Member Avatar for goose88

I have a computer with win xp home sp2, that locks up during startup in random locations. It does the same thing if you try to go it into safe mode. After approx 4 restarts it boots and runs fine, until I shut it down for the night. Thanks, Goose

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reported an XP Home SP2 machine that intermittently locks during startup (including Safe Mode) but will usually boot after several restarts and then run normally. That pattern — hangs early in the boot sequence and recovery only after multiple cold restarts — narrows the likely causes to hardware initialization, disk/file-system corruption, or a driver that fails only during a "cold" boot. This complements 's hardware angle and 's suggestion to look at startup activity, but a focused diagnostic path will find the root cause faster than broad changes like removing SP2.

Recommended diagnostic checklist (ordered, non-destructive first):

  • Create a full image or file backup before further changes.
  • Boot from a known-good external environment (Linux Live CD/USB or WinPE). Persistent locks while running a live environment point at hardware.
  • Run a long RAM burn-in (Memtest86+) for multiple passes even if brief RAM checks were done earlier.
  • From the Recovery Console or WinPE, check and repair the system volume:
chkdsk c: /r
  • Enable Windows boot logging (F8 -> Enable Boot Logging) and examine C:\Windows\ntbtlog.txt after a failed boot to see the last driver loaded. Use the Event Viewer to inspect System/Application errors (run eventvwr.msc from a working Windows session). These logs often pinpoint a failing driver or disk I/O error. 
eventvwr.msc
  • Test with minimum hardware (single RAM stick, no PCI/USB cards, one disk). Intermittent cold-only failures strongly suggest PSU, motherboard, or drive/controller issues — check for bulging caps and reseat/swap power/data cables.
  • If a specific driver shows up just before the hang, try replacing or disabling that driver (or updating the chipset/storage drivers from the vendor). Use Last Known Good before more invasive steps.

If the above does not isolate the problem, a repair install or component swap (PSU/HDD/motherboard) is reasonable after imaging the disk. Uninstalling SP2 is a blunt tool and not recommended as a first step; logs and offline tests give safer, clearer guidance.

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Member Avatar for Thong_Ispector

Is this computer overclocked?

I would possibly try the failsafe settings in CMOS...

If you have multiple ram chips or mismatched ram chips I would remove one or the other..

Just a couple ideas... not much to go on at this point

Member Avatar for goose88

No its not overclocked, and I tested the ram. I'll try reseting the bios.

Member Avatar for helloimtim

Have you tried to uninstall sp2 to see if that will fix the problem? Also May I suggest a start up manager to see what is starting up when your computer does to see if that could be an issue. http://www.windowsstartup.com/ is a nice one. Hit the consult button and see what shows up. Its a free program. The only thing with my computer even when I try to disable a start up with this program the program still loads. I have to use another start up manager. You may have better luck with it. Hope this helps. Have a nice day.

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