Long time reader, first time poster!
My friend has a Dell Inspiron, WinXP SP2, which had a bizarre problem with IE7 not working (was due to a plugin, but running without plugins stops Win Update working). I uninstalled it, but Windows would not boot. I replaced the file that had been removed using Task Manager, then it booted fine. I then tried to re-install IE7, but got stuck during reboot with BSOD then restart.
I then booted from my WinXP Home SP3 CD, and repaired the install.
The machine is now stuck in a loop of booting, saying setup is restarting system, getting passed the Windows logo and showing a cursor, then BSOD and restart.
Loading the recovery console, I have run chkdsk, repaired all errors – same problem. I have access to an external HD from the recovery console, but COPY will not copy whole folders (how annoying is that?!?)
Any ideas how I can correct it?
Could it have been because I used an SP3 CD to repair an SP2 install?