Windows XP Hangs on Boot Logo Screen

[The Merg]

Here's the deal... Working on a Gateway laptop with Windows XP Media Center edition. The owner does not have the Recovery CD to be able to access the Recovery Software.

When booting up in normal mode, the Windows XP logo appear along with the blue scrolling animation. After about 10-15 seconds of harddrive activity, the harddrive seems to cut off and the animation just continues. Nothing else happens then.

The computer boots up into Safe Mode with no issue. I've checked for viruses/malware and cleaned off the computer (there was one piece of minor malware found). I also looked at any software that was recently installed, including drivers, and uninstalled those. I also uninstalled the devices the drivers were for in Device Manager so they could be reinstalled when the computer booted back up. All of these efforts have not done a thing to get the computer to boot up in normal mode.

I've tried to boot in VGA mode with no luck either. I also turned on Boot Logging, but the boot log does not contain any information when I try to boot in normal mode, but it does list logging information when I try to boot up in Safe Mode.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Merg

 

[GaryJohnson]

Try adding a /SOS switch to the end of the OS boot line in the boot.ini file. This should disable the splash screen and show you what files are being loaded 'behind' it.

 

[RebateMonger]

If it's available, your best shot is probably a Windows System Restore. After that, it's likely a Windows Repair Install.

 

[The Merg]

Yeah, I tried the SOS switch when I did the bootlogging. It goes to the Windows boot screen and states logging is enabled, but then nothing else happens. Hence, when I check the bootlog, it doesn't even show anything in there from that boot.

I have tried the Windows System Restore, sorry I forgot to mention that. None of the restore points I tried were successful. As for the Windows Repair, the laptop owner does not have his original CD's and the Restore Partition requires the CD to be used. I do have a Windows XP SP1a install CD. Does anyone know if I can use that to perform the repair on a system with Windows XP Media Center? I'm guessing not though.

Thanks,
Merg

 

[RebateMonger]

Does anyone know if I can use that to perform the repair on a system with Windows XP Media Center? I'm guessing not though.

Nope.

At this point, I'd probably copy off all his data and install a new sealed copy of Win7 Home Premium from eBay or from a Win7 Family Pack.

 

[The Merg]

:lol:

Thanks! Yeah, I'm gonna tell him that it's done for today. Appreciate the effort though.

- Merg

 

[Paperlantern]

If it's available, your best shot is probably a Windows System Restore. After that, it's likely a Windows Repair Install.

If it boots in safe mode, there is nothing wrong with the core of windows and a repair install will accomplish nothing. It is more than likely either an unresponsive piece of hardware, in which case virtually any install of windows will hang once the driver trying to access that piece of hardware is loaded. Or (the more likely scenario), a bum or corrupt driver that should be CLEANLY installed (not from cabs, which is likely corrupted as well, all this could also point to a failing HDD, but lets not jump to that conclusion yet).

I would do as suggested and reinstall windows. If he has a license for XP, I wouldnt buy Win7 until you know the machine is sound, reinstall XP and go from there. Good luck.

 

[The Merg]

Yeah, he told me he has to look around for the disks that came with the laptop. Since it is a Gateway, I doubt he has an install CD for XP. I believe you only get a Recovery CD that is used to access the Recovery Partition on the HDD. I don't remember off-hand if there is a non-destructive recovery option though. It might just be all or nothing, which would mean that he'd have to copy off all of his data first.

Thanks,
Merg

 

[RebateMonger]

If it boots in safe mode, there is nothing wrong with the core of windows and a repair install will accomplish nothing.

Not necessarily. One of my own XP Professional boxes stopped booting after an attempt to install MS Office 2007 Trial edition. The symptoms were EXACTLY like the OP's.

It'd boot into Safe mode, but wouldn't boot into Normal Mode. I tried various tricks, including multiple System Restores and multiple ways to remove ALL of MS Office and everything else I thought might be interfering with the boot. Not having the rest of my life to spend on this, I did a quick Repair Install of XP and it booted right up.

If he can't find his disks, I recommended Win7 Home Premium because:
1) He's not throwning his money away on a dead-end set of XP MCE 2005 disks. He can move the Win7 Upgrade elsewhere when he dumps the old Gateway.
2) Win7 is more likely to have drivers for the laptop than anything but the origiinal Gateway recovery disks.
3) Win7 comes with DVD codecs. Anything but the original Gateway Recovery disks will require the separate purchase of a MCE-certified DVD codec for XP.

 

[Intexity]

had a similar issue with a computer with norton installed...if i remember correctly the xp backup system and nortons didn't necessarily agree hence the boot issues. could look into that if...

