Member Avatar for blclark

Help.....Working on a friends PC. The computer reaches the splash screen and then starts over (reboot). I have tried to enter the safe mode and I will get the safe mode screen "Advanced Options Menu" and by selecting any of the menu items and enter it will go back into rebooting loop again.......

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Short summary: the symptom you describe — the machine reaches the Windows splash, then immediately reboots and Safe Mode selections loop back into a reboot — can come from three broad causes: corrupt boot/registry files, a storage-driver/boot-driver failure, or failing hardware. Because says the data is critical, the very first priority is to preserve that data rather than repeatedly running write-operations on the disk. and were right to look at boot environments, but treat repairs as a second step.

Capture the error before repairing. At power-on press F8 and choose the option that prevents automatic reboot on system failure so any blue‑screen STOP code stays visible. Note the STOP code and any driver filename shown — that single line usually points the troubleshooting path (for example, an INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE code points at storage driver/BIOS SATA-mode issues). Also try removing USB devices and non-essential cards before further testing.

If data is important: create a sector image first. Boot a Linux Live USB, mount the drive read‑only to copy files if possible, or use GNU ddrescue to clone the drive to a larger external disk and keep the ddrescue log so you can resume safely. Example (replace device names and mount points carefully):

sudo fdisk -l
sudo mount -o ro /dev/sdX1 /mnt
sudo ddrescue -f -n /dev/sdX /mnt/external/drive.img /mnt/external/drive.log

After you have an image, run non-destructive hardware checks (Memtest86+ for RAM, swap/res eat DIMMs, try a different SATA cable/port, inspect caps on the motherboard). If you have an XP CD and want to attempt repairs, use the Recovery Console commands in this order only after imaging:

fixmbr
fixboot
chkdsk /r
bootcfg /rebuild

Do not run destructive fixes before imaging. If the STOP code names a specific driver or you find SMART errors on the disk, prioritize recovery from the image or seek professional recovery. The posts from , and show similar patterns — preserve data first, then repair.

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All 12 Replies

Member Avatar for cguan_77

if you have the OS installer, then maybe you can try to do a repair installation...

Member Avatar for Frank Wallis

Which OS are u using?
Do u get any error messege when u boot ur computer?
Did u install any application/software or hardware driver before u started
to face this problem?

If u do get an error messege ,just write it into this thread.

Edited by Frank Wallis because: adding more information
Member Avatar for Bob_180_Bob

Hi,
as you seem to be the one that all your friends call to fix their PC, this will help you in other situations as well. Go to
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Back-Up-and-Recovery/Barts-PE-Builder.shtml
Download, make yourself a CD with your PC and use it to start other PC's and do checks and repairs on their PC's.
Another Boot Cd is found at
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/download.html
I have both and have been saved from doing a windows repair from OS CD many times.

Member Avatar for Suspishio

Which splash screen? Boot or Windows? Detail is important as Frank Wallis implies is important.

If you haven't heard any multiple beeps and no stop message, you've passed the MBR stage and the Windows loader is trying to select an operating system and configuration. Depending on EACTLY what you saw on the screen, it might have proceeded as far as the I/O Manager stage of Windows Boot. If a driver fails to load (corruption on disjk or update driver is incompatible or something) then the Last Known Good Configuration is flagged and the system re-boots from scratch in an attempt to do a clean load of Windows,

This can loop forever if there is no known good configuration or there is a driver corruption that the last good configuration can't overcome.

So the solution usually is repair Windows from the Windows Boot CD or to re-install it after doing a chkdsk /f on the disk concerned. You can also use SCANNOW from the Windows CD to check the state of windows files.

So detail is everything in order to advise you properly.

Member Avatar for blclark

Hi, thanks for all of your responses. To introduce myself, I have resided in So Cal since the 50's. Yes I am a retired happy person. I was a Technical Trainer for the Xerox Corp for 12 years, and employed there for 35 years. My responsibilities were mostly on the repair of copiers, printers and high speed printers. Networking and PC's included. I now happily sell used car parts online as a hobby. So that's me.

The problem computer is my nephews, he doesn't seem to know much about it and there are no XP disc, I told him to find it or else! No backup on his data, that is critical to him. So I don't know very much about the box. I know that it has XP Pro on it, as it tells me that when Safe Mode comes up. I know he updated some kind of software, he said it asked him to and he did, but doesn't know what it was. Maybe SP3, (a problem for sure) but it only shows SP2 when booting.

When I say it doesn't enter Safe Mode, I mean it doesn't load the SM. I get to the Advanced Menu and when I select a menu item it show me the OS, I select that and then it just goes back into the reboot loop.

When booting up, it boots up to the Windows splash and then starts the reboot loop again.

I have tried rescue and start up discs and it acts like it wants to but then reboot looping starts. Bios is set correctly.

First thought was corrupt boot sector. Driver is a good possibility, but I have to get into it first. Thanks again to everybody, keep those ideas coming, I will test each one......Bruce

Member Avatar for Suspishio

So what happened with the steps I suggested? It should always boot from a Windows CD.

Member Avatar for blclark

As I stated there is no XP disc. He is looking for it. I don't think it will boot to that either because it won't boot to a rescue disc or a start up disc. If he finds it I will try it. Thanks

Member Avatar for Member #602369

Just wondering, Is the boot order in bios set to CD first and HD second ??

If not, then that could be the reason it won't boot from the rescue disk.

Member Avatar for blclark

Hi, yes the Bios is set to CD first and HDD0 second, there is no floppy.

He just admitted that Windows XP Pro was bootlegged on and there was no anti virus or backup of any kind installed. How foolish..... This is his business computer with all of his critical data on it. When will they learn!

I like a challenge, but I am going to give it back to him and let the hacker fix it. I don't like helping when they bootleg stuff. Thanks to all....

Member Avatar for Member #602369

Not very smart of him, a business computer with bootleg software, your doing the right thing by returning it.

Member Avatar for Bob_180_Bob

Hi again,
have you tried the BartPE or the ultimate boot disk? If they do not get the PC to boot it is a hardware problem and we can start to look from there. If you need to get the info off his HD just put it in your PC and extract the data to a DVD/CD

Member Avatar for debgreat

It seems I have encountered this same problem, less my software is not boot leg. I think mine is a virus as my husband said he tried to download the latest version of Malware bytes when it said it detected a malicious threat and started the reboot loop. Hopefully I am posting this in the correst place. Hated to start a new thread since you all were already brain storming on this same subject. . . . . .

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