Dim 4300 reboot HELP

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Hello to all.
My daughter's D4300 (Win XP Home has just started going nuts. As of
yesterday, it froze up while she was online, then when she hit
Ctrl-Alt-Del, it went into a continuous reboot sequence. That's where it is
now. It gets up to the point where the splash screen says "Loading personal
settings", then reboots, over and over and....
I can get into the BIOS, all looks OK, all the hardware, memory is
recognized, but it won't progress beyond that splash screen.
Any ideas and suggestions will be greatly appreciated, when I get home
tonight I'm going to try a thorough cleaning and re-insertion of all the
cards, etc.

Thanks in advance to all and best regards,
Morey G

Dim 4300 P4 1.5GHz
768MB RAM 20Gb HDD
Win XP Home
Sony CDRW
LiteOn DVD ROM
ATI 9700 AGP card

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Boot to safe mode (F8) and go to control panel>system
properties>advanced>startup and recovery settings. Remove the check from
automatically restart. Then report back with the blue screen info.





"Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
news:Lra9d.155026$4h7.28078771@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> Hello to all.
> My daughter's D4300 (Win XP Home has just started going nuts. As of
> yesterday, it froze up while she was online, then when she hit
> Ctrl-Alt-Del, it went into a continuous reboot sequence. That's where it
> is
> now. It gets up to the point where the splash screen says "Loading
> personal
> settings", then reboots, over and over and....
> I can get into the BIOS, all looks OK, all the hardware, memory is
> recognized, but it won't progress beyond that splash screen.
> Any ideas and suggestions will be greatly appreciated, when I get home
> tonight I'm going to try a thorough cleaning and re-insertion of all the
> cards, etc.
>
> Thanks in advance to all and best regards,
> Morey G
>
> Dim 4300 P4 1.5GHz
> 768MB RAM 20Gb HDD
> Win XP Home
> Sony CDRW
> LiteOn DVD ROM
> ATI 9700 AGP card
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Thanks for the prompt response! I did as you said, but the same thing
happens...It begins booting to Safe Mode, it's identified as "Safe Mode"
but then as soon as it gets to the "Loading your personal settings" splash
screen, it reboots.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed it's a hardware glitch?? But I haven't a
clue.

Thanks again,
Morey

"WSZsr" <nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
newsDa9d.1671$Lk3.1213@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com...
> Boot to safe mode (F8) and go to control panel>system
> properties>advanced>startup and recovery settings. Remove the check from
> automatically restart. Then report back with the blue screen info.
>
>
>
>
>
> "Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
> news:Lra9d.155026$4h7.28078771@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> > Hello to all.
> > My daughter's D4300 (Win XP Home has just started going nuts. As of
> > yesterday, it froze up while she was online, then when she hit
> > Ctrl-Alt-Del, it went into a continuous reboot sequence. That's where
it
> > is
> > now. It gets up to the point where the splash screen says "Loading
> > personal
> > settings", then reboots, over and over and....
> > I can get into the BIOS, all looks OK, all the hardware, memory is
> > recognized, but it won't progress beyond that splash screen.
> > Any ideas and suggestions will be greatly appreciated, when I get home
> > tonight I'm going to try a thorough cleaning and re-insertion of all
the
> > cards, etc.
> >
> > Thanks in advance to all and best regards,
> > Morey G
> >
> > Dim 4300 P4 1.5GHz
> > 768MB RAM 20Gb HDD
> > Win XP Home
> > Sony CDRW
> > LiteOn DVD ROM
> > ATI 9700 AGP card
> >
> >
>
>

 

[Greg]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

You might crack it open and make sure all the cards are set in the slots
tightly. And blast the whole thing out with compressed air. I have a 4300
also. So I know that they are relatively old. So give it a good cleaning and
inspection. Also make sure all the cables leading too and from the drives
are seated properly.


"Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
news:aVa9d.10223$4C.2808547@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> Thanks for the prompt response! I did as you said, but the same thing
> happens...It begins booting to Safe Mode, it's identified as "Safe Mode"
> but then as soon as it gets to the "Loading your personal settings" splash
> screen, it reboots.
> I'm keeping my fingers crossed it's a hardware glitch?? But I haven't a
> clue.
>
> Thanks again,
> Morey
>
> "WSZsr" <nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> newsDa9d.1671$Lk3.1213@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com...
>> Boot to safe mode (F8) and go to control panel>system
>> properties>advanced>startup and recovery settings. Remove the check from
>> automatically restart. Then report back with the blue screen info.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
>> news:Lra9d.155026$4h7.28078771@twister.nyc.rr.com...
>> > Hello to all.
>> > My daughter's D4300 (Win XP Home has just started going nuts. As of
>> > yesterday, it froze up while she was online, then when she hit
>> > Ctrl-Alt-Del, it went into a continuous reboot sequence. That's where
> it
>> > is
>> > now. It gets up to the point where the splash screen says "Loading
>> > personal
>> > settings", then reboots, over and over and....
>> > I can get into the BIOS, all looks OK, all the hardware, memory is
>> > recognized, but it won't progress beyond that splash screen.
>> > Any ideas and suggestions will be greatly appreciated, when I get home
>> > tonight I'm going to try a thorough cleaning and re-insertion of all
> the
>> > cards, etc.
>> >
>> > Thanks in advance to all and best regards,
>> > Morey G
>> >
>> > Dim 4300 P4 1.5GHz
>> > 768MB RAM 20Gb HDD
>> > Win XP Home
>> > Sony CDRW
>> > LiteOn DVD ROM
>> > ATI 9700 AGP card
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Try F8 again and last known good configuration.

"Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
news:aVa9d.10223$4C.2808547@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> Thanks for the prompt response! I did as you said, but the same thing
> happens...It begins booting to Safe Mode, it's identified as "Safe Mode"
> but then as soon as it gets to the "Loading your personal settings" splash
> screen, it reboots.
> I'm keeping my fingers crossed it's a hardware glitch?? But I haven't a
> clue.
>
> Thanks again,
> Morey
>
> "WSZsr" <nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> newsDa9d.1671$Lk3.1213@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com...
>> Boot to safe mode (F8) and go to control panel>system
>> properties>advanced>startup and recovery settings. Remove the check from
>> automatically restart. Then report back with the blue screen info.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
>> news:Lra9d.155026$4h7.28078771@twister.nyc.rr.com...
>> > Hello to all.
>> > My daughter's D4300 (Win XP Home has just started going nuts. As of
>> > yesterday, it froze up while she was online, then when she hit
>> > Ctrl-Alt-Del, it went into a continuous reboot sequence. That's where
> it
>> > is
>> > now. It gets up to the point where the splash screen says "Loading
>> > personal
>> > settings", then reboots, over and over and....
>> > I can get into the BIOS, all looks OK, all the hardware, memory is
>> > recognized, but it won't progress beyond that splash screen.
>> > Any ideas and suggestions will be greatly appreciated, when I get home
>> > tonight I'm going to try a thorough cleaning and re-insertion of all
> the
>> > cards, etc.
>> >
>> > Thanks in advance to all and best regards,
>> > Morey G
>> >
>> > Dim 4300 P4 1.5GHz
>> > 768MB RAM 20Gb HDD
>> > Win XP Home
>> > Sony CDRW
>> > LiteOn DVD ROM
>> > ATI 9700 AGP card
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

"WSZsr" <nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9Ub9d.1679$Lk3.678@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com...
> Try F8 again and last known good configuration.
>


I smell a software issue brewing....

Stew

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

First, THANKS to everyone.
Second, I'm still in reboot h*ll. I tried F8 last known good config, also
tried replacing CMOS battery while I was in there blowing everythin out and
cleaning and checking the cards and memory slots.
When I tried the F8 routine, it showed a blue screen SO briefly
(microseconds) I had no idea what the heck it said.
I can get to the BIOS setup, everything looks normal, Windows startsd to
load until "loading your personal settings"...then...reboot.
I am stumped. I think Stew is sniffing in the right area!

Morey

"S.Lewis" <stew1960@cover.bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:52d9d.293440$%n4.128444@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
>
> "WSZsr" <nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:9Ub9d.1679$Lk3.678@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com...
> > Try F8 again and last known good configuration.
> >
>
>
> I smell a software issue brewing....
>
> Stew
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

"Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
news:kLl9d.64800$Ot3.45641@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> First, THANKS to everyone.
> Second, I'm still in reboot h*ll. I tried F8 last known good config, also
> tried replacing CMOS battery while I was in there blowing everythin out
> and
> cleaning and checking the cards and memory slots.
> When I tried the F8 routine, it showed a blue screen SO briefly
> (microseconds) I had no idea what the heck it said.
> I can get to the BIOS setup, everything looks normal, Windows startsd to
> load until "loading your personal settings"...then...reboot.
> I am stumped. I think Stew is sniffing in the right area!
>
> Morey
>


Morey,

Right now would be a good time to have a second hard drive handy. That,
especially if you've not backed up your stuff. At least you could install
your OS on the second disk and drop and drag most anything you value.

