Computer reboot problem

I have a Windows XP Home computer that I built that is about a year old.
Today, was on internet and it restarted randomly without an error message.
Then it booted into disk check, then after a while (not sure if it was done)
it rebooted again and since then has been going into an unusual reboot
cycle. It goes through BIOS, goes into the Windows XP Home loading screen,
and then a blue error screen shows up for less than a tenth of a second, so
making it impossible to read, and starts over with this cycle. I have
honestly no idea what is happening here. Does anyone know what I can do to
fix this? Thanks in advance.

 

First, you need to disable the auto-reboot feature. Yes it is a *feature*.
When WindowsXP encounters a fatal stop error, it automatically initiates a
reboot by default. You can disable this behavior by going into the system
properties (right-click "my computer" and choose "properties"), click
"advanced" and then "startup and recovery". Uncheck the "automatically
restart" option. Now, whenever that stop error returns, you should see a
blue stop error screen, hopefully with some useful information about what
driver or file is involved in the crash, and what stop error it is. When you
find out, post what the screen says *exactly*, and we may be able to give
you some ideas as to the cause.

 

I am unable to do that. As I said, I am unable to go into Windows, it stops
after a blue screen after the Windows XP loading screen. Any of the modes
(safe, normal, etc.), none of them work. Will I have to reinstall Windows as
a last resort?

 

If you cannot get safe mode to work, then there are not a lot of options.

 

pop in your windows XP cd, boot up to it, choose to setup windows, then pick
the repair install option.

 

When I do that, what do I do afterwards? I remember doing that on another
computer a while ago and could not get the admin password to work.

 

you are thinking of running the recovery console. That's not what I'm
suggesting. You need to choose to set up windows, and then you will have the
option of doing a repair install. That doesn't require a password, although
you will need your product key from the CD.

 

Ok, I have all that. Will it overwrite any documents on the computer?

 

the repair install will not.

 

The only thing you have to concern yourself with is reinstalling the Windows
updates after the repair/install is completed.

 

Connect it to another machine as a slave and run a thorough virus
check.


Have a nice one...

Trent

Budweiser: Helping ugly people have sex since 1876!

 

I'm not sure how to do the repair install. I put the CD in and it said my
options were to setup Windows XP now, to run the recovery console, or the
quit. You said there was also a repair install. Anyway, I hit R for the
recovery console, then told it the installation I wanted to repair, and then
the error message came up that comes up every reboot of the reboot cycle.
But instead of coming up for a tenth of a second it stayed up, so I wrote it
down. It said:

A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage
to your computer.

REGISTRY_ERROR

If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, restart your
computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:

Check to see if any new hardware or software is properly installed. If this
is a new installation, ask your hardware or software manufacturer for any
Windows Updates you may need.

If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or
software. Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. If you
need to use safe mode to remove or disable components, restart your
computer, press F8 to select Advanced Startup Options and then slsect safe
mode.

Technical Information

*** STOP: 0x00000051 (0x00000003, 0x00000003, 0x00000003, 0x00000000,
0xE11EE000

I tried doing what it said to do in BIOS, but that didn't change anything.
Safe mode does not work, I get the same reboot cycle where it goes through
BIOS, to the Windows XP Home loading screen, then shows the blue error
message for a tenth of a second and then starts over. I googled the techinal
information code and other parts of the error, but it says stuff about going
in to the Recovery Console, but I am unable to do that, because it shows the
message. If I put the hard drive into this computer, what can be done to fix
it? Or is there something I can do on that computer to get it to work
without reinstalling Windows. Thanks.

 

I told you exactly how to do it, if you had followed my instructions. As I
stated before, you have to choose to set up windows, THEN it gives you the
option of a repair install. This is NOT the same option as repairing via
recovery console. From the message you are getting, you have a corrupted
registry. This can be due to a really bad software problem, or it could
easily be hardware-related. Bad RAM, or failing harddrive, incorrect memory
timing settings in the BIOS, etc. Try the repair install, and see what you
get out of that.

 

Sorry, I didn't catch that in your other post. When I made the computer, I
used cheap parts and that has had a number of issues. Luckily, I used better
parts with this one. I'll try the repair install now, and post what happens
after that. I hope it lets me get that far. Thanks very much for all of your
support with this problem.

 

More news! It won't let me do a repair install! The problem is strarting to
look very bad. I boot up with the XP CD, choose Setup Windows Now, and then
after around 30 seconds the same:

*** STOP: 0x00000051 (0x00000003, 0x00000003, 0x00000003, 0x00000000,
0xE11EE000

Error comes up. It also shows REGISTRY_ERROR. The way it looks now, I will
not even be able to reinstall and reformat without running one of those
utilites that writes 0s to my hard drive because that error would come up.
Looks like I will have to put the hard drive in this computer, back some
files up, then run the utility, and reformat and reinstall Windows. Any
other ideas? Thanks.

 

you are pretty much at the point where you need to attempt a clean install,
and if that fails, you have clear hardware problems. Back up your crucial
data, and simply run setup with the option to reformat the drive. Writing 0s
to the drive should be unnecessary.

 

Uh, you wouldn't have the BIOS controlled boot sector protection turned
on would you? Just a thought!
Also, why on Earth would you want to write zeros to the drive? If it will
format without errors, you are good to go. That is, if you really have to
do that...

 

It won't let me get that far tp reformat. I get the rror before the reformat
screen comes up.

 

http://www.ardice.com/Games/Board_Games/Words_and_Trivia/30_Seconds

 

then you have big problems. I'd be investigating bad RAM or bad harddrive to
start with.