Professional to boot
Anna,
Quite on the contrary. I went into the Bios and changed the booting sequence. It now checks A: then CD then C: When I boot it from the CD, it goes through installing the drivers and then at the very bottom, it says it is loading Windows. All of this is on a blue screen with a small XP logo at the top right, but more DOS looking than Windows. After a few seconds of the notice that Windows is loading, the computer freezes. This happens when I boot to the CD or to the A: drive, when it asks for the next disk several times. "Anna" wrote: marriedhsdad wrote: This problem started just before we were to leave for out of town for Thanksgiving. I had been working on something and the computer froze. I pressed the quick flash to restart the computer. As it was going through the XP Windows startup screen, the system froze again. I closed it down and decided to deal with it when I returned home. Now I can't get into the machine. I tried to open it normally and it froze in the same place. So I chose to startup from the last known boot that worked. It froze in the same place. So I tried to start in Safe Mode. The computer went through loading the drivers until it came to "mup.sys" and it froze. Then I tried putting the original installation CD in and rebooted from the CD. Windows started to load all the drivers. When it tried to start Windows, it froze again. It's been sitting here for the last hour and nothing has occurred. What should I try now? I'm frustrated and NEED to access this thing today. HS Dad "marriedhsdad" later adds... It is one I built myself 3 years ago. It has an AMD 2400 processor with 2G RAM. It's a desktop. Yes I have three other computers... Two desktops and one laptop. "marriedhsdad" later adds... If I could ge that far I would do it. Tried to start with XP startup disks rather than CD. It froze after loading all the drivers. I have removed the side panel of the computer to alieviate any heat buildup. The fans are working just fine. "Anna" wrote: HS Dad: While this could very well be a hardware problem as others have suggested, it's quite possible the problem is not hardware-related but involves a corrupt OS. You mentioned that you "rebooted from the (XP OS installation) CD" but that when you "tried to start Windows, it froze again". Are you indicating that when you boot to the XP installation CD you are unable to reach the XP Setup screen display? It's a bit unclear from your original description of the problem because you refer to the system "start(ing) to load all the drivers" as you boot to the XP installation CD. Then again you refer to using "XP startup disks rather than CD". Are you referring to the series of floppy disks containing the XP OS installation program? In any event, if you *are* able to reach the XP Setup screen, hopefully you'll be able to run a Repair install of the OS, so that if you are able to do so and the problem is not hardware-related but is one of a not-terribly corrupt OS, perhaps the Repair install will return the system to a bootable, functional system. It's entirely possible I may be misunderstanding the precise nature of your problem but I thought I'd mention the above as a possibility for your consideration in the event you are able to reach the Setup screen via the XP OS installation CD. I assume you know how to undertake a Repair install of the OS. Anna "marriedhsdad" wrote in message ... Anna, When booting from the original installation CD, the set of 6 floppies or from the C drive, I never get to the XP setup screen. When using either form of installation, the computer hangs when it says it is loading Windows. HSDad: It sounds as if you're *not* actually booting to the XP OS installation CD (nor the XP installation floppies for that matter). Rather it sounds as if you're actually booting to your HDD. I would guess that your BIOS boot priority order setting indicates a *first* boot to the HDD rather than to the optical drive. But since you obviously have some familiarity with your PC (having built the machine) I assume you've checked your BIOS boot priority setting to insure the optical drive is *first* in boot priority order. You have done this, yes? Anna |
#21
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Can't get XP Professional to boot
I'm operating XP Professional with the latest updates, I guess that is
Service Pack 2. My installation CD is the original XP disk. My motherboard is Micro-ATX with an AMD 3400 (I earlier said a 2400, but I was mistaken). It is the RS482M-IL Board. In trying to Boot from the installation CD I wanted to repair the Windows installation. I went into the Bios and reset the Bootup sequence to A: then CD then C: When booting to CD, the computer begins to install the drivers. This is noted on the small line at the bottom of the blue page with the small XP logo at the top right. It looks more like a DOS screen than the regular Windows screen. When the drivers are installed, the message across the bottom says that it is installing Windows. That's when it freezes. "Daave" wrote: "marriedhsdad" wrote in message ... Then I tried putting the original installation CD in and rebooted from the CD. Windows started to load all the drivers. What version of Windows are you running and at what Service Pack level is it? At what Service Pack level is your installation disk? What is the make of your motherboard? Are you sure you configured the BIOS correctly to boot off the CD-ROM drive? Or to put it another way, is it possible you are still booting off the hard drive? When you boot off the isntallation CD, what exactly are you trying to do? Recovery Console? Repair Install? |
#22
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Can't get XP Professional to boot
marriedhsdad wrote:
I'm operating XP Professional with the latest updates, I guess that is Service Pack 2. My installation CD is the original XP disk. Current is SP3. You can't install from a disc that is a "lower" version... i.e., that is lacking the SP level that your installed system has. I'm surprised you didn't get a message to that effect. |
#23
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Can't get XP Professional to boot
