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WinXP Pro

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by blkjckshlak

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My WinXp Pro was accidentally unplugged during an update download and will not reboot.I've tried to run the 6 floppy boot disks,I made(assuming for this kind of thing)but to no avail.It simply shuts down after the WinXP Pro loading page.I do not have a copy of the OS either any suggestions!!

27 replies

by jmarkhus

Hi, have you tried going into safe mode? also you could look into obtaining a winternals boot cd that boots a version of xp into ram and allows you to diagnose your pc. sorry dude. when you get in in safe mode, do a rollback.

by blkjckshlak

Does not matter which config. I choose right after the option is made the system shuts down,Is there somewhere I could obtain a onetime Winternal boot assist,I am very limited budget wise.(was gifted the computer from my son and He is overseas).That is one heck of alot of money to buy a new OS when I have one already,That just needs to reboot.Thank you for your suggestions though,I guess my foray into the Internet world is over,I was simply amazed at the whole concept of it though.Quite informative and exciting.

by jdclyde

You can legally use their copy to reinstall, you just have to use the numbers from your system when you do the install.

by billmunson

I have been in safe mode many times and tried to restore won,t do anything just sits there and I have tried last known configuration and that won,t do either? can you send me a boot floppy disc my cd-rom?dvd won,t work either?

by zarathustra2010

A question:

After using your XP floppy-boot installer, how did you
intend on repairing or reinstalling your OS, if necessary?
The first thing the Installer will do is check for an OS
installation disk.

BTW, all the floppy "boot" set does is install the Installer.
Then it needs the OS installation media to actually install
Windows on your HD.

The XP "boot disk" set was never meant to be used as a
general-purpose repair utility. The only "boot" disk is
disk #1. The rest just contain basic generic drivers and
enough of the Windows kernel to start an installation,
which then requires the install media.

The floppy set was meant for those who did not have
optical drives which could boot the computer, or
motherboards which could not address optical block
devices as boot devices. This assumed that the user had
install media either on the HD, or in a network location.

My suggestion:
1) Buy a copy of XP Pro.
2) Repost here when you have it installed.

Donald McDaniel

by pcsystems

Find a friend with an OEM Copy of Win XP Pro. You will also need the CD Key Code. Boot from the Win XP Pro disk and select install XP when you get the first menu. Eventually the menu will ask you if you want to repair the current version of Windows. Select "R" and follow prompts.

by mesurf4

I had something VERY similar happen after a AV Version upgrade. I fought with it for a day or 3 thinking it had to be software. I replaced the power suppply it self and the issue was immediately resolved. If you have a spare NEW power supply I would give that a try. I would also ensure the processor fan / Heatsink is not clogged with dust with a stiff shot of canned air. If neither of these work then at least you have eliminated these hardware items and have a spare power supply on hand for future use.

by billmunson

I have the cd but the cd-rom/dvd don,t work and I have tried the safe mode and also system retore and ut hyst sits there abd don,t do anything I have treid different dates also and last know configuration also numorus times and still don,t bootup I don,t know how to make a floppy boot disk

by aandruli

You might have fried some hardware with the unplug. If so -- even another copy of XP won't help -- after doing the install, you'll get the same problem. Try pulling everything except RAM and video and see if it boots. Then put the hardware in one by one until the find the faulty card.

by Former member

Find a copy of ERD commander, boot it and do a system restore
or you will have to do a repair install like someone else suggested.
Or try the "Ultimate Boot Cd" that has a copy of ERD on it I think
I doubt you fried hardware, sounds more like OS corruption since it was patching.

by srikanth_99099

As you are saying the system is not booting after the update installation failed due to power down.
I suggest you to go for OS booting Options, which can be accessed by pressing F5 or F8 after the BIOS settings and(or) before the XP starting load. There you will see a number of OS booting options to be selected from.
Description of Safe Boot options
? Safe Mode (SAFEBOOT_OPTION=Minimal): This option uses a minimal set of device drivers and services to start Windows.
? Safe Mode with Networking (SAFEBOOT_OPTION=Network): This option uses a minimal set of device drivers and services to start Windows together with the drivers that you must have to load networking.
? Safe Mode with Command Prompt (SAFEBOOT_OPTION=Minimal(AlternateShell)): This option is the same as Safe mode, except that Cmd.exe starts instead of Windows Explorer.
? Enable VGA Mode: This option starts Windows in 640 x 480 mode by using the current video driver (not Vga.sys). This mode is useful if the display is configured for a setting that the monitor cannot display.

