URGENT: Windows XP Won't Boot

[alacritous]

Hello,
First off, sorry for the long post.

Well if you've been around to my posts, you would have seen that I thought I had a virus and tried to scan my system, but it kept freezing. I don't know if the reason I can't boot is because a virus but I need to fix it.

So, I'm dual booted with Fedora Linux (off-subject: going to Mandrake, Fedora sucks IMO) and whenever I go to the menu and select Windows [instead of booting to Fedora] it kind of boots. It goes to the thing that says that there was an error and lets you choose for Safe Mode, Last Known Good Configuration, or Start Windows Normally. I click Start Windows Normally because it says if you don't know why it is doing this, choose this. When I press enter, it like freezes and no matter how long I wait (30 min, but don't think I just sat there, lol) it just doesn't get past here.

Here are some key points:

Around one to two months ago, it used to do this but it would only take about 20 seconds to get past the "choose how you want to boot, because there was an error" screen.

After I installed Fedora as dual boot, windows still booted but it started causing the errors such as freezing while doing a virus scan. (Unless I forgot... I might have forgotten, which isn't good)

Those two are probably the best reasons why I don't think it's the virus, but I don't know.

I boot up with the Windows XP Corporate Edition and go to the System Recovery Console. I do a "chkdsk" (Check Disk). It displays exactly this:

C:\>chkdsk

The volume appears to be in good condition and was not checked. Use /p if you want to check the volume anyway.

C:\>chkdsk /p
CHKDSK is checking the volume...
CHKDSK is performing additional checking or recovery...
CHKDSK is performing additional checking or recovery...
CHKDSK is performing additional checking or recovery...
CHKDSK found one or more errors on the volume.
93185000 kilobytes total disk space.
64020816 kilobytes are available.

4096 kilobytes in each allocation unit.
23296250 total allocation units on disk.
16005204 allocation units available on disk.

Probably don't need the last part but owell.

Thanks so much in advance,
Alacritous

[alacritous]

Very strange.

While I was practicing my trombone, I let the beast (computer) boot up. It actually did boot up and I'm posting from the PC, not the notebook.

Now let's get Linux to recognize my wireless! (not changing the post, another post for this)

Alacritous

[alacritous]

It is doing the same thing now, and I'm trying to do the same thing I did before to fix it but it is still not working.

I was downloading mandrake and surfing the web, then the computer suddenly restarts. Now it brings me to where I am. It's not a virus though because it restarts only like when I'm working on a ton of things. It doesn't do it like every 2 minutes like a virus would.

Alacritous

[dglienna]

turn off fast-boot, and let it test all of your memory when you boot up. you may have a hardware problem...

[mendhak]

My guess would be hard drive and then motherboard.

Have a tape of you playing a trombone running at all times. Maybe the beast can't stand the torture and will yield to your whims.

[dglienna]

the trombone fixed his last problem. I don't know that its not a virus, but sounds like a hardware problem, like I said. S.M.A.R.T will check the harddrive when you boot... The motherboard could be the culprit if everything else checks out fine. Is there anything in the logs when it reboots?

[alacritous]

This is bad...

OK see Fedora Linux boots perfectly, so how could it be a hardware problem? I'm thinking it's just a Windows problem... But then again it might be a hardware problem because my hard drive has been making noises lately, but not in a pattern. Like sometimes when I deleted a file or something it would make a noise, but other times I could go hours without hearing anything.

I'll try turning off the quick test. (and turn on the other thing) My motherboard is around two to three years old. My hard drive is like one to two months old.

Also, when it has the error and says choose "Last Known Good Configuration", "Start Windows Normally", etc: if I choose last known good configuration, it waits a second and turns the screen black, like it does when it boots normally. When I choose start windows normally, it stays at the screen forever.

editWhen I turn off the short POST test, it doesn't report anything and continues to the boot menu.

