I tried optimizing the registry on my laptop (which has been having problems shutting down on me) using advanced system optimizer in safe mode. It told me to restart to complete the process and then it seemingly bypassed safe mode and booted to the Compaq screen and then stalled. I tried shutting it down and pressing f8 to start it in safe mode. It began to start in boot mode, but stalled on the screen that comes up right before the safe mode desktop appears. I then shut it down again and started up using last known configuration but it stalled on the Compaq screen again. I then tried to boot normally and it stalled on the Compaq screen. Can this problem be solved without using a repair disk or startup disk? If I do need a repair disk or startup disk can I download one for windows xp from the internet. I have a lot of personal data on my hard drive that I don?t want a generic startup disk ruining. Any clue as to what steps I can take to solve this?
