Win XP Home Slammed Hard!!!

I recieved a call from a friend-in-need,"My computer won't do anything! Can U help"
He has a HP Pavilion - 1.3ghz AMD Athlon (256kb cache RAM) w/200mhz frontside buss - 128mb SDRAM @ 100mhz - Windows XP Home edition
Upon arriving at his place and starting the computer I observed the following:

HP screen pops up first.
Next a blue screen, with what appears to be white or grey font, pops for maybe 500ms (.50 sec) Consequently, I can't read the screen because it's gone too quickly. Nothing I know to do will stop the cycle on that blue screen.
Next, the first Windows XP screen (loading screen)
Then, the following message appears w/ white font on black backround (Quasi-DOS/DOS-like):

We apologize for the inconvenience, but windows did not start successfully. A recent hardware or software change might have caused this.

If yuor computer stopped responding, restarted unexpectedly, or was automatically shut down to protect your files and folders, choose Last Known Good Configuration to revert to the most recent settings that worked.

If a previous startup attempt was interrupted due to a power failure or because the power or reset button was pressed, or if you're not sure what caused the problem, chose Start Windows Normally.


[shadow=red,left] Safe Mode [/shadow]
   Safe Mode With Networking
   Safe Mode with Command Prompt

   Last Known Configuration (most recent settings that worked.)

   Start windows Normally

Use the up and down arrow keys to move the highlight to your choice

Seconds until Windows starts: 189

There are the five modes listed but no matter which one I choose the computer will recycle back to start mode (with one exception.)
When "Safe Mode with Command Prompt" was tried, a scrolling list appeared with what looks like a list of driver files. Then a pause, then recycle....
The "Last Known Configuration" option didn't do anything. After it was choosen the computer acted the same as if "Normal Mode" were chosen, which at this time simply recycles/restarts the computer.
If left alone the computer will simply cycle thru all these screens, and then back to the start again.
So...there you have it!
I HATE XP because I don't know the underlying operating system, or how to get to it. I managed to obtain a HP Setup screen and nothing in there seemed to make a difference either...back to the recycling again. Is this a virus problem? Kinda acts like it, but I've never had a virus infection take hold of my computer before; therefore, I must plead ignorance...on many levels here anyway! I'm not really a computer guy (I use them to record & manipulate music at work) but I've been a user since the very first PC's came to the market. At the time I was in the military & we had even better computers than consumers could buy! (Remember WYSE computers?) Bill Gates was still in his garage! So... I don't completely freak out about these things... I'd like to figure them out!

Thanks Folks!

 

If there was a xp dos start up disc made you might try it. If it does not work or you don't have one you are probably looking at a reinstall of the os. By the way win xp is a very good os it is just setup so the average user will have to work harder to mess it up. When it gets to the point where the computer you are talking about is, it usually takes some sort of major solution. I hope I am wrong about the os reinstall but I don't think so.

 

Hmmm.

I don't think it's a virus.

Not good. Do you know if your friend recently did a Windows update?

Nice job trying the other options. I'm in agreement with BigC here. If the answer is "no" to the above question, I recommend a "do-over".

It'll save time and agony in the long run.

 

Say guys..you think just maybe by this
"Last Known Configuration" they could possible mean the last good date in System Restore? Maybe worth a try?

In the poster case...do in from Safe Mode

 

If you can get it into sys restore I would deffinatly give it a try.

 

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply!

I am the "designated" caretaker of this guy's computer. He is quite ignorant, naive, and downright lazy when it comes to computers; additionally, he loves to "cruise" porn sites (I believe he'd be a porn star if he could find a way!) He has no virus protection, no firewall, no privacy service and no internet security suite. (I've told him how risky it is to cruise around the net without some type of "computer condom," an analogy I thought sure he'd relate to.) He never installs his updates and I've tried to impress upon him the importance of doing so. I installed Spybot, SpywareBlaster, Hijack this & a few other tools when he first purchased the machine; I did make a startup disk also. I'm still looking for it....

If I find the startup disk, and I will, what procedure do you recommend? (...or, where do I go from there?)

I did try "Last Known Configuration" but the computer recycles again. There is no way to get to restore without seeing the desktop, he never gets there.

The Porn, Game, Gambling & Download Suite Sites and are ruthless; they throw everything plus the kitchen sink at users. Three constants at those places: Dialer objects, browser hiackers of various types, and Kuang the Virus. Kuang will be thrown at you from a new/different IP address about every 3-5 minutes. It never comes from the same path twice. At the same time we have Hackers and auto-pilot computers w/robot prgs. trying to gain access through every port on our computers. He simply doesn't get it....