marriedhsdad wrote: This problem started just before we were to leave for out of town for Thanksgiving. I had been working on something and the computer froze. I pressed the quick flash to restart the computer. As it was going through the XP Windows startup screen, the system froze again. I closed it down and decided to deal with it when I returned home. Now I can't get into the machine. I tried to open it normally and it froze in the same place. So I chose to startup from the last known boot that worked. It froze in the same place. So I tried to start in Safe Mode. The computer went through loading the drivers until it came to "mup.sys" and it froze. Then I tried putting the original installation CD in and rebooted from the CD. Windows started to load all the drivers. When it tried to start Windows, it froze again. It's been sitting here for the last hour and nothing has occurred. What should I try now? I'm frustrated and NEED to access this thing today. HS Dad "marriedhsdad" later adds... It is one I built myself 3 years ago. It has an AMD 2400 processor with 2G RAM. It's a desktop. Yes I have three other computers... Two desktops and one laptop. "marriedhsdad" later adds... If I could ge that far I would do it. Tried to start with XP startup disks rather than CD. It froze after loading all the drivers. I have removed the side panel of the computer to alieviate any heat buildup. The fans are working just fine. "Anna" wrote: HS Dad: While this could very well be a hardware problem as others have suggested, it's quite possible the problem is not hardware-related but involves a corrupt OS. You mentioned that you "rebooted from the (XP OS installation) CD" but that when you "tried to start Windows, it froze again". Are you indicating that when you boot to the XP installation CD you are unable to reach the XP Setup screen display? It's a bit unclear from your original description of the problem because you refer to the system "start(ing) to load all the drivers" as you boot to the XP installation CD. Then again you refer to using "XP startup disks rather than CD". Are you referring to the series of floppy disks containing the XP OS installation program? In any event, if you *are* able to reach the XP Setup screen, hopefully you'll be able to run a Repair install of the OS, so that if you are able to do so and the problem is not hardware-related but is one of a not-terribly corrupt OS, perhaps the Repair install will return the system to a bootable, functional system. It's entirely possible I may be misunderstanding the precise nature of your problem but I thought I'd mention the above as a possibility for your consideration in the event you are able to reach the Setup screen via the XP OS installation CD. I assume you know how to undertake a Repair install of the OS. Anna "marriedhsdad" wrote in message ... Anna, When booting from the original installation CD, the set of 6 floppies or from the C drive, I never get to the XP setup screen. When using either form of installation, the computer hangs when it says it is loading Windows. "Anna" wrote: HSDad: It sounds as if you're *not* actually booting to the XP OS installation CD (nor the XP installation floppies for that matter). Rather it sounds as if you're actually booting to your HDD. I would guess that your BIOS boot priority order setting indicates a *first* boot to the HDD rather than to the optical drive. But since you obviously have some familiarity with your PC (having built the machine) I assume you've checked your BIOS boot priority setting to insure the optical drive is *first* in boot priority order. You have done this, yes? Anna "marriedhsdad" wrote in message ... Anna, Quite on the contrary. I went into the Bios and changed the booting sequence. It now checks A: then CD then C: When I boot it from the CD, it goes through installing the drivers and then at the very bottom, it says it is loading Windows. All of this is on a blue screen with a small XP logo at the top right, but more DOS looking than Windows. After a few seconds of the notice that Windows is loading, the computer freezes. This happens when I boot to the CD or to the A: drive, when it asks for the next disk several times. I'm operating XP Professional with the latest updates, I guess that is Service Pack 2. My installation CD is the original XP disk. My motherboard is Micro-ATX with an AMD 3400 (I earlier said a 2400, but I was mistaken). It is the RS482M-IL Board. HSDad: I'll assume you've correctly set the boot priority order in your BIOS so that there's an initial boot to the CD-ROM (whether or not if follows the floppy disk drive) and *not* an initial boot to the HDD. I stress this because you state, "I went into the Bios and changed the booting sequence." which sort of infers the *original* boot order did in fact indicate an initial boot to the HDD. So when you did change the boot priority order you're certain that you saved the BIOS setting changes when you exited the BIOS, right? I raise this because I've experienced numerous instances where a user *thought* he or she changed a BIOS setting but actually failed to do so because they failed to actually save the new setting before exiting the BIOS. Please understand I'm not trying to "talk down" to you since it's obvious you're an experienced user but I just wanted to raise this point "just in case"... Have you checked out the HDD with the diagnostic utility from the disk's manufacturer? While from your description of the problem it doesn't sound as if it's a problem affecting a defective HDD there's always that chance, slim as it might be. Since you have a couple of other desktops is there any chance that you spare a HDD (PATA or SATA) from one of those machines and attempt to install XP on that drive to determine if it is a HDD problem? I really don't know what else to suggest at this point. It doesn't sound to me like a hardware problem (excepting a possible defective HDD as noted above) since you're obviously getting power as well as getting a screen display without any indication from the system that something may be awry hardware-wise. Anna |
#24
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Can't get XP Professional to boot
marriedhsdad wrote:
