XP Pro - Fails to Finish Booting, Reboots...

goto the safe mode menu and goto the disable automatic reboot on error option and then boot up and tell us what that blue screen says.  Sounds like a driver to me but that will help tell us for sure.

I tried booting from the Windows disk and that throws up a blue screen with a stop error of 0x0000008e which apparently is a Ram issue. I have removed all but one and now get a 0x0000007e errorwhich, Microsoft seem a bit vague about....

dc

Now I have got a stop error code 0x00000024. Do you think the motherboard is faulty?

dc

And for dessert I have stop error 0x00000050

dc

Download something like UBCD ...uuumm url... www.ultimatebootcd.com run an advanced HDD check, run an NTFSCK, and also run memtest86.  This will atleast let you know if it is one of these bits of hardware which has a fault.

Otherwsie, if the information can be lost, try reinstalling Windows.... If you need the data, connect the HDD to another PC as a second HDD and boot with good HDD and then copy over your data if you can see the faulty HDD.

Oh or uuummm... does it reboot if you boot something like a Live Linux CD (Slax, Knoppix etc)... give that a go.  If you can boot one of those CD's try running a live scan from the net by going to http://housecall.trendmicro.com/ 

sounds like it could be a memory problem.  is it possible to try new ram, or if you have 2 or more sticks possibly remove 1 of the sticks and see if it boots, if not try the other.  

Download a memory diagnostic like memtest:

http://www.memtest86.com/

Run it from a floppy disk, let it make several passes. Run it for a while, like overnight.
Irf it shows errors, replace your Ram.

Running memtest with one stick of 512mb of PC133 memory, it found errors straightaway. I am now using a second stick and will report back soon..

dc

If it found errors that quickly, you should dump that stick and replace it.

It's gone....

So far the second stick is still ok...

dc

OK, so now you can try rebooting with the one good stick and see if you can load Windows normally.
Let us know what happens...

As I said before.  As well as running a memtest and run a HDD test and Advanced HDD test.  May not just be the RAM causing this.

I've tested one stick of memory overnight and no errors were reported. I have now used the Samsung HD test utility and that too found no errors. I have also ran a scandisk and chkdsk on the drive but the problems remain.

dc

I have made a little progress. I swapped the memory for a third stick that had reported no errors and this time I was able to boot into safe mode. However, the machine refuses to boot into normal mode. It just reboots at the login screen. I have tried a new graphics card but get the same result...

dc

Further, if I use the XP boot disc to try and load recovery console or attempt an in place repair installation I just get a blue screen wiht a  a range of errors as mentioned earlier...

dc

Finally... I think that being able to boot into safe mode was a fluke as it now just reboots when attempting to boot into that aswell...

dc

I've now tried a brand new hard drive but with the same results. I could go and buy some new memory but is it likely that 3 sticks are bad? (I've tried the 2 good sticks alone to rule out compatibility issues) but is it likely that all the memory could be faulty?

dc

HD seems fine in a second pc. Will try the mouse/keyboard but it does seem to be the motherboard...

dc

It turned out to be a faulty motherboard. I substituted a spare and the blue screens disappeared...

dc

congrats man, glad you're backup.