Short of that, you might be looking at a repair install of the OS and that's
no guaranteed shot.

(You could also run diagnostics on the system before running the
repair....just for S&G and to verify no obvious failures.)


Stew

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Stew,
I don't mean to sound like a dummy, but how would I run the diagnostics?
I think that might be my first step. If that fails, I will take your
advice, install the OS to a second hard drive (with HD prices what they
are, her 20Gb was almost full anyway).
I'll keep you posted,
Morey
"S.Lewis" <stew1960@cover.bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:Z1m9d.299042$%n4.112850@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
>
> "Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
> news:kLl9d.64800$Ot3.45641@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> > First, THANKS to everyone.
> > Second, I'm still in reboot h*ll. I tried F8 last known good config,
also
> > tried replacing CMOS battery while I was in there blowing everythin out
> > and
> > cleaning and checking the cards and memory slots.
> > When I tried the F8 routine, it showed a blue screen SO briefly
> > (microseconds) I had no idea what the heck it said.
> > I can get to the BIOS setup, everything looks normal, Windows startsd
to
> > load until "loading your personal settings"...then...reboot.
> > I am stumped. I think Stew is sniffing in the right area!
> >
> > Morey
> >
>
>
> Morey,
>
> Right now would be a good time to have a second hard drive handy. That,
> especially if you've not backed up your stuff. At least you could
install
> your OS on the second disk and drop and drag most anything you value.
>
> Short of that, you might be looking at a repair install of the OS and
that's
> no guaranteed shot.
>
> (You could also run diagnostics on the system before running the
> repair....just for S&G and to verify no obvious failures.)
>
>
> Stew
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

"Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
news:T%l9d.155046$4h7.28236708@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> Stew,
> I don't mean to sound like a dummy, but how would I run the diagnostics?
> I think that might be my first step. If that fails, I will take your
> advice, install the OS to a second hard drive (with HD prices what they
> are, her 20Gb was almost full anyway).
> I'll keep you posted,
> Morey



Morey,

Get into your system software CDs and look for the "Dell Dimension Resource
CD". Go into BIOS and put the disc into the drive. It's a bootable disk.
You may have to change the CDROM to your first boot device, or you might be
able to press F12 at the Dell splash to get a 'boot menu' where you can
manually choose to boot from the CD drive.

Follow the prompts on the CD, it's pretty easy.

Stew

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

The other possibility would be to identify the manufacturer of the hard drive,
download the manufacturer's diagnostic test software, and run the
non-destructive tests. Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor (including Quantum),
Fujitsu, Hitachi (including IBM) all have comprehensive easy-to-run diagnostics.

.... Ben Myers

On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 21:10:43 -0500, "S.Lewis" <stew1960@cover.bellsouth.net>
wrote:

>
>"Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
>news:T%l9d.155046$4h7.28236708@twister.nyc.rr.com...
>> Stew,
>> I don't mean to sound like a dummy, but how would I run the diagnostics?
>> I think that might be my first step. If that fails, I will take your
>> advice, install the OS to a second hard drive (with HD prices what they
>> are, her 20Gb was almost full anyway).
>> I'll keep you posted,
>> Morey
>
>
>
>Morey,
>
>Get into your system software CDs and look for the "Dell Dimension Resource
>CD". Go into BIOS and put the disc into the drive. It's a bootable disk.
>You may have to change the CDROM to your first boot device, or you might be
>able to press F12 at the Dell splash to get a 'boot menu' where you can
>manually choose to boot from the CD drive.
>
>Follow the prompts on the CD, it's pretty easy.
>
>Stew
>
>

 

[Tim]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

When you say its "re booting" is it going back to the logon screen or
is it completely reboooting? If it's going back to the log-on screen,
the best thing you can do is to do windows xp repair reinstallation.
That should fix the problem.
It it is completely rebooting, try to go to BIOS and see if it stays
there without re booting. If it stays there, run the HDD diags by
pressing Ctrl+Alt+D at the DELL screen(press the combination only once
or else you would get keyboard error). If the computer reboots in
BIOS, it could be a hardware problem ( eg. Process fan / Heatsink
problem ).