 

[The Merg]

had a similar issue with a computer with norton installed...if i remember correctly the xp backup system and nortons didn't necessarily agree hence the boot issues. could look into that if...

I believe he's running Mcafee, but I'll check... By XP Backup System, are you referring the XP creating Restore Points?

- Merg

 

[Paperlantern]

Not necessarily. One of my own XP Professional boxes stopped booting after an attempt to install MS Office 2007 Trial edition. The symptoms were EXACTLY like the OP's.

It'd boot into Safe mode, but wouldn't boot into Normal Mode. I tried various tricks, including multiple System Restores and multiple ways to remove ALL of MS Office and everything else I thought might be interfering with the boot. Not having the rest of my life to spend on this, I did a quick Repair Install of XP and it booted right up.

If he can't find his disks, I recommended Win7 Home Premium because:
1) He's not throwning his money away on a dead-end set of XP MCE 2005 disks. He can move the Win7 Upgrade elsewhere when he dumps the old Gateway.
2) Win7 is more likely to have drivers for the laptop than anything but the origiinal Gateway recovery disks.
3) Win7 comes with DVD codecs. Anything but the original Gateway Recovery disks will require the separate purchase of a MCE-certified DVD codec for XP.

Office modifies system files, files that are loaded when windows is loaded in normal mode. Parts of those programs do not get loaded in safe mode, this shouldnt happen out of the blue with regular usage, though the point is valid if perhaps one of those files has gotten hosed, try the repair, its worth a shot as it doesnt take long.

 

[Intexity]

yes the restore points. just a thought but worth looking into. oh and as far as DVD codec i always used k-lite mega codecs. or just use jet audio both are free and have dvd codecs

 

[The Merg]

Okay, he does have Norton, but I can't disable them in Safe Mode. Or did you just uninstall them and/or turn off System Restore. Actually he has both Norton System Works and Norton Internet Security Installed.

I used to have SW and from what I remember, doesn't that have the same components as Internet Security and then some?

- Merg

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Yeah, I tried the SOS switch when I did the bootlogging. It goes to the Windows boot screen and states logging is enabled, but then nothing else happens. Hence, when I check the bootlog, it doesn't even show anything in there from that boot.

I have tried the Windows System Restore, sorry I forgot to mention that. None of the restore points I tried were successful. As for the Windows Repair, the laptop owner does not have his original CD's and the Restore Partition requires the CD to be used. I do have a Windows XP SP1a install CD. Does anyone know if I can use that to perform the repair on a system with Windows XP Media Center? I'm guessing not though.

Thanks,
Merg

Borrow a copy of the cd from someone or get it from P2P. The serial key is what matters, the media does not.

 

[The Merg]

Okay, well I got it working, but not quite sure how.

I decided to see if there might be an issue with the harddrive, so I downloaded the DOS ISO for the WD Data Lifeguard sotftware and burned it onto a CD. However, when booting up with it, I would get an error that the License File could not be found (even though it was on the CD) and that it could not load "A:\COMMAND.COM".

I ended up pulling the harddrive out, hooking it up as an external to my computer and used the Windows version of the Lifeguard software from my PC. The full test came back that the harddrive was good. I suppose it might have cleaned up some issues, but the log file is not really detailed at all.

I put the drive back in the laptop and it booted up fine. I uninstalled Norton SystemWorks as it was expired and made sure that Windows and Norton Internet Security were up to date. System has booted up fine multiple times since then.

I guess the issue all along was a bad sector on the harddrive. Whodathunk?

Thanks for all the assistance,
Merg

 

[RebateMonger]

WD's disk diagnostics program is unlikely to do any repairs without asking. Maybe you had a bad data cable connection to the hard drive?

 

[The Merg]

That's what I would have thought. As for the cable, it's not like the cable couldn't have been securely connected as it was in a laptop. In order for the compartment to close the drive has to be in correctly. Just strange that none of the symptons pointed to the harddrive and yet it seems like that might have been the culprit.

- Merg

 

[Intexity]

crap wish i was quicker there is a function key you can use that disables norton at startup...too long ago to remember how but found it by googling for five minutes at the time.

 

[The Merg]

crap wish i was quicker there is a function key you can use that disables norton at startup...too long ago to remember how but found it by googling for five minutes at the time.

Yeah, I'm not so sure my problem was with Norton since I couldn't do anything with it until it finally booted up in normal mode. Although to disable it, I supposed you could use MSCONFIG to disable that startup event.

- Merg