Windows XP won't boot.

Electrofreak · 2004-09-12, 08:17 PM

Ok. I went and pimped out my case this weekend. Basically, I redid all the cables, sleeved everything, made it look nice and pretty. I switched it back on after this 1 1/2 day job, and it booted up into my Windows XP boot fine. I celebrated by ordering a pizza. I turned it off before I left the house, went and picked up the pizza, came back, started it up, and now it will not boot. After a few seconds at the Windows XP loading screen, the screen goes black. Nothing will pull it out of this state except for a cold reboot.

Things I've tried:
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Safe mode. Doesn't work. It hangs at the screen where it is loading all the drivers.

I've done a repair on the Windows XP installation. I attempted to use the recovery console but it appears I've forgotten the admin password.

Checked my cables. Since the only thing I really changed this weekend was my cable setup, I checked them all over. Everything appears secure. I don't see anything that looks like it could be causing a problem.

I run a dual-boot on my system, so I'm able to load up Windows 98 SE (which is what I'm using right now). Unfortunately, due to the NTFS file structure of the Windows XP drive, and the fact that said drive is a SATA (which Windows 98 can't recognise) I cannot access the drive.

Scan disk. Basically, I dug up an old hard drive, installed it into my system, and put Windows XP on it. Thus, I was able to detect and scan the SATA drive which contains my original Windows XP. Unfortunately, this seemed to do nothing. I ran a thorough scan and no dice, it still hangs on loading. Also, this new install is plagued by a "Delayed Write error" which essentially deletes any file I attempt to download, extract, copy or move. Hasn't helped my situation much.

Google. I've googled phrases such as "black screen on Windows XP load" and "lockup on Windows xp loading" and I haven't gotten much of anything out of it. A few dead-end leads that weren't any help.

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I'm currently working on getting a boot CD made with lots of nice little utilities. Unfortunately, with no clue what is causing this whole situation its going to be hard to develop a solution.

I DO NOT want to format the disk as a solution. There is 80 gb of files on that computer, many of which are very important to me. If worst comes to worst, I will be buying an 80 GB ATA drive to transfer all my files onto. Thats how badly I want to keep them.

Anyone have any idea what the problem is? My guess is that the Windows XP boot record is severly fuxxored somehow, but thats about all I can come up with. Hopefully you guys will be able to help me out (or at least help me come up with a solution.)

Thanks in advance,

Disconnecting · 2004-09-12, 08:19 PM

You should install mac os x, and then it would boot. Problem solved!

Electrofreak · 2004-09-12, 08:21 PM

Shut The Fuck Up Disconnecting. This thread is for people who think they can help me out, not losers who obsess with lame mac jokes.

Rbstr · 2004-09-12, 08:33 PM

get your XP disk out and run a repair install see if that works, your disk may have got borked somehow, that would suck

Electrofreak · 2004-09-12, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by Electrofreak

I've done a repair on the Windows XP installation. I attempted to use the recovery console but it appears I've forgotten the admin password.

Already tried it rob, no go.

edit-

Originally Posted by Rbstr

get your XP diskc out and run a repair install see if that works, your dicks may have got borked somehow, that would suck

^ you MIGHT want to edit that post buddy

Rbstr · 2004-09-12, 08:53 PM

yeah, probably

Disconnecting · 2004-09-12, 09:18 PM

Can you even pull up the bios? Or is that dead along with safemode?

Electrofreak · 2004-09-12, 09:40 PM

BIOS works. I can boot into Windows 98 no problem. But XP is fuxxored.

Daleon · 2004-09-13, 01:51 AM

Eww, the delayed write error of hell. I've been through this before. It usually ended up with ditching the mb. Was mostly tied to onboard disk controllers I think and not the drives. In your case it could be this or it could be some bad cabling. So replace all cables, connect only one drive at a time, maybe try a external disk controller, otherwise new mb? Or just go on and format that sata drive and see if a fresh install of XP will fix it. Data loss yeah, but thats why I usually suggest ppl buy dvd-burners these days.

