Member Avatar for kakkou

the computer thats giving me problems is a bit old. but its still useful its an HP Compaq dc5100 with a Pentium 4 processor. wen i turn it on it tells me sorry for the inconveniance but windows did not start successfully a resent hardware or software might have caused this.

it gave me a 5 choices
safe mode
safe mode
safe mode with command prompt
last known configuration(most recent settings that worked)
start windows normally

the first 3 choices show me a page full of different words. the other 2 just restart the computer and bring me back to the same black screen with the choices i stated above.
now i know that if i had the original xp disks i would be able to fix it. but i dont. is there any other way fix this problem? thanks in advance

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by pcfresh

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A focused diagnostic plan to follow after the F8 menu and the looping restarts described by , building on ’s suggestions but adding concrete, safe steps and priorities.

First priority: capture the real error instead of letting the system auto-reboot. From the F8 menu choose "Disable automatic restart on system failure" so any blue‑screen STOP message stays on screen. Record the STOP code and any driver filename shown — that single line often points directly to a bad driver or device. Also enable "Boot Logging" from the same menu and then inspect the file C:\Windows\ntbtlog.txt (view it from Safe Mode or by mounting the drive from rescue media) to see which driver failed to load.

Next, check disk and memory in a non-destructive order. From Safe Mode with Command Prompt (or a boot rescue CD/USB) run:

chkdsk C: /F /R

(accept that it may take many hours). Run a full Memtest86+ pass from bootable media to rule out RAM faults and try reseating or testing DIMMs one at a time. If the drive makes unusual noises or SMART shows many reallocated sectors, prioritize data rescue by booting a Linux live CD/USB or removing the drive and attaching it to another computer to copy important files before attempting repairs.

If chkdsk and RAM checks do not restore bootability, consider a Windows XP Recovery Console or a repair install (which requires an XP disc or recovery media). On HP/Compaq hardware also check for a factory recovery partition at boot (watch POST messages for the recovery key) or obtain official recovery media from HP. Throughout, avoid destructive actions until user data is backed up; when hardware failure is suspected, cloning the disk is preferable to repeated repair attempts.

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Member Avatar for pcfresh

Hi,
How long do you leave it in the first 2 options "Safe Mode"? It can take quite awhile to load, depending on the system. I have had to wait for close to an hour on some machines.
If that fails try getting hold of a boot disk with Check Disk "CHKDSK", you can get one from BootDisk.com http://www.bootdisk.com/ntfs.htm just follow the instructions. When you run chkdsk it will fix any errors on the drive....so they say. Most times it works for me.

Hope this helps. God luck

Dave

Member Avatar for kakkou

hi thanks for responding. well when i choose any of the 2 first ones it looks as if its going to work. then it stops,and reboots to the same screen.lol well thanks for the advice i'll let u know if it worked. thanks.

Member Avatar for pcfresh

Hi, no worries....there is also the possibility that ram is bad as well. Always pays to check these things. Good luck

Dave

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