I'm operating XP Professional with the latest updates, I guess that is Service Pack 2. My installation CD is the original XP disk. The most recent Service Pack is 3. (Eventually you will need to upgrade to SP3.) We now know that the Service Pack level of XP on your PC is 2. But what Service Pack level is your installation CD? My motherboard is Micro-ATX with an AMD 3400 (I earlier said a 2400, but I was mistaken). It is the RS482M-IL Board. In trying to Boot from the installation CD I wanted to repair the Windows installation. I went into the Bios and reset the Bootup sequence to A: then CD then C: When booting to CD, the computer begins to install the drivers. This is noted on the small line at the bottom of the blue page with the small XP logo at the top right. It looks more like a DOS screen than the regular Windows screen. When the drivers are installed, the message across the bottom says that it is installing Windows. That's when it freezes. You are not successfully booting off the CD-ROM drive. That's not a function of Windows. The problem is with your PC. Perhaps there is something wrong with the CD-ROM drive. Or maybe you're missing a step in the booting process. On some motherboards you need to press the sapce bar at the right time. Otherwise, it will still boot off the hard drive. How are you entering Setup? Are you entering the Setup Menu (DEL, I believe) or the Boot Menu (F11, I believe)? If you need the manual, I believe this is the one: http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?f...33&type=manual |
#25
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Can't get XP Professional to boot
Annan,
Yes, I DID save the changes. Now I've run into another problem. The other day when I turned off the machine, I could not start it again. I went out and bought another power supply. I put that in last night. I hooked everything up and hit start. Nothing. No power...no nothing. I got a new power switch today. After cutting the wires on the old one, I realize the new switch is not the right size for the machine...too big. I'm so frustrated, I'm about ready to go out and buy another case with a new mother board and processor. I can't go on like this and it's been too long without the machine. This type of thing seems to happen about every three years. I wish someone would create a machine that wouldn't fail and that you wouldn't have to constantly upgrade the operating system. Maybe in a world without Microsoft! Sorry for venting. I appreciate all you're doing and the suggestions you've made. The "extra" hard drive is a great idea if I was still getting power to the machine. "Anna" wrote: marriedhsdad wrote: This problem started just before we were to leave for out of town for Thanksgiving. I had been working on something and the computer froze. I pressed the quick flash to restart the computer. As it was going through the XP Windows startup screen, the system froze again. I closed it down and decided to deal with it when I returned home. Now I can't get into the machine. I tried to open it normally and it froze in the same place. So I chose to startup from the last known boot that worked. It froze in the same place. So I tried to start in Safe Mode. The computer went through loading the drivers until it came to "mup.sys" and it froze. Then I tried putting the original installation CD in and rebooted from the CD. Windows started to load all the drivers. When it tried to start Windows, it froze again. It's been sitting here for the last hour and nothing has occurred. What should I try now? I'm frustrated and NEED to access this thing today. HS Dad "marriedhsdad" later adds... It is one I built myself 3 years ago. It has an AMD 2400 processor with 2G RAM. It's a desktop. Yes I have three other computers... Two desktops and one laptop. "marriedhsdad" later adds... If I could ge that far I would do it. Tried to start with XP startup disks rather than CD. It froze after loading all the drivers. I have removed the side panel of the computer to alieviate any heat buildup. The fans are working just fine. "Anna" wrote: HS Dad: While this could very well be a hardware problem as others have suggested, it's quite possible the problem is not hardware-related but involves a corrupt OS. You mentioned that you "rebooted from the (XP OS installation) CD" but that when you "tried to start Windows, it froze again". Are you indicating that when you boot to the XP installation CD you are unable to reach the XP Setup screen display? It's a bit unclear from your original description of the problem because you refer to the system "start(ing) to load all the drivers" as you boot to the XP installation CD. Then again you refer to using "XP startup disks rather than CD". Are you referring to the series of floppy disks containing the XP OS installation program? In any event, if you *are* able to reach the XP Setup screen, hopefully you'll be able to run a Repair install of the OS, so that if you are able to do so and the problem is not hardware-related but is one of a not-terribly corrupt OS, perhaps the Repair install will return the system to a bootable, functional system. It's entirely possible I may be misunderstanding the precise nature of your problem but I thought I'd mention the above as a possibility for your consideration in the event you are able to reach the Setup screen via the XP OS installation CD. I assume you know how to undertake a Repair install of the OS. Anna "marriedhsdad" wrote in message ... Anna, When booting from the original installation CD, the set of 6 floppies or from the C drive, I never get to the XP setup screen. When using either form of installation, the computer hangs when it says it is loading Windows. "Anna" wrote: HSDad: It sounds as if you're *not* actually booting to the XP OS installation CD (nor the XP installation floppies for that matter). Rather it sounds as if you're actually booting to your HDD. I would guess that your BIOS boot priority order setting indicates a *first* boot to the HDD rather than to the optical drive. But since you obviously have some familiarity with your PC (having built the machine) I assume you've checked your BIOS boot priority setting to insure the optical drive is *first* in boot priority order. You have done this, yes? Anna "marriedhsdad" wrote in message ... Anna, Quite on the contrary. I went into the Bios and changed the booting sequence. It now checks A: then CD then C: When I boot it from