Note Safe mode and Safe mode with Networking load the Vga.sys driver instead.
? Last Known Good Configuration: This option starts Windows by using the previous good configuration.
? Directory Service Restore Mode: This mode is valid only for Windows-based domain controllers. This mode performs a directory service repair.
? Debugging Mode: This option turns on debug mode in Windows. Debugging information can be sent across a serial cable to another computer that is running a debugger. This mode is configured to use COM2.
? Enable Boot Logging: This option turns on logging when the computer is started with any of the Safe Boot options except Last Known Good Configuration. The Boot Logging text is recorded in the Ntbtlog.txt file in the %SystemRoot% folder.
? Starts Windows Normally: This option starts Windows in its normal mode.
? Reboot: This option restarts the computer.
? Return to OS Choices Menu: On a computer that is configured to starting to more than one operating system, this option returns to the Boot menu.
............
I suggest here you prefer Last Known Good Configuration.
Ok If you tried all these things and not getting booted. Never hesistate contact me for the futhur queries.
srikanth.P
M.Tech.CSE.
srikanth99099@rediffmail.com

by billmunson

I have not hook to another computor using debugger, don,t know how to hook it please explain, where and how, the restore does not work since I use the fix register and speedup which was free, and that was when it quit booting up and they siad it was not their program but I never had this problem before that happened!! and they won,t send a boot floppy for the dvd does not work and that is why I use the regist-fix program which they said it would get it to work for it have quit a few weeks early and that when I run their scan to check for errors!! it was free scan, thanks William

by racuna

your pc comes with recovery discs? or have a partition with the recovery program? you have to check this first. If you want to recover your info i recomend to use knoppix or DSL (damn small linux 50 mb distro) you can boot the pc and mount the HD with windows browse the folders and if you are in a network transfer to another pc the info. DSL is light but a little more complicate than knoppix.If you not have important info in the pc change OS to linux there are many distros I can recomend pclinuxos 2007 is a live cd and you can make all the above with it.

Sorry for my english, I hope this can help you.

by billmunson

Can you send me one of the disks you are talking about I will pay you for it and S&H I boyght the computor from a store that sell store inventor that going out of business and it had windows 2000 pro and I intall windows 2000 XP !!thanks William munson

by carolynritchie

Living near the Gulf coast, I have to unplug my computer because of storms, and, at times, afterwards, XP is unable to load. When this happens, I turn off the computer, wait several minutes, unplug it, wait several more minutes, plug it back in, turn it on, and Windows loads normally. A friend told me that it has something to do with letting the electricity drain out before unplugging it.

by viking1442

With the system shutdown and unplugged hold the power button in for about 15-20 seconds. This will drain the power and anything in memory from the system. Then reboot into safe mode by pressing the F8 key when booting. If that works try regular mode.
You could also try reseting CMOS by taking the battery (shaped like a quarter) on the motherboard out for a couple of minutes then reinserting and booting. Press the F1 key when it asks.

by methatswho

Some computers need you to press or F2 or F1 at the prompt to enter CMOS. Then you may be asked for a password to the CMOS.

Remember that for all intents and purposes references to CMOS and BIOS are the same thing...

by jmarkhus

okay i ahve read what evryone has said and here's what i think. firstly your pc is new and the xp installation is legit.
so you can borrow an xp cd and use the cd key located somewhere on the pc case. you should also consider using this downtime to sign up for free ubuntu linux cds from www.ubuntu.com they will send you free live cds of linux for you and your friends. a live cd allows you to boot from ram like the winternals i mentioned.
also consider borrowing an xp cd and just running the repair console. run chkdsk.
like soe one else said, you probably lost you os or specifically your bootloader.
you may also need to check your hardware for damage cause normally it is the harddrive that gets hammered first in case of power surges.
lastly, do as someone else said and flash the cmos. if you have no motherboard manual, the easiest way is to completely unplug your pc and them open and remove the motherboard battery for about 5mins.
hope something here works

by billmunson

I have the ubuntu disk, I will try the winXP and try repair, I am sorry it took so long to get back to thnks hope it works

by dlptv

Restart windows,right when it starts to load, start tapping the F8 key till it shows the boot menu, choose.. previous configuration.
If that does not work,do the same thing but choose safe mode then do a system restore.

by simpsb1

Few years back, had a power failure in the neighbourhood. When over, my system wouldn't boot. Don't know what goodies you have with your system, but basically you only need a keyboard, monitor and processor to come up. Try detaching EVERYTHING else (mouse, printer, webcam, speakers, etc.). Then power the system on - if it still won't come up at ALL, then I'd suggest a repair shop.

by blkjckshlak

Neighbors son was nice enough to insist I try to solve this with you people, he highly recommended this site.

by billmunson

have not had a chance to try it let you know let!

by racuna

after try to boot with cd, repair with the console. try to repair the installation with cd installation. nothing works.

magically xp boot but disappear all information from my documents. Try to undelete the most important documents but only few were saved.

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