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Windows Xp help please

22 posts & 14 voices | Started 2 years ago by mattsccm | Latest reply from dave_rudabar

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mattsccm - Member

For some reason my laptop is playing up. Left it to shut down properly and as far as i know it did. ( I hit the red and went to bed)
Now trying to restart it I get the black and white message telling me there could be one of several problems. It does say sorry though! I have a choice to chose a mode.
Safe mode
Safe mode with Networking
Safe mode with Command prompt
last know configuration
Start windows normally

Which ever I chose it makes a 5 second attempt at doing some thing then returns to that screen. Nothing else happens. All the stuff on the web I have found so far wants me to log on with administrator capabilities.
Changed nothing recently , since I updated my Norton 360 about 3 weeks ago. Perfect running since then.
Ideas please.

Posted 2 years ago #
GrahamA - Member

Select "Start windows normally" and let us know if it happers again. Normally means that you did not get a clean shutdown and nothing to worry about.

Posted 2 years ago #
mattsccm - Member

Tried that about 10 millions times over the last 48 hours. Nothing except the same screen.

Posted 2 years ago #
scaredypants - Member

not just a flat battery ?

( )

Posted 2 years ago #
mattsccm - Member

On mains

Posted 2 years ago #
Ewan - Member

I'd uninstall Norton and go from there. It's a horrible bloated piece of crap that's messed up every PC i've ever seen it on (that's assuming you can actually properly uninstall it - use http://www.ccleaner.com/ and get it to sort the registery etc after you've killed Norton and then rebooted.

I'd stick to the built in Windows firewall (the SP3 version is more than adequate), AVG or Avast! (probably Avast!) and then install Windows Defender (MS free anti spyware program). Then notice how your computer runs faster.

Posted 2 years ago #
Jujuuk68 - Member

Start it up, and at the question, go to continue booting into safe mode. Then try shutting down. If on reboot, you still got issues, probably got a virus or something.

If so, run your anti spyware and any other malware programs, and then use a previous system restore point say a day or so before the pc started going bananas.

Alternatively, it could be a part of the pc not working properly (i had this recently with a fx card who's fan had choked up with dust, leading to overheating, making the pc unstable and causing crashes requiring power off without shutting down, a few of these fubar'ed my pc, but a new card, and the above, resolved the issues.

If none of the above works, then you might be stuck with reinstalling windows?

I had this recently.

Posted 2 years ago #
mattsccm - Member

I can't do anything at all. I can switch off by leaning on the power button and thats it

Posted 2 years ago #
MrOvershoot - Member

firstly check the fans cooler grills are clear of dust/fluff.

Then if you have an XP disk boot off that and go to the recovery console and try running chkdsk /r

It may just be disk errors

Posted 2 years ago #
mattsccm - Member

fans puffing away nicely. As for the disc, some hope. bloody Dell's don't come with them. Or can i find that online via this PC?

Posted 2 years ago #
cranberry - Member

If you can't get past that options screen then a full rebuild would be the best option - wipe everything and start again - do you have a current backup of your data?

Posted 2 years ago #
MrOvershoot - Member

mattsccm - Member

fans puffing away nicely. As for the disc, some hope. bloody Dell's don't come with them. Or can i find that online via this PC?

Do you know anyone close by with an XP disk?

Posted 2 years ago #
davcow - Member

It didn't try installing any windows updates when it was shutting down did it?

Usually this happens if an update goes wrong.

If you can get hold of an XP disc then you could try doing a Windows Repair, that way you won't lose your data.

Posted 2 years ago #
takisawa2 - Member

Sounds like a virus.
If your ok with losing whatever is on there then re-boot, when the Dell splash screen appears hold down "Ctrl" & hit "F11".
WARNING...it will wipe the hard drive & re-install the op system to how it was when new.

Posted 2 years ago #
mattsccm - Member

Nothing but some how I ot into BIOS what ever that is, from there I some how got into some system check which told me that no battery was installed which there is. Could it be that a screwed battery is causing problems? See above :roll:m Ight have another as a good while back Dell send me a new one( the one in use) as the originals might get hot. Thinking about it of late mine has as well but now it isn't even though the thing has been on all day rebooting. Hmmmmm. What do you think?

Posted 2 years ago #
MrOvershoot - Member

Reading through the garbled stuff you posted there!

Try taking the battery out & run just on mains first, but as its getting past the BIOS and into a windows start-up environment then my money would be on a slightly damaged windows installation.
Do you know someone who could take the HDD out and copy any stuff you want off it first, before you go through the format/clean install route?

Posted 2 years ago #
mattsccm - Member

Removing battery didn't work, nor did another. So any XP disc will do, not just the one with the matching numbers?

Posted 2 years ago #
s - Member

Is it refering to the BIOS backup battery that is dead?

How old is your Dell Matt?

I might have a spare Dell XP recovery disk that you can try for nothing that might help?

Posted 2 years ago #
GrahamS - Member

I'd say you disk is shagged.

Get hold of a bootable Linux distro. Put it on a USB key and boot with that. Rescue what data you need from the disk then boot with an XP setup disk, go into Recovery console and do fixboot fixmbr and chkdsk

Posted 2 years ago #
2unfit2ride - Member

Have you checked the boot menu?

What's the order?

Posted 2 years ago #
Straightliner - Member

You're not running IE8 are you? People similar to be experiencing similar problems with that browser on XP and it's apain in the bum to de-install too.

Posted 2 years ago #
dave_rudabar - Member

Go to this website for recovery tools: http://www.ubcd4win.com/

It's helped me recover nadgered installs before, could be worth building a set for you. At the least, it will let you build something that lets you backup all your data before you wipe it to start again.

Posted 2 years ago #

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