Anyway, as much as I've seen Kuang show up thru many types of sites, I thought it might be Kuang the Virus at work here! Does anyone know the behavior of this virus?

bigc73542, thank you for your helpful advise! I can't explain why I didn't think of the startup disc! Can you answer the above questions in blue?

Please, sir, consider the following:

Hacker behavior dictates that the newer and more well protected computers, servers & OP systems are more likely targets than those who run Win 95 or 98. (Where's the challenge in that? Old news....) I run laptops with both 95 & 98 systems & no protection but Spybot & Hijack This and a Popup stopper; I never get these kinds of attacks on those Op systems.

Untold numbers of people have had​

[move] [glow=red,2,300]XP Home nightmare stories[/glow] [/move]​

to impart to me.​

XP PRO is more stable, complete (for the most part), much safer to use, and is much easier to backup and repair. I like it!

I've yet to meet a computer builder or programmer who thinks XP Home is in the publics' best interest; the vote is almost unanimous! The story from these folks goes like this:

XP Home is, in fact, an incomplete, stripped-down, unstable and unsecure version of XP Pro. Do you realize how many holes were in this OS when it was released? Can you tell me how many critical & security updates have been needed to be downloaded by someone who purchased an initial (first release) of XP? If you buy a computer TODAY w/XP Home you'll spend two or three days updating and tweaking your computer & op system before it's safe to run. It is inexcusable! If I released work like that I'd be skewered, fired, sued, etc.... The chorus is singing in tune here guys & girls! Yet,there's a much bigger picture to consider as well.

When I took business courses in college 20 yrs. ago, they taught us the concepts of JIT (just-in-time), Planned Obsolescence, and the "Global Economy," otherwise known as a non-violent method for the US to control the world by controlling & manipulating the World's money supply and it's financial institutions: the IMF, World Bank & World Markets, to name but three. Microsoft follows these philosophies to the "T." They want to remain a major player in the "game" of US Global Domination thru information, economic and electronic manipulation. It's true....immoral but true. It's a cruel world we live in.

You can do a lot of "cool" and entertaining things with XP Home, but you can't do it safely without alot of outside help! You can backup the registry in XP Pro but Microsoft says they won't support the "Backup files & folders" option to backup the System State (Registry, etc.) in XP Home. (You'll have to request & download this option: it's not included in the XP Home release! Also Microsoft doesn't guarantee this patch will work (and they tell you so.) Huh!?!?

There are many more dangerous differences to numerous to mention here. Some of the differences exist for what seem to be benign or practical reasons, at first glance; however, there are more sinister reasons as well. This behavior is criminal in some places, immoral and illogical in others, but here in the US we allow these practices and beliefs and the plan is to infect the rest of the world; with the virus of unmitigated greed, Capitalism: to capitalize. Pilfer the public; screw your neighbor, it's the American way!

Thank God for you folks!

 

Try using SCANDISK from pure DOS..by using the START-UP disk......which you can download from:

www.Bootdisk.com

 

Thanks for the link Shunned! I've been buried at work so I haven't had time to try the disk I downloaded yet. Don't think I'll get to their computer 'till the weekend. I'll let you know!

Isn't sanity just a one-trick pony anyway?
I mean, all you get is that one trick, rational thinking, but when you're good and crazy, well, the sky's the limit!
"The Tick (comic book)"

​

 

Hi--I have had this happen often from kids shutting down improperly. What you wil;l need is a disk of the OS that he is running on his machine. He should have one if the computer was bought with XP--is it------installed. Then as soo as you hit the power button---hit F-12. If it tries to boot and load windows----try it again. You should get a screen giving you a hoice either to boot normally, off the hard drive, off the floppy drive, or off the CDROM. Choose the CDROM and have the disk in the drive. It should then boot up asking either to reformat and reinstall the OS or repair the OS. Either repair or reinstall---but reinstalling ill make you reformat and you will lose anything on the drive. I suggest asking it to try repairing first. Hope this helps.

 

Mysticstarx I would put in the original os install disc start the comp with disc already inserted. When the disc starts to run hopefully you will have a repair option since when you try to start in safe mode you can't get it to boot.If there is no option to repair as rifleman mentioned you will probably have to do an os reinstall. It is not a lot of fun but if you can not get to the restore features or safe mode you don't have a lot of options. I have personally tried some after market boot disc's and I have never had one work on xp. Before I did a reinstall I would contact the comps manafacturer and get their views on your problem. This is the kind of problem that is hard to diagnose with out being able to do a hands on check.