You can also call Dell Technical Support(800 - 624 9896). They can
help you identify the problem and fix it by sending parts. They may
ask you to open computer if required. Hold time is less if you call at
night or Early hours.

Tim.

ben_myers_spam_me_not @ charter.net (Ben Myers) wrote in message news:<41661682.57312793@news.charter.net>...
> The other possibility would be to identify the manufacturer of the hard drive,
> download the manufacturer's diagnostic test software, and run the
> non-destructive tests. Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor (including Quantum),
> Fujitsu, Hitachi (including IBM) all have comprehensive easy-to-run diagnostics.
>
> ... Ben Myers
>
> On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 21:10:43 -0500, "S.Lewis" <stew1960@cover.bellsouth.net>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >"Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
> >news:T%l9d.155046$4h7.28236708@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> >> Stew,
> >> I don't mean to sound like a dummy, but how would I run the diagnostics?
> >> I think that might be my first step. If that fails, I will take your
> >> advice, install the OS to a second hard drive (with HD prices what they
> >> are, her 20Gb was almost full anyway).
> >> I'll keep you posted,
> >> Morey
> >
> >
> >
> >Morey,
> >
> >Get into your system software CDs and look for the "Dell Dimension Resource
> >CD". Go into BIOS and put the disc into the drive. It's a bootable disk.
> >You may have to change the CDROM to your first boot device, or you might be
> >able to press F12 at the Dell splash to get a 'boot menu' where you can
> >manually choose to boot from the CD drive.
> >
> >Follow the prompts on the CD, it's pretty easy.
> >
> >Stew
> >
> >

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Tim,
Thanks; I will try that now. I've been working late and haven't had a
chance to mess with it.
Yews, it IS completely rebooting. Monitor shuts off, Dell splash screen
with "F2" & "F12" notices on the top right corner of the screen, the whole
deal. From the BIOS, it's OK. I can access the BIOS screen with no
problems, make changes ( I reset the date/time when I replaced the
battery), but as soon as Win XP gets to that "Loading your personal
settings screen", it reboots.
I will post back with the results of the HD diags.
Morey
"tim" <delltech@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:ffcc792e.0410080840.78822d82@posting.google.com...
> When you say its "re booting" is it going back to the logon screen or
> is it completely reboooting? If it's going back to the log-on screen,
> the best thing you can do is to do windows xp repair reinstallation.
> That should fix the problem.
> It it is completely rebooting, try to go to BIOS and see if it stays
> there without re booting. If it stays there, run the HDD diags by
> pressing Ctrl+Alt+D at the DELL screen(press the combination only once
> or else you would get keyboard error). If the computer reboots in
> BIOS, it could be a hardware problem ( eg. Process fan / Heatsink
> problem ).
>
> You can also call Dell Technical Support(800 - 624 9896). They can
> help you identify the problem and fix it by sending parts. They may
> ask you to open computer if required. Hold time is less if you call at
> night or Early hours.
>
> Tim.
>
> ben_myers_spam_me_not @ charter.net (Ben Myers) wrote in message
news:<41661682.57312793@news.charter.net>...
> > The other possibility would be to identify the manufacturer of the hard
drive,
> > download the manufacturer's diagnostic test software, and run the
> > non-destructive tests. Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor (including
Quantum),
> > Fujitsu, Hitachi (including IBM) all have comprehensive easy-to-run
diagnostics.
> >
> > ... Ben Myers
> >
> > On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 21:10:43 -0500, "S.Lewis"
<stew1960@cover.bellsouth.net>
> > wrote:
> >
> > >
> > >"Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
> > >news:T%l9d.155046$4h7.28236708@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> > >> Stew,
> > >> I don't mean to sound like a dummy, but how would I run the
diagnostics?
> > >> I think that might be my first step. If that fails, I will take your
> > >> advice, install the OS to a second hard drive (with HD prices what
they
> > >> are, her 20Gb was almost full anyway).
> > >> I'll keep you posted,
> > >> Morey
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >Morey,
> > >
> > >Get into your system software CDs and look for the "Dell Dimension
Resource
> > >CD". Go into BIOS and put the disc into the drive. It's a bootable
disk.
> > >You may have to change the CDROM to your first boot device, or you
might be
> > >able to press F12 at the Dell splash to get a 'boot menu' where you
can
> > >manually choose to boot from the CD drive.
> > >
> > >Follow the prompts on the CD, it's pretty easy.
> > >
> > >Stew
> > >
> > >

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Tim,
ran the HD diagnostics and it Passed. It identified the drive correctly on
IDE 0 and also identified the other 2 drives (CDRW and DVD ROM on IDE 1.
If I do a "repair" of XP, will I lose all of her documents?
Thanks to all again, I really appreciate the time and advice from everyone.
I'm thinking that I WILL fix it!