the CD, it goes through installing the drivers and then at the very bottom, it says it is loading Windows. All of this is on a blue screen with a small XP logo at the top right, but more DOS looking than Windows. After a few seconds of the notice that Windows is loading, the computer freezes. This happens when I boot to the CD or to the A: drive, when it asks for the next disk several times. I'm operating XP Professional with the latest updates, I guess that is Service Pack 2. My installation CD is the original XP disk. My motherboard is Micro-ATX with an AMD 3400 (I earlier said a 2400, but I was mistaken). It is the RS482M-IL Board. HSDad: I'll assume you've correctly set the boot priority order in your BIOS so that there's an initial boot to the CD-ROM (whether or not if follows the floppy disk drive) and *not* an initial boot to the HDD. I stress this because you state, "I went into the Bios and changed the booting sequence." which sort of infers the *original* boot order did in fact indicate an initial boot to the HDD. So when you did change the boot priority order you're certain that you saved the BIOS setting changes when you exited the BIOS, right? I raise this because I've experienced numerous instances where a user *thought* he or she changed a BIOS setting but actually failed to do so because they failed to actually save the new setting before exiting the BIOS. Please understand I'm not trying to "talk down" to you since it's obvious you're an experienced user but I just wanted to raise this point "just in case"... Have you checked out the HDD with the diagnostic utility from the disk's manufacturer? While from your description of the problem it doesn't sound as if it's a problem affecting a defective HDD there's always that chance, slim as it might be. Since you have a couple of other desktops is there any chance that you spare a HDD (PATA or SATA) from one of those machines and attempt to install XP on that drive to determine if it is a HDD problem? I really don't know what else to suggest at this point. It doesn't sound to me like a hardware problem (excepting a possible defective HDD as noted above) since you're obviously getting power as well as getting a screen display without any indication from the system that something may be awry hardware-wise. Anna |
#26
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Can't get XP Professional to boot
I've installed all the updates that Microsoft has released. That must mean
I'm working with #3. But if once you upgrade you can't restore your system, what are you supposed to do? I've heard too many stories about Vista. "Daave" wrote: marriedhsdad wrote: I'm operating XP Professional with the latest updates, I guess that is Service Pack 2. My installation CD is the original XP disk. The most recent Service Pack is 3. (Eventually you will need to upgrade to SP3.) We now know that the Service Pack level of XP on your PC is 2. But what Service Pack level is your installation CD? My motherboard is Micro-ATX with an AMD 3400 (I earlier said a 2400, but I was mistaken). It is the RS482M-IL Board. In trying to Boot from the installation CD I wanted to repair the Windows installation. I went into the Bios and reset the Bootup sequence to A: then CD then C: When booting to CD, the computer begins to install the drivers. This is noted on the small line at the bottom of the blue page with the small XP logo at the top right. It looks more like a DOS screen than the regular Windows screen. When the drivers are installed, the message across the bottom says that it is installing Windows. That's when it freezes. You are not successfully booting off the CD-ROM drive. That's not a function of Windows. The problem is with your PC. Perhaps there is something wrong with the CD-ROM drive. Or maybe you're missing a step in the booting process. On some motherboards you need to press the sapce bar at the right time. Otherwise, it will still boot off the hard drive. How are you entering Setup? Are you entering the Setup Menu (DEL, I believe) or the Boot Menu (F11, I believe)? If you need the manual, I believe this is the one: http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?f...33&type=manual |
#27
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Can't get XP Professional to boot
I'm afraid I probably won't be able to help you, HS Dad. You didn't
address my main point: you apparently were *not* booting off your CD-ROM drive (even though you believed you were).You didn't even mention whether or not you tried F11 to access the boot menu. Plus, with the information you recently posted to Anna, it looks like you're adding far too many valuables to this equation by changing power supplies and power switches, cutting wires, etc. I still don't know what Service Pack level your installation disk is at. When you say things like "I guess" and "that must mean", I can't help you because in order to do so, I need factual information. Educated guesses aren't going to help. Anyway, good luck! "marriedhsdad" wrote in message ... I've installed all the updates that Microsoft has released. That must mean I'm working with #3. But if once you upgrade you can't restore your system, what are you supposed to do? I've heard too many stories about Vista. "Daave" wrote: marriedhsdad wrote: I'm operating XP Professional with the latest updates, I guess that is Service Pack 2. My installation CD is the original XP disk. The most recent Service Pack is 3. (Eventually you will need to upgrade to SP3.) We now know that the Service Pack level of XP on your PC is 2. But what Service Pack level is your installation CD? My motherboard is Micro-ATX with an AMD 3400 (I earlier said a 2400, but I was mistaken). It is the RS482M-IL Board. In trying to Boot from the installation CD I wanted to repair the Windows installation. I went into the Bios and reset the Bootup sequence to A: then CD then C: When booting to CD, the computer begins to install the drivers. This is noted on the small line at the bottom of the blue page with the small XP logo at the top right. It looks more like a DOS screen than the regular Windows screen. When the drivers are installed, the message across the bottom says that it is installing Windows. That's when it freezes. You are not successfully booting off the CD-ROM drive. That's not a function of Windows. The problem is with your PC. Perhaps there is something wrong with the CD-ROM drive. Or maybe you're missing a step in the booting process. On some motherboards you need to press the sapce bar at the right time. Otherwise, it will still boot off the hard drive. How are you entering Setup? Are you entering the Setup Menu (DEL, I believe) or the Boot Menu (F11, I believe)? If you need the manual, I believe this is the one: http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?f...33&type=manual |
