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Looped Reboot after SP2 installation?

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8 replies

by pysces83

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Hi,

One of our XP Pro computers didn't have SP2 installed, and as part of the "housekeeping" we tried to install SP2 on it. All went well until it rebooted. When it reaches the "Windows XP" logo and progress bar, it just goes right back to POST constantly in a loop until we switch it off.

We reformed it with just WinXP on it as a short term fix, but can anyone suggest a reason and/or fix as to why this machine reacted this way?

8 replies

by squirrelonfire

To my knowledge, you can choose to restart the computer
automatically whenever there's a system crash (A blue
screen of death, or a hardware failure). The problem you
described may be this, or may be not.
If it is, when booting the computer, press F8, go to safe
mode and then do the following
1) right click on computer>>Properties
2) Advanced tab
3) Click on start up and recovery, clear the box
"Automatically restart"

by thevirtualone

It just isn't worth the time to figure out why a problem exists as it is to change the procedure to see if different results are achieved.

Try creating a slipstreamed copy of XP with SP2 integrated. First download a fresh copy of sp2.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=049C9DBE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en

Then follow these instructions.

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sp2_slipstream.asp

The reason that I want to do it this way is because of my 100% success rate with this technique. I sure wish that you could download from AutoPatcher.com still, but MS killed the Project in August. That was the greatest 340mb ever downloaded for a sysadmin.

by oh smeg

If it is old stuff you could have Hardware Issues creeping in as SP2 had several Known Problems particularly with some CD Recorders but also other Hardware. I spent a week messing around with a new P4 all because a Samsung DVD Player wasn't compatible. Of course M$ Tech Support didn't know that, that piece of hardware was incompatible with SP2 either so I wasted much more time than I should have.

If that is the case Slipstreaming a SP2 Install copy will only result in the Install Failing.

Col

by pysces83

Ah, that could explain it - the PC in question is getting on, its one of the oldest in that department.

by jamupz

I am using a brand new PC that I built with an Asrock 4coreDX90 board and INTEL Celeron 420(1.6Ghz) and I am having the same problem as you..I just (1 hour ago) used XP repair install to put on fresh WinXp (no SP) and am searching the net for SP1.

Think I'll be sticking with SP1 for a while..

by cg it

rebooting, if not a hardware problem can be fixed by running the fixboot c:\ command.

boot to safe mode command prompt or in the case of that not working, boot to the CD and command prompt then run the fixboot and fixmbr.

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