j0e

Hey guys, I recently left my computer on and I think Windows Update messed everything up. Whenever I try to boot into Windows XP, I get past the loading screen and right as the login window is about to popup, the computer just restarts. It does this over and over and I can't even boot into safe mode to do a system restore. I have the Windows XP cd, but I don't really know if that will help me with anything. Can I just reinstall Windows without formatting to prevent the loss of important files? Or has anyone else had a similar problem and figured out how to fix it?

Thanks in advance,

-Joe

smz

silly question. Have you tried a cold boot, pressed F8 and chose the option "Use settings from last successful boot" ?

It's a start. I would be happy to go into more detail on your options if this indeed doesn't do the trick. Sometimes you can install a program and that program will install a windows service. Well that windows service sometimes can be a major issue with compatibility. I've seen this happen so many times. But the tough thing is if You can't get into safe mode, it it hard to turn off the auto reboot option of the BSOD. I will wait for your reply.

BlazingGeek

you could try a repair install. This will reinstall operating system files. You will lose some settings and may need to reinstall some programs but all other files should still be there.
Instructions:
1) Boot to your windows install disk.
2) Choose the first option (install windows)
3) accept the agreement thingy
4) make sure your windows install is selected (probably is by default)
5) press R to do a repair install.

note: if you do this be prepared to download and install 40 bazillion or so windows security updates as this will probably get rid of most of them.

j0e

Yeah, I tried that before anything else. Still, it just restarts right before the login window usually pops up :/

I can turn off the auto-reboot, but then the PC would just shut off haha. I suppose I might try that repair install of XP; hopefully that will help and I won't lose my important files =p

bicycle

Maybe this will shed some light on the problem.

VIA storage driver causes constant rebooting

Anyone using Microsoft Update on Feb. 16 was offered a very problematic VIA storage driver. What patchers found was that this driver made their machines unusable because of constant reboots.

People posting about the issue on Google Groups' Windows Update forum on Feb. 16 said the only thing that allowed them to recover from the reboots was to launch the machine's "last known good configuration." They could then uninstall the VIA driver.

If you have a machine that suffers from constant rebooting, regardless of the cause, you should be able to gain control by pressing F8 (or some other key defined by your machine) at a specific point in the boot-up sequence. Then select Last Known Good Configuration. This is explained in Microsoft KB article 307852.

Microsoft reportedly pulled the VIA driver from its update servers. I haven't yet seen a KB article about the problem.

Experienced patchers never install hardware drivers offered up by Microsoft Update. Why? Because too many of us have had bad experiences. There can be no greater pain than a dead machine. Instead, you should obtain needed driver updates directly from the vendor's Web site, where the latest versions are likely to be found.

Drivers are typically down in the "optional" section of Microsoft Update, but they can be in the upper, "critical" section if you have an OEM system.

The lesson to be learned from the pain and suffering? If your machine allows you to disable its "last known good configuration" feature, don't. It might help you out one day.VIA STORAGE DRIVER CAUSES CONSTANT REBOOTING

Chode

You should also consider booting into Safe Mode (F8 of course) and using the System Restore tool.

j0e

I've tried both the Last Known Good Configuration and Safe Mode - both to no avail. I still get the reboot right before the login screen pops up :/

j0e

So here I am at a friend's house - I tried to hook up my hard drive as a slave so I could get all of my files off of it, but it says the disk needs to be formatted first?!?!?!?!

I reaaaaaaaaaaaally don't want to lose all my files :/ Is there any other way I can get my files off my computer? Like I said, I would HATE to delete all my files as I have over 100gb of stuff that I would hate to lose.

Thanks,

-Joe

Chode

Sorry, but the errors you're seeing should tell you that you are in deep gumbo. Sooner or later, ALL hard drives fail. That's why backup is important. But, you have a good chance of recovering your stuff. PC Inspector is a good freeware recovery program, but my personal favorite is Get Data Back, followed closely by Ontrack's recovery software. Get Data Back and Ontrack aren't free, but I think they perform better and are easier to use than PC Inspector.

Trial versions for both are free, and you can view and evaluate the recoverable data before you buy. You can open the recoverable files, but not modify or save them. Data recovery software should always be installed on a drive other than the one you wish to recover info from, and any recovered data should be saved to the drive running the recovery software. Keep in mind that if malware caused your drive problems, you may recover it along with your files.

smz

I've been in this boat before. But remember the bios of another computer could detect your drive different then your own computer. If you were hooked into a storage card on your pc with a built in bios like a Promise card, you could take that promise card to any computer and see the drive with no issues. But I can't tell you how many times I've seen changing the drive from one machine to another detecting it with different specs, even if it's off by a few sectors or one head.. You could be doomed if you write anything to the drive in that state. LBA is another concern. I personally as a rule have always used that option as soon as it came out rather than leave the bios on "auto" so moving my drive somewhere else has a lot less of a chance of an issue.
I just hope you didn't write to anything on that disc. I can recommend some recovery tools if you want. the ones I have except for Spin Rite would require windows but advise the user to NEVER write or delete anything on the troubled drive.

For the future, you can use the service these guys provide http://www.elephantdrive.com/

I beta tested for them when they first started. A neat little app that sort of runs your life support backup at your specified intervals. But it stores the data on their servers and is encrypted for your protection. Of course this is not meant for backing up your 25gb of MP3z or anything like that. But important doc directories, favorites, etc are always things I like to retain.

Anyhow. What was posted here regarding Drives and their lifespan is as accurate as you will find. A hard drive isn't like you're old 1970 TV that still works in 2007. They are built with a projected lifespan that is clearly printed in the specifications when they sell the drive. So I would never recommend having your only copy of important data reside in one place. I like the Elephant drive for redundancy and in case of a earthquake, fire, hurricane, etc. Eventually when you get back on your feet. Your data is safe and sound on their server and can be redownloaded to your new machine. Though I doubt a computer hard drive is percentages in it's favor when a natural disaster wipes out a home.

Just my 2 cents. Keep the change.
Later