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Can't get XP Professional to boot
marriedhsdad wrote: This problem started just before we were to leave for out of town for Thanksgiving. I had been working on something and the computer froze. I pressed the quick flash to restart the computer. As it was going through the XP Windows startup screen, the system froze again. I closed it down and decided to deal with it when I returned home. Now I can't get into the machine. I tried to open it normally and it froze in the same place. So I chose to startup from the last known boot that worked. It froze in the same place. So I tried to start in Safe Mode. The computer went through loading the drivers until it came to "mup.sys" and it froze. Then I tried putting the original installation CD in and rebooted from the CD. Windows started to load all the drivers. When it tried to start Windows, it froze again. It's been sitting here for the last hour and nothing has occurred. What should I try now? I'm frustrated and NEED to access this thing today. HS Dad "marriedhsdad" later adds... It is one I built myself 3 years ago. It has an AMD 2400 processor with 2G RAM. It's a desktop. Yes I have three other computers... Two desktops and one laptop. "marriedhsdad" later adds... If I could ge that far I would do it. Tried to start with XP startup disks rather than CD. It froze after loading all the drivers. I have removed the side panel of the computer to alieviate any heat buildup. The fans are working just fine. "Anna" wrote: HS Dad: While this could very well be a hardware problem as others have suggested, it's quite possible the problem is not hardware-related but involves a corrupt OS. You mentioned that you "rebooted from the (XP OS installation) CD" but that when you "tried to start Windows, it froze again". Are you indicating that when you boot to the XP installation CD you are unable to reach the XP Setup screen display? It's a bit unclear from your original description of the problem because you refer to the system "start(ing) to load all the drivers" as you boot to the XP installation CD. Then again you refer to using "XP startup disks rather than CD". Are you referring to the series of floppy disks containing the XP OS installation program? In any event, if you *are* able to reach the XP Setup screen, hopefully you'll be able to run a Repair install of the OS, so that if you are able to do so and the problem is not hardware-related but is one of a not-terribly corrupt OS, perhaps the Repair install will return the system to a bootable, functional system. It's entirely possible I may be misunderstanding the precise nature of your problem but I thought I'd mention the above as a possibility for your consideration in the event you are able to reach the Setup screen via the XP OS installation CD. I assume you know how to undertake a Repair install of the OS. Anna "marriedhsdad" wrote in message ... Anna, When booting from the original installation CD, the set of 6 floppies or from the C drive, I never get to the XP setup screen. When using either form of installation, the computer hangs when it says it is loading Windows. "Anna" wrote: HSDad: It sounds as if you're *not* actually booting to the XP OS installation CD (nor the XP installation floppies for that matter). Rather it sounds as if you're actually booting to your HDD. I would guess that your BIOS boot priority order setting indicates a *first* boot to the HDD rather than to the optical drive. But since you obviously have some familiarity with your PC (having built the machine) I assume you've checked your BIOS boot priority setting to insure the optical drive is *first* in boot priority order. You have done this, yes? Anna "marriedhsdad" wrote in message ... Anna, Quite on the contrary. I went into the Bios and changed the booting sequence. It now checks A: then CD then C: When I boot it from the CD, it goes through installing the drivers and then at the very bottom, it says it is loading Windows. All of this is on a blue screen with a small XP logo at the top right, but more DOS looking than Windows. After a few seconds of the notice that Windows is loading, the computer freezes. This happens when I boot to the CD or to the A: drive, when it asks for the next disk several times. I'm operating XP Professional with the latest updates, I guess that is Service Pack 2. My installation CD is the original XP disk. My motherboard is Micro-ATX with an AMD 3400 (I earlier said a 2400, but I was mistaken). It is the RS482M-IL Board. "Anna" wrote: HSDad: I'll assume you've correctly set the boot priority order in your BIOS so that there's an initial boot to the CD-ROM (whether or not if follows the floppy disk drive) and *not* an initial boot to the HDD. I stress this because you state, "I went into the Bios and changed the booting sequence." which sort of infers the *original* boot order did in fact indicate an initial boot to the HDD. So when you did change the boot priority order you're certain that you saved the BIOS setting changes when you exited the BIOS, right? I raise this because I've experienced numerous instances where a user *thought* he or she changed a BIOS setting but actually failed to do so because they failed to actually save the new setting before exiting the BIOS. Please understand I'm not trying to "talk down" to you since it's obvious you're an experienced user but I just wanted to raise this point "just in case"... Have you checked out the HDD with the diagnostic utility from the disk's manufacturer? While from your description of the problem it doesn't sound as if it's a problem affecting a defective HDD there's always that chance, slim as it might be. Since you have a couple of other desktops