Windows XP won't boot up

[joltremari]

I have Windows XP on my laptop. I tried to start it up a it goes through the death loop like my Win98 Machine used to. It prompts me to choose what to boot to, Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Command Prompt, Last known good configuration, etc... It will not boot to any of the choices. I tried booting to the CD but it will not run the Recovery Console and it will not Install a new Windows XP. That's all I know to do, so here I am asking anyone if there is anything else I can try. I am willing to try just about anything at this point, so any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

JO

[-TPM-]

Do you get an error message? If so what is it?
When you say windows won't reinstall, what exactly happens?

[joltremari]

I get the blue screen sometimes saying it thinks the ntfs.sys file is the problem. When I try to run the recovery console it does the same thing.
When I try to boot to safe mode or normal mode or any of those options it just keeps rebooting taking me back to the boot options screen.
When I try to reinstall windows it displays the message "Examining startup environment..."(or sometimes "please wait...") but never does anything.

[-TPM-]

Is there data on there you need or can you just blow it away?

[joltremari]

Well, there is not anything that I couldn't do without but there is a lot of stuff that I would like to have. Most of the stuff is replaceable but I have tons of pictures of my kids and my niece and nephews that I hate to see get lost. That's what I get for not printing them or at least putting them on a cd. If the ntfs.sys file is corrupted, can it be repaired? Can you get MS-DOS to run on XP. I tried downloading the 6 disk start-up disks from Microsofts website but it said it could not run the file to make them. I hate computers....

[thegreatone]

How about, adding this hard drive thats dead to another system, such as the one you're posting from now, and copying all the data accross ?

This way, you can start windows fromn another PC, copy the data and then Nuke your problematic hard drive and re-install windows.
You will still have your data too, provided you copied it accross of course

[joltremari]

The hard drive that's dead is in a laptop, the computer I'm using now is not. I've never had the hard drive out of a latop, will that work?

[Rattlerr]

Well from what i follow the hard drive is dead in a laptop now only issues i see is Compatiblity between systems really...

One are you talking about LapTop to Laptop or LapTop to desktop? LOL because LapTop to Desktop just isnt going to happen..The IDE cables arent even the same width but thats another matter...

Now when you mean Dead ? how dead? Can you hear the Hard drive spinning? is it making a loud Clicking Sound? because a load Clicking sound Can and most of the time means a hard drive Failure on the Arm that reads the Platters in the Drive...

One most Laptops dont support 2 hard drives Internally...So you would be looking at a External hard drive,Unless its a really new model and thier supporting 2 Hard drives in a Laptop(which is Rare)...

Last Option if the hard drive is still good ,you can Format the Hard drive with a Floppy using " FDISK" which you can make by making a Windows 98 Boot Disk ...The FDISK is DOS Based not too hard to do..Will allow you too Delete the Current Partition ,Create a New Partition ,Then Format the Drive...

If you need Instruction on doing the FDISK let me know and I'll type some up...I'v been Using FDISK for many years now very good little tool...
Specially when you cant boot to the OS Disck...

Who said Floppy's are useless...Muahaha

[dglienna]

Boot off the CD, and select Install, and when (if) it detects a previous version of Windows, select recovery. That's about all that I could think of, if nothing else works. If you don't have an original XP disk, then this probably won't work.
If you need the data, go buy a CD that has the same version that you have.
Don't bother with an upgrade CD unless you have a previous (w98+) CD handy, as it will be prompted for.

[conipto]

http://www.cablesonline.com/940pinto44pi.html

Ten bucks, is your data on the laptop, and the chance to be able to pull it off the drive worth that?

Bill

[thegreatone]

How about a Linux LiveCD and then throw the data to the Network ? Or to a disc ?

[joltremari]

Hey conipto, thanks for the link. I will certainly try that before wiping it clean, after all it is just ten bucks.

Rattlerr, I've used FDISK before and your right it is a useful little tool. What about CHKDSK or seems like I remember something like SCANDISK or SCANCHK in DOS. Maybe you remember. Is there something like that, that could maybe help. As for the HD, it is not making any clicking noises and I can hear it running. However, when I boot to the XP CD and choose new installation, and it displays the message, "Examing startup environment", the HD is not running.

dglienna, that is what I was hoping to do. I can boot to the CD and I get three choices,
1 - New install of XP. 2 - Recovery Console. 3 - Exit setup.
When I choose new install it says "Examing startup environment" and never does anything else.
When I choose Recovery Console I get the BLUE SCREEN that tells me that the ntfs.sys file is the problem, then of course you know you can only shut it off at that point. So it is a never ending loop.

Thank you all for your suggestions, I really appreciate it

[gigemboy]

I have a handy little BartPE disk I made (need a slipstreamed copy of XP service pack 1 or above)...

http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

Basically, creates a bootable cd that you just stick in... comes into a windows-like environment, and gives you access to all of your drives and files. Even has options to include a copy of Nero in it (if you already have one) in order to burn your files to disk all within the GUI environment it boots into (or stick in a thumbdrive and copy the files you need into it). VERY handy in events like these...

[RobDog888]

Sounds like you may have a HD issue that is beyond repair. Now if its a physical hd issue or just a data corruption or such cant be etermines without a chkdisk (scandisk) and/or reformatting your drive.

