Help I have been given a friends pc to look at and windows will not start on the boot screen there are 5 options (see attached) but you cannot choose. I can boot from a windows cd and get recovery console.
I have run CHKDSK, FIXMBR & FIXBOOT all withot success it just keeps restarting

I dont want to reformat as he has a lot of stuff on the hard drive for his music teaching

Dani AI

Generated

A short, practical follow‑up to the thread: ’s SP2 repair restored booting, which matches the earlier boot‑option suggestions from and . A repair install often fixes damaged system files and boot components, but it can also hide an underlying hardware or disk problem. The useful next steps are to secure the data and verify the platform so the same failure won’t come back.

A compact checklist to apply now:

  • Create a full image of the system disk (Macrium Reflect, Clonezilla or a sector copy). Imaging preserves all user data before any further writes.
  • Run SMART and manufacturer surface diagnostics (Seagate/WD tools) to detect impending drive failure; if SMART shows problems, clone the drive to a healthy disk immediately.
  • Test RAM with MemTest86 (one full pass minimum) and reseat memory modules; intermittent RAM errors can cause boot loops.
  • Examine Event Viewer and enable small memory dumps; use the boot menu option to disable automatic restart on system failure so any BSOD code can be read—STOP codes point to drivers or hardware.
  • Run an offline malware/rootkit rescue scan (rescue ISO) if behavior looks suspicious; repair installs do not always remove persistent malware.

Longer term: reapply service packs and Windows updates, reinstall chipset/storage drivers from the vendor, and keep regular image backups. If diagnostics show a failing disk or persistent errors after repair, clone to a new drive and perform a clean install. This preserves the user’s files and gives the best chance of a stable system going forward.

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Hi that will not happen I have sorted the list of entries the problem is the computer gets to the windows screen then just reboots all over again there is something in the boot record somewhere I have done fixmbr & fixboot to no avail

When you say "that will not happen" do you mean it won't boot into safe mode? If not, what happens when you try? We need to know exactly what happens and what you see on screen.

Hi Rik

No it will not boot to safe mode but I have stummped up a Windows boot disk with SP2 that has done a repair so machine is up & running without loss of data

thanks for your time all

best wishes

Steve

right,you can Boot always press F8,last time i have the same problem and use this way solved!

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