is there any chance that you spare a HDD (PATA or SATA) from one of those machines and attempt to install XP on that drive to determine if it is a HDD problem? I really don't know what else to suggest at this point. It doesn't sound to me like a hardware problem (excepting a possible defective HDD as noted above) since you're obviously getting power as well as getting a screen display without any indication from the system that something may be awry hardware-wise. Anna "marriedhsdad" wrote in message news Annan, Yes, I DID save the changes. Now I've run into another problem. The other day when I turned off the machine, I could not start it again. I went out and bought another power supply. I put that in last night. I hooked everything up and hit start. Nothing. No power...no nothing. I got a new power switch today. After cutting the wires on the old one, I realize the new switch is not the right size for the machine...too big. I'm so frustrated, I'm about ready to go out and buy another case with a new mother board and processor. I can't go on like this and it's been too long without the machine. This type of thing seems to happen about every three years. I wish someone would create a machine that wouldn't fail and that you wouldn't have to constantly upgrade the operating system. Maybe in a world without Microsoft! Sorry for venting. I appreciate all you're doing and the suggestions you've made. The "extra" hard drive is a great idea if I was still getting power to the machine. HSDad: Well *now* it sounds as if it is a hardware-type problem if you're saying what I think you're saying. After getting a new PS and that not working what makes you believe it's the power switch? While a defective power switch could be the cause of the problem you describe, it's a rare occurrence in my experience. Could simply be a defective motherboard. The only realistic way to determine if it is that (or some other major component that has failed or is failing) is through substitution of the component(s) on a one-by-one basis. I really don't know if you should invest any more money in that machine. Given the precipitous drop in the cost off-the-shelf desktop PCs that we're currently seeing, maybe it's time to just purchase a more up-to-date system assuming of course that you can bear the cost. But if you want to pursue the problem re your current machine... Disconnect all peripheral components from the system and just work with the PS, motherboard, processor, heat sink, RAM module(s), graphics card, keyboard & mouse. Nothing else. No sound card, no HDD, no external devices - nothing else but those basic components. Ensure that all connections are proper & secure. Power on to determine you get a screen display with no unusual BIOS-type messages. Access the BIOS to determine if all the settings are proper with no untoward entries. Let the system run for a few hours before powering off. Perform this routine a number of times. If nothing to seems be amiss, add your HDD. As I previously suggested use a different HDD from one of your other desktop machines. See if you can install the OS from the XP installation CD. If you're able to install the OS without any problems then add whatever other peripheral devices you're using. If it does turn out to be a defective motherboard I would seriously consider a new machine if at all possible. Anna |
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Can't get XP Professional to boot
I bit the bullet. I ordered a new case, and a new mother board with a new
processor. I picked up the parts Saturday a.m. and took all day getting the system back together. I also bought 4G of RAM, a new DVD/RW (SATA) and a 1000G Hard Drive. When I put the system together, I booted up and the thing just started up. I had to re-register my Windows installation since so many changes had taken place. Formatting the new hard drive took hours, but I now have 5 hard drives on the machine (2 IDE's and 3 SATA). I agree, the motherboard must have been defective, especially since I could access all my files when I put the C drive on another computer. The new processor is an Intel dual 3GHz and is running about three times the speed of my old machine. Daave never understood my situation. I know what I'm doing on the machine, at least to make myself a little dangerous. I appreciate all you've done to help me. The process has been quite frustrating, but you've helped alot. Thanks again. HS Dad "Anna" wrote: marriedhsdad wrote: This problem started just before we were to leave for out of town for Thanksgiving. I had been working on something and the computer froze. I pressed the quick flash to restart the computer. As it was going through the XP Windows startup screen, the system froze again. I closed it down and decided to deal with it when I returned home. Now I can't get into the machine. I tried to open it normally and it froze in the same place. So I chose to startup from the last known boot that worked. It froze in the same place. So I tried to start in Safe Mode. The computer went through loading the drivers until it came to "mup.sys" and it froze. Then I tried putting the original installation CD in and rebooted from the CD. Windows started to load all the drivers. When it tried to start Windows, it froze again. It's been sitting here for the last hour and nothing has occurred. What should I try now? I'm frustrated and NEED to access this thing today. HS Dad "marriedhsdad" later adds... It is one I built myself 3 years ago. It has an AMD 2400 processor with 2G RAM. It's a desktop. Yes I have three other computers... Two desktops and one laptop. "marriedhsdad" later adds... If I could ge that far I would do it. Tried to start with XP startup disks rather than CD. It froze after loading all the drivers. I have removed the side panel of the computer to alieviate any heat buildup. The fans are working just fine. "Anna" wrote: HS Dad: While this could very well be a hardware problem as others have suggested, it's quite possible the problem is not hardware-related but involves a corrupt OS. You mentioned that you "rebooted from the (XP OS installation) CD" but that when you "tried to start Windows, it froze again". Are you indicating that when you boot to the XP installation CD you are unable to reach the XP