[Rattlerr]

Yeah in FDISK you can use DOS for chkdisk Etc to hopefully weed out any problems...

This is what the problem sounds like to me::

1: New Install Stalls
2:Recovery you get a blue screen and that wont work

Only option left if you dont care about the Data Delete Partition using FDISK!! That is the only option you have right now to Wipe it clean...The OS dosnt even go far enough to Delete the Partition more or less use XP to Format the drive...

The problem dosnt sound over all Mechanical....But on the Physical Platters them selves:: A- Corrupt or Damaged Clusters which can lead to this kind of result because some information is RE Wrote on the Booter Sector And some Wheres in the First Million Sectors you have Corrupt or Damaged Clusters...

Only way to find out is too look at the Hard drive Manufacture like Western Digital...Get their Diagnotic Tool and run Diagnotics to see what or if any Errors Occur on the Drive....The Tools will Return a Code Related to the specific problem being either a Damaged Sector,Cluster what ever the problem is...

ALSO

You can choose like in Western Digitals tools to Wipe the HDD Clean...Quick or Full..

Quick Re Writes data to the First and Last Million Sectors on the HDD , FULL which i Recommend Writes Zeros to the Entire Drive ,EVEN the Boot Sector for a Clean Start...

I Recommend Running the Free Diagnostic Tools and Post up What Errors it returns if any...

[mendhak]

1. Read this http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=228888

2. If you can create a boot disk (which should be possible if you have the CDs anyways), you should then be able to go in and re-un-compress ntfs.sys again, right?

[Rattlerr]

Thing is a boot Disk isnt going to help over all if their those kind of errors....1 you cant put new software onto a hard drive that might or DOES have Sector damage..

You wont know if theirs Damage to the Drive Sectors until you Run Diagnotics,This is the Next step...So even Formatting Might not help in the long run ,Yeah it will over right the Drive but may still have Damaged equipment...

Its the next logical step in Eliminating the cause for the OS not Re Installing...All other Methods have Failed no matter what you try...

A Boot Disk isnt going to help specially since he mentioned it gets to a section for Re Installation and stops...The Boot Disk is only going too allow him to Boot the Disk..Also that link is for Windows 2000 he's using XP..Take it for what this is but I'v been building Custom Systems,Repairing PCs and Laptop's for the last 11 years....

Just the next logical step to Eliminate the possible causes...Need more help feel free to add me too msn messenger..

[dark_shadow]

I get the blue screen sometimes saying it thinks the ntfs.sys file is the problem. When I try to run the recovery console it does the same thing.
When I try to boot to safe mode or normal mode or any of those options it just keeps rebooting taking me back to the boot options screen.
When I try to reinstall windows it displays the message "Examining startup environment..."(or sometimes "please wait...") but never does anything.

couldnt he just take a un corrupted verson of ntfs.sys put it on a boot disk throw the boot disk in and copy the fresh one over? i've done that with shell32.dll and such many times b4

[dglienna]

I would think that SFC /ScanNow would fix it as well. It fixed an Autoexec.bat problem on a W2K box a few months ago.

[TomGibbons]

Out of curiosity - do you have Linux installed on that HDD also? I've had a similar problem recently where the Windows installation would get to the first screen where it checks hardware then the screen would go blank and the CD would stop spinning. After trying EVERYTHING I could think of, I deleted the linux /boot partition and it started up nicely. I guess Windows didn't like the Linux partition stuck in the middle of two NTFS logical partitions.

[Rattlerr]

ok first rule of thumb that all Tech's should go threw at least a GOOD one..lol

All they Things that are mentioned point to Corruption to Sector or Cluster Damage...

1: once a Sector or Cluster is damaged it can not be Fixed...
2: You can no longer Read,Re Write data onto that Sector
3: This can happen Due to the harddrive being Old,Re Formatted on Excessive Basis..

Now If its a Simple problem as a severly Corrupt file that can be Fixed but First Thing First ....Rule Out any Possible Hardware Damage...Specially when you have the problems he's mentioning here...

Cause if those files are sitting on a Sector that is Damaged their No Repairing the Damage,No Re Writing onto a Damaged Sector..That Sector becomes Null and Void its a Useless section of the HDD...I have a HDD that has this problem on a Old Laptop i have,So I have too replace it soon...I know that my drive has a Bad Sector because of the Diagnotic Tools...

With Bad Sectors even Defragmention will not want to work it will Hang and never move once it reachs that Sector...Bad Clusters on the Other Can be Fixed Using a varity of software tools,Like Norton Disk Doctor,Running a Repair (NOT Availbe for this problem thou)...

If you cant get the OS to Re Install by any means ....New Install, Repair Console Can or Does point to Server Corruption of DATA can be fixed by Software if its a Software Issue!

Diagnotics tools from Seagate,Western Digital Will tell you if its Hardware or Software damaged...

But this also "Can" be a Bad Sector on the Hard drive <------------- If thats the case Even Re Formating the HDD is a Useless Option...Now its just a Paper Weight...

Trying to Repair something that MIGHT not be Repairable threw software is a useless step Until the Hardware has been Rules out....