Windows XP Restarting on Shut Down

[haucrazy]

Hi all,
I am having this quirky issue and after being unable to figure it out himself based on my verbal description (since he is also 360ish miles away from me), my (wonderfully tech-savvy) boyfriend pointed me to Anandtech for some assistance. So, hello!

I have a bit of an issue with my Windows XP Professional. I don't recall clearly the exact moment when this started happening, but upon shutting down the computer from the Windows Start button, my system would instead reboot.

I've looked at the following websites for guidance:
http://www.windowsnetworking.c...-Windows-Shutdown.html
http://www.microsoft.com/windo...re/russel_02may13.mspx

I've gone through the step of clearing "Automatically restart" from the Startup and Recovery dialog box. This is not the issue. I do not get a BSoD, and it still restarts.

I do not have Roxio installed. I barely have any programs installed, really.

My device drivers are correct.

This is what happened when I cleared the "Automatically Restart" checkbox:

1. 1. I right clicked on My Computer.
   2. I clicked on the Advanced tab.
   3. When I click on Settings under Startup and Recovery, this alert appears: "The C:\boot.ini file can not be opened. Operating System and Timeout settings can not be changed."
   4. I click OK to clear the alert.
   5. I uncheck Automatically Restart.
   6. I click on Start -> Turn off computer -> Restart.
   7. The computer restarts, I log in as admin.
   8. I click on Start -> Turn off computer -> Turn off
   9. The computer reboots.
   10. The Windows Welcome (log-in) screen appears. Neither my keyboard nor mouse are operable in this "fake" reboot.
   11. I press the power button on my system. Windows shuts down the computer from the log-in screen.
   12. I turn on the computer again, and my keyboard and mouse suddenly work.

So! I have no idea what the problem is, and the very fact that my Boot file "can not be opened" is a little alarming as well. I have not touched anything on my system since it was built, although I do have one hard drive partitioned into two (but C:\ is still intact and is not remapped). Heck, the boot.ini issue could be an entirely different issue in of itself.

Any extra steps or other diagnostic tests I should run?

I also welcome questions that might help you determine the cause. Thank you so much in advance for the time!

P.S. I have the latest Windows updates installed as well.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Turn off ACPI in BIOS. boot into windows, then turn ACPI back on in BIOS.
I had an XP machine that would NOT shut down. IT would go through the motions and then hang at a black screen. The above trick fixed my problem.

 

[haucrazy]

Thanks for the reply, Jeffrey. I will try this when I get home tonight and report!