Setup screen display? It's a bit unclear from your original description of the problem because you refer to the system "start(ing) to load all the drivers" as you boot to the XP installation CD. Then again you refer to using "XP startup disks rather than CD". Are you referring to the series of floppy disks containing the XP OS installation program? In any event, if you *are* able to reach the XP Setup screen, hopefully you'll be able to run a Repair install of the OS, so that if you are able to do so and the problem is not hardware-related but is one of a not-terribly corrupt OS, perhaps the Repair install will return the system to a bootable, functional system. It's entirely possible I may be misunderstanding the precise nature of your problem but I thought I'd mention the above as a possibility for your consideration in the event you are able to reach the Setup screen via the XP OS installation CD. I assume you know how to undertake a Repair install of the OS. Anna "marriedhsdad" wrote in message ... Anna, When booting from the original installation CD, the set of 6 floppies or from the C drive, I never get to the XP setup screen. When using either form of installation, the computer hangs when it says it is loading Windows. "Anna" wrote: HSDad: It sounds as if you're *not* actually booting to the XP OS installation CD (nor the XP installation floppies for that matter). Rather it sounds as if you're actually booting to your HDD. I would guess that your BIOS boot priority order setting indicates a *first* boot to the HDD rather than to the optical drive. But since you obviously have some familiarity with your PC (having built the machine) I assume you've checked your BIOS boot priority setting to insure the optical drive is *first* in boot priority order. You have done this, yes? Anna "marriedhsdad" wrote in message ... Anna, Quite on the contrary. I went into the Bios and changed the booting sequence. It now checks A: then CD then C: When I boot it from the CD, it goes through installing the drivers and then at the very bottom, it says it is loading Windows. All of this is on a blue screen with a small XP logo at the top right, but more DOS looking than Windows. After a few seconds of the notice that Windows is loading, the computer freezes. This happens when I boot to the CD or to the A: drive, when it asks for the next disk several times. I'm operating XP Professional with the latest updates, I guess that is Service Pack 2. My installation CD is the original XP disk. My motherboard is Micro-ATX with an AMD 3400 (I earlier said a 2400, but I was mistaken). It is the RS482M-IL Board. "Anna" wrote: HSDad: I'll assume you've correctly set the boot priority order in your BIOS so that there's an initial boot to the CD-ROM (whether or not if follows the floppy disk drive) and *not* an initial boot to the HDD. I stress this because you state, "I went into the Bios and changed the booting sequence." which sort of infers the *original* boot order did in fact indicate an initial boot to the HDD. So when you did change the boot priority order you're certain that you saved the BIOS setting changes when you exited the BIOS, right? I raise this because I've experienced numerous instances where a user *thought* he or she changed a BIOS setting but actually failed to do so because they failed to actually save the new setting before exiting the BIOS. Please understand I'm not trying to "talk down" to you since it's obvious you're an experienced user but I just wanted to raise this point "just in case"... Have you checked out the HDD with the diagnostic utility from the disk's manufacturer? While from your description of the problem it doesn't sound as if it's a problem affecting a defective HDD there's always that chance, slim as it might be. Since you have a couple of other desktops is there any chance that you spare a HDD (PATA or SATA) from one of those machines and attempt to install XP on that drive to determine if it is a HDD problem? I really don't know what else to suggest at this point. It doesn't sound to me like a hardware problem (excepting a possible defective HDD as noted above) since you're obviously getting power as well as getting a screen display without any indication from the system that something may be awry hardware-wise. Anna "marriedhsdad" wrote in message news Annan, Yes, I DID save the changes. Now I've run into another problem. The other day when I turned off the machine, I could not start it again. I went out and bought another power supply. I put that in last night. I hooked everything up and hit start. Nothing. No power...no nothing. I got a new power switch today. After cutting the wires on the old one, I realize the new switch is not the right size for the machine...too big. I'm so frustrated, I'm about ready to go out and buy another case with a new mother board and processor. I can't go on like this and it's been too long without the machine. This type of thing seems to happen about every three years. I wish someone would create a machine that wouldn't fail and that you wouldn't have to constantly upgrade the operating system. Maybe in a world without Microsoft! Sorry for venting. I appreciate all you're doing and the suggestions you've made. The "extra" hard drive is a great idea if I was still getting power to the machine. HSDad: Well *now* it sounds as if it is a hardware-type problem if you're saying what I think you're saying. After getting a new PS and that not working what makes you believe it's the power switch? While a defective power switch could be the cause of the problem you describe, it's a rare occurrence in my experience. Could simply be a defective motherboard. The only realistic way to determine if it is that (or some other major component that has failed or is failing) is through substitution of the component(s) on a one-by-one basis. I really don't know if you should invest any more money in that machine. Given the precipitous drop in the cost off-the-shelf desktop PCs that we're currently seeing, maybe it's time to just purchase a more up-to-date system assuming of course that you can bear the cost. But if you want to pursue the problem re your current machine... Disconnect all peripheral components from the system and just work with the PS, motherboard, processor, heat sink, RAM module(s), graphics card, keyboard & mouse. Nothing else. No sound card, no HDD, no external devices - nothing else but those basic components. Ensure that all connections are proper & secure. Power on to determine you get a screen display with no unusual BIOS-type messages. Access the BIOS to determine if all the settings are proper with no untoward entries. Let the system run for a few hours before powering off. Perform this routine a number of times. If nothing to seems be amiss, add your HDD. As I previously suggested use a different HDD from one of your other desktop machines. See if you can install the OS from the XP installation CD. If you're able to install the OS without any problems then add whatever other peripheral devices you're using. If it does turn out to be a defective motherboard I would seriously consider a new machine if at all possible. Anna |
