Startup Keeps Looping

[Zephik]

We're having a pretty good thunderstorm over here right now and an especially good boom shut off our power. Everything seems to be okay except for my younger brothers computer. Its stuck in a startup loop. It'll give the option for safe mode, normal mode, etc etc. But after the loading Windows XP screen finishes it goes right back to the start in safe mode, normal mode, etc etc screen.

Any idea's?

[Eclecticos]

Take the cards out and see if it boots up.
If it does you will have to replace the Modem, or network card.

[Zephik]

The cards? Do you mean all the PCI cards? Hmm, I should of tried that right off the back. I guess I'll unplug everything that isn't necessary and see if it does anything different. I'll have to do that tomorrow though, he already went to bed.

Why would I have to replace the Modem or network card? That doesn't make since to me for some reason... I was thinking more on the lines of the motherboard or the hard drive if anything. But I guess it could be the wireless card or his sound card... or even his ram for that matter. Hell, it could be anything.

Btw, it is booting up. Its just caught in a loop. It boots, loads, then right before it goes to the login screen it goes straight back to the choose safe mode or normal mode or whatever.

[Spawn-Inc]

[QUOTE=SnowFire;107946]

Why would I have to replace the Modem or network card? That doesn't make since to me for some reason... I was thinking more on the lines of the motherboard or the hard drive if anything. But I guess it could be the wireless card or his sound card... or even his ram for that matter. Hell, it could be anything.

QUOTE]

yes that seems weird to me too.



well i had a similar problem, after playing stalker it messed up and i had to reboot and it would just stay on the splash screen and not do anything.

Video of it

i had no clue what happened or what the proble was but the way i fixed it was basically going into the windows cd and telling it to repair the current windows installed. after that i had to re download the windows updates, install WMP 11, and IE 7.0. other that it left things the way they were.

[Eclecticos]

Trust me. . I should start a business called lightning pc repair.

. . Now if it loads windows and your tooling along. . surfing the net . .minding your own business and it starts rebooting intermittently . . Then you have problems.

That freakin S.T.A.L.K.E.R Game . .I swear. . Ive seen allot of people say that.
Stalks your PC and dose a number on it. lol

[Spawn-Inc]

That freakin S.T.A.L.K.E.R Game . .I swear. . Ive seen allot of people say that.
Stalks your PC and dose a number on it. lol

i know but its such a good game, i love it. but i've put it off until i get my gaming computer paid for and built.

i also forgot to say it not only messed up my external but internal hdd aswell. (i installed my own copy of xp onto an external and use that as "my" computer. i'm basically using my parents computer for the computing part since i don't have my own.)

[Eclecticos]

If you ever get into repairing computers if someone says lightning, boom, flicker, flash, or spark. . Runnnnnn away as fast as you can.

Or tell them your gonna need this. . this. . this. . and one of these here. .and another one of those, and they really do is the thing.

I have ever brand of surge supressor, protector, backup, zap stopper, flicker fixxer. . lol, boom doom repair unit
The computer I'm on now has a network of them.

[Spawn-Inc]

If you ever get into repairing computers if someone says lightning, boom, flicker, flash, or spark. . Runnnnnn away as fast as you can.

Or tell them your gonna need this. . this. . this. . and one of these here. .and another one of those, and they really do is the thing.

I have ever brand of surge supressor, protector, backup, zap stopper, flicker fixxer. . lol, boom doom repair unit
The computer I'm on now has a network of them.

well i think its mostly where i live that we don't get alot of lighting storms so i don't have any protection aside from the power bar ones. which are useless from what i hear. so i don't worry about that kinda stuff.*knocks on wood*

[Zephik]

I should also add that it was hooked up to a surge protector.

It doesn't load windows, it has the loading windows xp screen but after thats finished it goes back to the safe mode selection screen or whatever thats called. Also, it goes to that first when you boot up. I've selected every option and it keeps doing the same thing. Like I said, i can't even get to the login screen.

Anyways, I'll try uninstalling all of the hardware that it doesn't need tomorrow. Then if that doesn't fix it, I guess I'll reinstall XP or something. If that doesn't work... well... I'm guessing its the hard drive then.

[Olen]

To check the hard drive remove any extra ones and replace the booting one with one you know works from another computer (back up this one just in case). If it starts then you know the HDD is fried, if not then its probably something else.

Alternatively move its booting HDD into another computer and try to boot from it...

If you don't like the idea of those try to boot linux from the CD drive (Slax is a nice lightweight one designed for this).

This should tell you if it is the HDD or if something else is done for and is a bit less work than reinstalling XP (which might not work anyway if the HDD is properly mangled).

You could check the PSU voltages in the BIOS - it will have taken the brunt of any surge.