943,483 Members | Top Members by Rank

Hardware and Software > Microsoft Windows > Windows NT / 2000 / XP > cannot start up XP - stuck in restart loop, keyboard frozen
Ad:
You are currently viewing page 1 of this multi-page discussion thread
Permalink
Aug 23rd, 2004
0

cannot start up XP - stuck in restart loop, keyboard frozen

Expand Post »
Shut down the machine fine last night, but it refuses to start up today. Goes through BIOS alright, then shows me a screen that reads:

"The last attempt to restart the sytem from its preveious location failed. Attempt to restart again?"
the choices are:
"Delete restoration data and proceed to system boot menu" and
"Continue with system restart""

Sounds good. However, the keyboard is frozen and I cannot choose either of the options. Nothing works.

I tried booting up from the XP CD-rom, but nothing happens, still goes to this screen.

I suspect I'm being stupid here. Can anyone tell me the problem?

Thanks!
Zepeda in Shanghai
Reputation Points: 10
Solved Threads: 0
Newbie Poster
zepeda is offline Offline
5 posts
since Aug 2004
Permalink
Aug 23rd, 2004
1

Re: cannot start up XP - stuck in restart loop, keyboard frozen

reformat your drive if you can. Check your bios to see if your boot sequence is in the correct order. and when you try to boot from the xp cd make sure you select boot form cd in your boot selection menu. When loading your computer should tell you in the top screen what buttons to press they are usually F2 or F12 to get to your boot menu
Reputation Points: 33
Solved Threads: 19
Nearly a Posting Virtuoso
mikeandike22 is offline Offline
1,496 posts
since May 2004
Permalink
Aug 23rd, 2004
0

Re: cannot start up XP - stuck in restart loop, keyboard frozen

You've probably done this, but remove and reinsert your keyboard connector at the back of the PC.
Reputation Points: 17
Solved Threads: 2
Junior Poster in Training
Mike Feury is offline Offline
72 posts
since Aug 2004
Permalink
Aug 23rd, 2004
0

Re: cannot start up XP - stuck in restart loop, keyboard frozen

thanks, I tried all connections, keyboard is fine (it works in BIOS).

Mikeandike, are you suggesting that I need to reformat HD and erase everything? Seems like a drastic measure, no? BIOS seems normal, and I set to boot from CD first, still no results.

Sorry, not sure what you mean by "boot menu". Neither F2 nor F12 does anything. Is this something different from setting the boot sequence?

Does the fact that keyboard works in BIOS but not when this failed restart message pops up mean anything to you?

Is there any way - other than reset/restart - to manually re-boot, to override the failed restart?

Thanks!
Zepeda
Reputation Points: 10
Solved Threads: 0
Newbie Poster
zepeda is offline Offline
5 posts
since Aug 2004
Permalink
Aug 23rd, 2004
1

Re: cannot start up XP - stuck in restart loop, keyboard frozen

An 'In-place upgrade' is what's needed:

http://support.microsoft.com/default...&Product=winxp
Team Colleague
Reputation Points: 229
Solved Threads: 149
Grandad
Catweazle is offline Offline
3,826 posts
since Mar 2004
Permalink
Aug 23rd, 2004
0

Re: cannot start up XP - stuck in restart loop, keyboard frozen

I'm still stumped.

Went to the 'in-place upgrade' site, but all the upgrade choices seem to require that the machine be able to boot up...which is still out of reach.

Even booting up from the CD doesn't seem to work, even when I set the boot selection to CDROM.

Is there anything else I can do in BIOS, or before I get this frozen "attempt to restart" page?

I'm really stumped!

Thanks!
Zepeda
Reputation Points: 10
Solved Threads: 0
Newbie Poster
zepeda is offline Offline
5 posts
since Aug 2004
Permalink
Aug 23rd, 2004
0

Re: cannot start up XP - stuck in restart loop, keyboard frozen

What sort of keyboard do you have? Is it USB or a PS/2 connector on the cord.

If it's USB, then try using a PS/2 keyboard instead. If it's PS/2, then the socket may be 'blown' if the keyboard cord has been dislodged at some stage with the sytem powered up.

Knowing the make and model number of your PC or of your motherboard would help here. (This is a hardware issue, by the sound of things) Specific details about your system's hardware will help us to give good advice, as BIOS options differ from system to system.
Team Colleague
Reputation Points: 229
Solved Threads: 149
Grandad
Catweazle is offline Offline
3,826 posts
since Mar 2004
Permalink
Aug 23rd, 2004
0

Re: cannot start up XP - stuck in restart loop, keyboard frozen

Thanks Catweazle,
I'll try switching the keyboard (using USB now, will try PS/2).

The computer is a bit of a mish-mash, built 2+ years ago in Hong Kong, old Soyo motherboard with socket 1, Celeron 566 CPU on an Asus S370-DL (I know, might be time to retire the whole thing), but has been working fine lately. Running XP SP-1, with most of the latest updates. I can't figure out the motherboard number.
Reputation Points: 10
Solved Threads: 0
Newbie Poster
zepeda is offline Offline
5 posts
since Aug 2004
Permalink
Aug 23rd, 2004
0

Re: cannot start up XP - stuck in restart loop, keyboard frozen

Make sure it's powered OFF before you plug/unplug a PS/2 keyboard. They're not 'hot-pluggable'.
Team Colleague
Reputation Points: 229
Solved Threads: 149
Grandad
Catweazle is offline Offline
3,826 posts
since Mar 2004
Permalink
Aug 24th, 2004
0

Re: cannot start up XP - stuck in restart loop, keyboard frozen

Dumb question, but I dont suppose you can boot in saftey mode (by pressing esc or F8 upon startup)

I had a friends computer that was presenting similar conditions in that it would just shutoff when it was booting up. If you can at least excess your computer in safety mode you can fix whats wrong.
Reputation Points: 10
Solved Threads: 1
Junior Poster in Training
Omni is offline Offline
77 posts
since Jul 2004

This thread is more than three months old

No one has posted to this discussion for at least three months. Please let old threads die and do not reply to them unless you feel you have something new and valuable to contribute that absolutely must be added to make the discussion complete. Otherwise, please start a new thread in this forum instead.
This thread is currently closed and is not accepting any new replies.
Previous Thread in Windows NT / 2000 / XP Forum Timeline: Windows XP won't activate
Next Thread in Windows NT / 2000 / XP Forum Timeline: Trace errors in Windows XP





About Us | Contact Us | Advertise | Acceptable Use Policy
Forum Index | Build Custom RSS Feed


Follow us on Twitter


© 2011 DaniWeb® LLC