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Can't get XP Professional to boot
"Anna" wrote: HSDad: Well *now* it sounds as if it is a hardware-type problem if you're saying what I think you're saying. After getting a new PS and that not working what makes you believe it's the power switch? While a defective power switch could be the cause of the problem you describe, it's a rare occurrence in my experience. Could simply be a defective motherboard. The only realistic way to determine if it is that (or some other major component that has failed or is failing) is through substitution of the component(s) on a one-by-one basis. I really don't know if you should invest any more money in that machine. Given the precipitous drop in the cost off-the-shelf desktop PCs that we're currently seeing, maybe it's time to just purchase a more up-to-date system assuming of course that you can bear the cost. But if you want to pursue the problem re your current machine... Disconnect all peripheral components from the system and just work with the PS, motherboard, processor, heat sink, RAM module(s), graphics card, keyboard & mouse. Nothing else. No sound card, no HDD, no external devices - nothing else but those basic components. Ensure that all connections are proper & secure. Power on to determine you get a screen display with no unusual BIOS-type messages. Access the BIOS to determine if all the settings are proper with no untoward entries. Let the system run for a few hours before powering off. Perform this routine a number of times. If nothing to seems be amiss, add your HDD. As I previously suggested use a different HDD from one of your other desktop machines. See if you can install the OS from the XP installation CD. If you're able to install the OS without any problems then add whatever other peripheral devices you're using. If it does turn out to be a defective motherboard I would seriously consider a new machine if at all possible. Anna "marriedhsdad" wrote in message ... I bit the bullet. I ordered a new case, and a new mother board with a new processor. I picked up the parts Saturday a.m. and took all day getting the system back together. I also bought 4G of RAM, a new DVD/RW (SATA) and a 1000G Hard Drive. When I put the system together, I booted up and the thing just started up. I had to re-register my Windows installation since so many changes had taken place. Formatting the new hard drive took hours, but I now have 5 hard drives on the machine (2 IDE's and 3 SATA). I agree, the motherboard must have been defective, especially since I could access all my files when I put the C drive on another computer. The new processor is an Intel dual 3GHz and is running about three times the speed of my old machine. Daave never understood my situation. I know what I'm doing on the machine, at least to make myself a little dangerous. I appreciate all you've done to help me. The process has been quite frustrating, but you've helped alot. Thanks again. HS Dad Good, I think that was the way to go. Sounds like a very nice (read "fast"!) machine. What puzzles me, however, is why it would take four hours to partition/format your 1 TB HDD. I can't tell from your post whether this HDD is serving as your boot drive and you installed the XP OS onto that disk, using the XP setup routine to partition/format the drive, or whether the 1 TB HDD serves as a secondary HDD in the system and if so, did you undertake the partitioning/formatting through Disk Management? In any event (using your new system) it shouldn't have taken four hours to complete this job (even in view of the large capacity of the disk) regardless of the process you used. As a precaution, it might be a good idea in the meantime to check out the drive with the HDD diagnostic utility from the manuf. of the disk. (If you purchased the disk as a retail, boxed version the utility will be included on the accompanying CD, otherwise you can download it from the website of the manuf.). What is the make/model of that disk? Also, (out of curiosity) what was the make/model of the motherboard you purchased? Anyway, should the new 1 TB HDD be serving as a secondary HDD in your system, do you think it might be a good idea to configure that drive as your boot drive? I would guess that way you'd get some added "zip" from the system in comparison with using one of your older HDDs as the boot drive (although I can't recall the "ages" of your older drives). On the other hand if it's important that you use the 1 TB drive *exclusively* as a storage device, so be it. But give some thought of configuring that drive as your boot drive if it's not already thus. I can't recall if during the course of the thread there was any discussion of a disk cloning/disk imaging program and you used such for backup purposes. Assuming you use one of those types of programs it would be a relatively simple matter to clone the contents of your boot HDD to the 1 TB drive so as to easily create the latter as your boot HDD (assuming it's not already). As you may have noticed from previous postings of mine on this subject we are strong fans of the Casper 5 disk-cloning program (it's not a disk imaging program such as the Acronis True Image program) for routine basic disk-to-disk cloning for comprehensive backup purposes. Good luck with your new system. Anna |
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