Also go through your bios with a fine tooth comb. There are some really odd settings that can hose up a boot.

martyr · 2004-09-13, 02:17 AM

Originally Posted by Electrofreak

I've forgotten the admin password

1. easy on disconnecting. macs suck and someone has to remind us. you've no room to talk, you forgot your admin password.

2. you have two drives, so reformatting shouldn't be necessary.

what to do:

format your ATA drive w/ win98 on it, and install a winxp there (don't upgrade. blech). use that installation to mount your SATA drive and do any data recovery you need to onto CDs, network drives, whatever. try an overwrite xp installation on it, but that probably won't work, at which point you format, but only after recovering your data.

MattxMosh · 2004-09-13, 05:43 AM

Originally Posted by martyr

format your ATA drive w/ win98 on it, and install a winxp there (don't upgrade. blech). use that installation to mount your SATA drive and do any data recovery you need to onto CDs, network drives, whatever. try an overwrite xp installation on it, but that probably won't work, at which point you format, but only after recovering your data.

Overwriting the XP instll wont work. SATA drives have this common problem of bprking windows. It happened to me a while back.

Booted p knoppix with the 2.6 kernel, used captive-ntfs to back up my data, and I wa sforced to use fedora core 2 to format the sata drive after I backed up what I need, as windows REFUSED to not blue screen.

Works like a charm right now though.

i can get onto more detail whenI get home from work.

Kuraltai · 2004-09-13, 06:53 AM

I realize this is probably obvious, but ...

1. Have you checked/re-checked your cable connections?
2. Did you change anything during the cleanup other than add cable sleeves?
3. Do the sleeves require grounding?

Electrofreak · 2004-09-13, 02:39 PM

I"ve figured it out. I'm now typing this from my Windows XP installation on the SATA drive

I got into recovery console again, remembered what my password was (yay!), did a fixboot and a fixmbr, restarted my comp, and the Windows XP load STILL wouldn't boot. I was really frustrated, and sat down next to my computer wondering what the hell was going on. I'd repaired windows, the master boot directory and the boot sector, yet nothing had changed. It HAD to be a hardware problem. Remembering Kuraltai's post, I went and checked my cables over again. I found nothing that seemed loose. Then, I realized something. It wasn't an issue of what was loose, it was an issue of what was connected when it shouldn't have been.. My secondary slave hard drive still had the IDE cable connected, yet I had no power running to it (I'd disconnected the molex to it). I'd done this because it was causing the computer to boot up into it's OS over the SATA's OS when it was plugged in (IDE devices have priority over RAID devices in boot order I guess). So, I simply unplugged the IDE. Bingo, the SATA's Win XP booted right up. For some reason, that IDE connected to an unpowered drive was preventing the SATA from booting. Now I'm going to format that drive (to get rid of the OS) and re-connect it. Everything should run smoothly from now on. Thanks for your help everyone, I appreciate it.

MattxMosh · 2004-09-13, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by Electrofreak

My secondary slave hard drive still had the IDE cable connected, yet I had no power running to it (I'd disconnected the molex to it). I'd done this because it was causing the computer to boot up into it's OS over the SATA's OS when it was plugged in (IDE devices have priority over RAID devices in boot order I guess).

Gotta change the boot order in teh bios, DUH :P

So, I simply unplugged the IDE. Bingo, the SATA's Win XP booted right up. For some reason, that IDE connected to an unpowered drive was preventing the SATA from booting. Now I'm going to format that drive (to get rid of the OS) and re-connect it. Everything should run smoothly from now on. Thanks for your help everyone, I appreciate it.

Thats happened to me before, also, watch for SATA cables being bent at too sharp and angle. And OCing + SATA drive + No AGP/PCI Lock = destroyed windows like what happened to me.

martyr · 2004-09-13, 04:36 PM

roffle.