Alacritous

[dglienna]

probably not the hard drive (smart would report it if it was about to fail) and not the memory. I'd try Chkdsk /fix to see if it fixes anything. Did you run SFC off the XP disk? It is System File Checker, and replaces corrupt or missing files. You may have to re-install, but I don't know if you're at the point, yet.

if safemode seems to be running OK, then the user info may be corrupt. you could create a new user, and save the info to the desktop so that you could paste it in a new user's info.

[alacritous]

I actually tried the CHKDSK /r (repair), which I guess would e the same thing as fix... It did "fix one or more errors". I'll try the System File Checker (SFC). Stupidly enough, I didn't try safe mode. I'm going to try that right after I'm done typing/posting this.

Actually, after seeing all that crap, I did try safe mode. It displayed all the "crap" like scii()disk(0) blablaC:\Windows etc loading all the system files, then just stopped at the last one. I just tried now and it booted into Windows. So, I click shutdown restart and go back to Windows. This is where I am now. The error about windows not starting properly does not display and it is just black. I've been waiting for a few minuets, so... If it doesn't boot up within the next ten minutes I shall try creating a new user account.

I also must take note that before all this happened, I had to restart a TON. Also, it restarted itselfquite a bit. I had to restart/auto-restart like ten times. It's funny though with all my knowledge I "abuse" my computers and I've always had to format like every year or so... I think I have passed that though. I was kind of talking about when I got all those errors about programs installed but they arn't. (To uninstall a program, I used to delete the folder in the Program Files folder.) LOL

Thanks,
Alacritous

[alacritous]

I havn't waited that long but after logging into safe mode and restoring to a system restore point, it doesn't seem like it is doing much. I don't think I need to try and create a new account because if I can log into the account during safe mode then it shouldn't be that.

edit I tried creating another account, but it doesn't do anything. I don't see why it would because I can't even get to the "welcome screen". Still it's at the black screen whatever I do, except for safe mode.

Alacritous

[dglienna]

try running MSCONFIG in safe mode. Do a selective startup with only MS products.

Under Services, click the 'Hide all MS Services' then disable all the rest, and then under Start Up, disable everything. Then re-boot, and see if you have any problem.

If not, then it is a driver or Non-MS app that is causing problems.

Its not easy figuring out which one, but using the process of elimination, it can be done. Thats how I found out my soundcard was hosing SP2 on my machine. It took 3 weeks of phone support from M$, but I finally resolved it.

[dglienna]

I created a new user account on a different machine, and things worked perfectly after that. There are a lot of user-specific things that are kept in the registry that can be reset with a new user.

[alacritous]

I just solved the following paragraph by installing Mandrake which I will anyway. I think I'm going to just copy everything from safemode onto my external hard drive. I'm going to format soon in another month anyway because I got a game coming out and I want to start fresh. So, unless someone like absolutely knows the answer, then this is "solved".

Thanks...

I thought things couldn't get worse...

Well...

I thought that maybe deleting the linux partitions it could help or at least pin it down to less problems, so I deleted it. Well the boot loader is still installed, so I can't get to Windows. How do you replace the boot loader? I went into the bootable WinXP CD thing and tried to fool around with all the boot options and it turns out that I did get to edit the boot thing, but still I don't/can't replace GRUB, the Fedora Linux boot loader.

Alacritous

[dglienna]

I can't help with Linux, but if you deleted disk 0, make windows boot to the new Disk 0 instead of Disk 1, which I think it will point to. It's been awhile since I had a dual-boot system.

[alacritous]

Well... It's solved, but not solved in the way the question wanted.

I saw myself writing a paragraph on how I solved it. You all wouldn't care so I removed it and added this lovely sentence.

Basically I just backed everything up and formatted.

BTW, I think it might have been a virus. When I went through Program Files to see any important files (like FeedDemon's rss that I'd be too lazy to get again) I saw a folder "Windows SyncAd" or something. I scanned it with Avast! and it said it was a virus. (I think nowadays it doesn't sa specifics like Adaware, which I think it was, or the Avast was a free version.)

What do you know, another paragraph that is pretty pointless.

Alacritous

[dglienna]

A google search found this

Could have saved you some work!