Member Avatar for antitrust_281

Hello all,

I'm currently troubleshooting my father's old garage PC, which should just be replaced to begin with, because it is not booting up properly. When I start the computer it will reach the desktop and then restart continuously. However, when I start it up under Safe Mode, it does remain on. The problem is with dumprep 0 -k. I go into the msconfig setup and uncheck the box dedicated to this file and the computer boots up properly but then it gives me a message that the start up process has been changed and is not normal. When I change to normal it restarts the machine. I'll go into Safe Mode and there it is, checked again. I removed the files associated with it and also some files in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry under current windows. I thought this would do the trick and still no go. I downloaded a program, forgot the name, that supposedly gives you the ability to stop all programs from launching at the start up but that didn't work either. I've been working on this for hours. HELP...any ideas??

I even ran Malwarebytes just to make sure I'm not missing anything and it found nothing.

Thanks in advance.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by hughv

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Short, practical checklist to move this from guesswork to a concrete cause. Builds on suggestions from and and focuses on capture, isolation, and safe repairs so you don’t lose data or waste time chasing symptoms.

First priority: stop the automatic restart so you can read the error. Press F8 at boot and choose “Disable automatic restart on system failure,” or from Safe Mode open System Properties → Advanced → Startup and Recovery and uncheck automatic restart. Recreate the crash and note the STOP code and any driver filename shown — that code is the single most useful clue.

If you get a dump file, retrieve it from C:\Windows\Minidump (or C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP) and analyze it with a tool such as NirSoft’s BlueScreenView or Microsoft WinDbg (!analyze -v). If no dumps are being produced, re-enable small memory dumps in Startup and Recovery before further testing. Don’t run aggressive tools like Driver Verifier until you have a dump and a restore point — they can induce additional crashes.

Run non-destructive hardware checks next: boot a Memtest86+ image and let it complete at least one full pass; run the HDD maker’s drive diagnostics; and run chkdsk c: /r from a Recovery Console/repair environment. Try a minimal-hardware boot (single RAM stick, no add-in cards, onboard video) to quickly rule in/out bad modules or cards.

Protect data first: if the recovery partition or repair tools aren’t available, mount the drive on another PC or boot a Linux live USB and copy critical files before further repair attempts. If tests point to a failing disk or irreparable corruption, clone the drive and then do a repair/clean install from installation media. Post the exact STOP code and any minidump text (paste the short lines) and someone can give a targeted next step.

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Member Avatar for hughv

Just leave it unchecked and ignore the warning, which is standard.

Member Avatar for cguan_77

are you using xp? have you tried system restore? or just do as suggested by hughv..

Member Avatar for antitrust_281

are you using xp? have you tried system restore? or just do as suggested by hughv..

I tried his suggestion and it doesn't work. The machine will automatically restart within five minutes of boot up. I am using XP and the system restore doesn't even allow me to go back. I've ran Stinger, Malwarebytes again, Norton Disk Doctor, a Trojan Finder and I've got nothing. I even try to do a system recovery by hitting F10 during the boot up and that gives an error about a missing partition.

Member Avatar for hughv

If the machine is restarting on its own, you have a hardware problem, maybe heat related.
Open the case, clean out the dust and re-seat everything you can reach, then try again.

Member Avatar for antitrust_281

I don't think it is heat related. I'm thinking it's more of a problem with a process or application. The reason I say this is because the computer doesn't restart in safe mode...if it were a heat related problem I would think it would the same in safe mode. Not to mention the event viewer doesn't give me the error of a thermal threshold problem as I've seen on my server. Also, it doesn't restart during the startup...which is odd. It will stay on for a minute then restart.

Member Avatar for hughv

Is there anything at all in Event viewer? Your hardware may not report thermal events.
It won't do any harm to open it up and clean it out, as heat is the most common cause of this kind of behavior. It wouldn't hurt to check the power supply either.

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