This really blows...cant even get onto the desktop in safe mode :(

[pg22]

Hello,

Yesterday a friend and I are using my Dell laptop that I've had since last summer and we leave, letting the laptop download some files. I get home, the laptop is off, and when I tried to turn it on, it boots, gets to the Windows XP loading screen, and then in a half-second flash, shows some sort of BSOD and reboots.

It does this each and every time

I've tried tinkering around the BIOS, even took out my CDRW drive and wireless network card, but nothing. Always the BSOD that flashes so quickly, I can't even read it. And as stated in my title, the same thing happens even when I try to boot into safe mode.

Anyone have any idea on what I can do aside from losing all my stuff in a reformat?

 

[Adul]

well you can try reintalling XP over existing installion to get it working. Then copy off files and then format it.

 

[pg22]

I've thought about that except it presents a problem as I don't have my WinXP CD with me at my parents house (I'm home for the holidays). I can't even fathom what could have caused this...

 

[RoodyPooGangsta]

Upon startup can you hit F8 (or whatever) and choose Last Known Good Config?

 

[pg22]

Tried that as well, same result

 

[RoodyPooGangsta]

Have you checked Device Manager for any messed up drivers? I only ask because I was sitting here thinking back to when I had a similar problem where one of my machines suddenly SafeModing and it turned out something was installed twice and totally b0rked stuff up. I uninstalled both instances, rebooted and all was well.

 

[Demonicon]

If you are using windows 98, boot to your 98 boot floppy and type scanreg /restore

 

[pg22]

I can't even get into the device manager, and I'm using WinXP. Thanks though

 

[pg22]

bump!

 

[xSauronx]

didnt say what you were downloading...praps its a virus, just a thought tho

 

[pg22]

It was that C-130 gunship video and some files from an FTP. Nothing that would have executed though, ya know?

 

[AbRASiON]

You are going to need an XP cd and to do a repair on it.
If even the repair doesn't work, you should use a Windows 98 SE bootdisk (bootdisk.com or bootdisks.com - I can't recall) and rename as follows

docume~1 to docume~1.old
progra~1 to progra~1.old
windows to win.old or winnt to winnt.old

re-install XP as if it were fresh and then pull any old files you need from those DIR's....

 

[Woodchuck2000]

What happens when you try and boot in safe mode?
BTW, you won't be able to access your hard disk from DOS if you're using NTFS (which Pre-installed DELL laptops almost always do...)

 

[Sluggo]

I had the same problem with a friend's laptop over the summer.

Turned out to be bad RAM, might try that before re-formatting.

 

[majewski9]

Yes you probaly have to format. I just had the same thing happen to me and winXP recovery didnt help at all. I simply formatted my Windows backing up everything in Linux.

 

[pg22]

Tried swapping some RAM but it was no good. I'm finally going home tomorrow so I'll be able to see if reformating works.

 

[MadRat]

I'm inclined to think the video died on him.