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sammeFlag for United States of America

asked on

continually restarts instead of booting

were running Windows xp on a hp. last time I shut the computer down it asked to install some windows updates so I did, and ever since the computer will start up advance to the windows load screen and then shut down and start over. I tried loading in safe mode and it did the same thing. The only thing I see is a possible power supply issue but it was working fine before the update. someone please help
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brittonv
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Boot your computer to last known good config:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307852
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ASKER

Tried that didn't work the same problem presisted
Most likely your system is going to display a Blue screen error relating to the problem. But since your system is configured to restart automatically upon system failure, this is what causes the system to start over. To disable this feature, press F8 upon restarting or when you are in the "advanced options menu" where you have the option for safe mode, just scroll down a bit and select "disable automatic restart on system failure". You should be able then to see the blue screen error and what is causing it.
There could be various reasons for your system restarting, could be power, heat or as you mentioned Windows Update or driver issues. If your machine is an HP it is probably pretty easy to pop the case open and have a look inside. I'd start at doing that and checking and seeing if the fan on the CPU is working while also checking the fan on the power supply.

If you leave the computer on for a few minutes before doing so you can also check and see if the power supply or even the CPU is overheating by touch. You may have some dust build-up on the CPU or Power Supply fans, clean those as needed and see if that helps. These are simple tips to help eliminate what the issues might be.

As Skree358 mentioned until you get some kind of error message telling you what the issue is then you just have to scratch potential problems off the list one by one. The majority of the time I've trouble-shot chain restarting in the past it has generally been a power or heat issue rather than a system/OS issue, and since last known good configuration didn't help you that also leads me to believe it is a heat or hardware problem.

Good luck, let us know any further details if you can.
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ASKER

ok I got an error message using skree's advice:
STOP:c0000135{Unable to Locate Component}
This application has failed to start because GDI32.dll was not found.

and then it says that if you reinstall it the problem may be corrected.
The problem might be with the video drivers. Since you are unable to reboot in safe mode, your only chance is to boot to the recovery console using the XP cd. Insert the XP cd into the top dvd drive and reboot the system. Try to press F9 to show the boot menu and select the dvd drive and press enter. Press any key immediately when prompted to boot to the disk and you should see the windows setup screen. On the menu, press R for repair using the recovery console (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307654), and in the C:\> prompt, type CHKDSK /R. This will take around 30 mins, after which you have to restart and see if its now working. Let us know if it still does not work.
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DenisCooper
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phototropic

Here's what Microsoft has to say about the error you are getting:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=318159&sd=RMVP

One way forward might be to boot from a PE disk such as UBCD4Win:

http://www.ubcd4win.com/downloads.htm

From here you can run a system restore (Registry Tools - Registry Restore wizard) which is probably the simplest way forward...
A repair install would also be an option, as suggested above.  Proceedure here:

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

Good luck!!!
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as skree described i got to the c prompt and entered the chkdsk, and it tells me that the drive is fine and no check was done but to enter /p to perform check anyway and when I enter /p it says not valid command
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ASKER

o and I can't restore, I'm not high enough on the chain
You should type CHKDSK /P. Anyway, if it still does not work after running a chkdsk, then you just have to do a repair reinstall. But this may be destructive, or may remove some of your files in the hard drive. So, it is advisable to backup your files before continuing further.
Chkdsk /r will seek to fix any errors and retreive readable information.  It will take longer (sometimes MUCH longer) but is probably your best bet...Chkdsk /p is purely diagnostic, and will not fix any errors.
For this and other weird boot issues, I have had great luck with this:

1.      Insert the Windows XP startup disk into the floppy disk drive, or insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer.
Click to select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do so.
2.      When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console.
3.      If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you want to access from the Recovery Console.
4.      When you are prompted to do so, type the Administrator password. If the administrator password is blank, just press ENTER.
5.      At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:
md tmp
copy c:\windows\system32\config\system c:\windows\tmp\system.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\software c:\windows\tmp\software.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\security c:\windows\tmp\security.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\default c:\windows\tmp\default.bak

delete c:\windows\system32\config\system
delete c:\windows\system32\config\software
delete c:\windows\system32\config\sam
delete c:\windows\system32\config\security
delete c:\windows\system32\config\default

copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32\config\system
copy c:\windows\repair\software c:\windows\system32\config\software
copy c:\windows\repair\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy c:\windows\repair\security c:\windows\system32\config\security
copy c:\windows\repair\default c:\windows\system32\config\default
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If you do this method, it is best to go back in and do a COMPLETE system restore, as the system might not be in a very usable state...