XP PRO SP2 Restart loop problem

TheCaptTheCapt
edited November 2004 in Science & Tech
Unlike other users of this board, I have not experienced an error message, or the blue screen of death. Actually the computer froze while attempting to launch the launchcast application in yahoo messenger. I gave it a hard boot and bingo.. the endless restart loop described by so many of you here. I have run the chkdsk /p on the recovery console, but it seems that it is hanging at 75% does it generally take longer at this point of progress?
It got to 75% fairly quickly. I have a 120Gig HD but I can't imagine what could possibly be taking so long to get past this point. Even if it's scanning registry components, 15 min without progress seems a little suspicious.

UPDATE*** It finished and says "the volume appears to contain one or more unrecoverable problems"....now what?

Comments

  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited November 2004
    Well one thing you can do is download the drive manufacturer's diagnostic instead of running chkdsk. That will tell you for sure if you have a hard drive problem. Each manufacturer has their own diagnostic program that you install on a bootable floppy. While you're doing that sort of thing, you may as well give your memory a test. Go to www.memtest.org and download the floppy boot disk maker for the latest version as well.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited November 2004
    Update: Sounds like your drive is screwed. Generally those kinds of errors don't lie. Definitely get the diagnostic from your manufacturer. If you can pass the advanced test, then your drive is probably good but you'll still need to do a windows repair install to fix the problem, or perhaps even a full format and reinstall :(
  • TheCaptTheCapt
    edited November 2004
    thanks.
    Check out the message I received above after It completed...any ideas?
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited November 2004
    hahah man, we're posting at the same time.... :p
  • TheCaptTheCapt
    edited November 2004
    Damn, I just added so much vital info to that damn disk and it crapped out before I could back it up.
    I'll see about downloading the manufacturers utility
    Thanks for the assistance
  • HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
    edited November 2004
    You may want to try to uninstall SP2. I know of others that have had the same problem. And when they uninstalled SP2 the problem went away.
  • rapturerapture
    edited November 2004
    Maybe thats because currupt files are replaced with older backups of important files. Thing is, how does he get to the point of being able to uninstall SP2 without first booting up?
  • HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
    edited November 2004
    I'm not sure he will be able to get to it, but maybe try getting to safemode and deleting the SP2.
    I searched a bit and found this
    Though Microsoft Corp.'s new security update package is all about protecting systems from worms, viruses and spyware, it can't do much about what's already on computers -- and that could pose a problem.
    The company is warning users of the Windows XP operating system to check for spyware before downloading the free massive security update, called Service Pack 2.

    Barry Goff, a group product manager at Microsoft, said some spyware could cause computers to freeze up upon installation of the update.

    Spyware, which typically piggybacks with downloaded software such as file-sharing programs, tracks behavior, triggers pop-up ads and can otherwise cause problems on computers.

    Programs such as Ad-Aware and SpySweeper can scour computers for spyware. Microsoft recommends that users clean their PCs of spyware and back up their data before turning on the auto update feature that automatically downloads Service Pack 2, or SP2.

    People who download SP2 also may need to check whether legitimate programs, such as third-party security software, need to be updated. SP2 makes major changes, including adding a Windows firewall to better guard computers against attack, and those changes can also cause compatibility issues with other software.
  • HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
    edited November 2004
    If it will not boot into safe mode, you can try a repair install of xp. To do this, boot with your xp cd [cd set as first boot device] Choose install [not repair] from the first menu. The next menu will show your previous xp install and give you the option to repair it; let it do so. After a repair install, you will need to reapply all updates, hot fixes, etc.
    Hope this helps.
  • HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
    edited November 2004
    You might try this before the rest.
    1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
    2. Click the Advanced tab.
    3. Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings to open the Startup and Recovery dialog box.
    4. Clear the Automatically restart check box, and click OK the necessary number of times.
    5. Restart your computer for the settings to take effect.
    ...that needs to be unchecked for further troubleshooting.
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