Morey


"Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
news:hAH9d.70226$Ot3.14755@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> Tim,
> Thanks; I will try that now. I've been working late and haven't had a
> chance to mess with it.
> Yews, it IS completely rebooting. Monitor shuts off, Dell splash screen
> with "F2" & "F12" notices on the top right corner of the screen, the
whole
> deal. From the BIOS, it's OK. I can access the BIOS screen with no
> problems, make changes ( I reset the date/time when I replaced the
> battery), but as soon as Win XP gets to that "Loading your personal
> settings screen", it reboots.
> I will post back with the results of the HD diags.
> Morey
> "tim" <delltech@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:ffcc792e.0410080840.78822d82@posting.google.com...
> > When you say its "re booting" is it going back to the logon screen or
> > is it completely reboooting? If it's going back to the log-on screen,
> > the best thing you can do is to do windows xp repair reinstallation.
> > That should fix the problem.
> > It it is completely rebooting, try to go to BIOS and see if it stays
> > there without re booting. If it stays there, run the HDD diags by
> > pressing Ctrl+Alt+D at the DELL screen(press the combination only once
> > or else you would get keyboard error). If the computer reboots in
> > BIOS, it could be a hardware problem ( eg. Process fan / Heatsink
> > problem ).
> >
> > You can also call Dell Technical Support(800 - 624 9896). They can
> > help you identify the problem and fix it by sending parts. They may
> > ask you to open computer if required. Hold time is less if you call at
> > night or Early hours.
> >
> > Tim.
> >
> > ben_myers_spam_me_not @ charter.net (Ben Myers) wrote in message
> news:<41661682.57312793@news.charter.net>...
> > > The other possibility would be to identify the manufacturer of the
hard
> drive,
> > > download the manufacturer's diagnostic test software, and run the
> > > non-destructive tests. Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor (including
> Quantum),
> > > Fujitsu, Hitachi (including IBM) all have comprehensive easy-to-run
> diagnostics.
> > >
> > > ... Ben Myers
> > >
> > > On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 21:10:43 -0500, "S.Lewis"
> <stew1960@cover.bellsouth.net>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > >
> > > >"Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
> > > >news:T%l9d.155046$4h7.28236708@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> > > >> Stew,
> > > >> I don't mean to sound like a dummy, but how would I run the
> diagnostics?
> > > >> I think that might be my first step. If that fails, I will take
your
> > > >> advice, install the OS to a second hard drive (with HD prices
what
> they
> > > >> are, her 20Gb was almost full anyway).
> > > >> I'll keep you posted,
> > > >> Morey
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >Morey,
> > > >
> > > >Get into your system software CDs and look for the "Dell Dimension
> Resource
> > > >CD". Go into BIOS and put the disc into the drive. It's a bootable
> disk.
> > > >You may have to change the CDROM to your first boot device, or you
> might be
> > > >able to press F12 at the Dell splash to get a 'boot menu' where you
> can
> > > >manually choose to boot from the CD drive.
> > > >
> > > >Follow the prompts on the CD, it's pretty easy.
> > > >
> > > >Stew
> > > >
> > > >
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

From what you describe, the problem would appear to be software, not hardware.

A Windows XP repair will not overwrite her documents.

If (and only if) she has been disciplined in organizing her documents, avoiding
folders used by Windows, a Windows re-install over the existing Windows will not
overwrite her documents. However, a reinstall of XP blows away the registry and
builds a new one. In the process, access to any software application (i.e.
virtually all software applications) that relies on the registry is made
impossible. So after a re-install, all software would have to be reinstalled as
well.

Before doing a Windows XP repair, answer a question: Does the computer boot up
successfully in safe mode (F5 or F8 when the computer boots)?? If so, it's
worth some effort to run a complete anti-virus scan followed by running Spybot
and Ad-Aware SE (both with latest updates) in the hope that a virus, spyware,
malware, or some other badware is mucking up the system... Ben Myers

On Sat, 09 Oct 2004 02:04:48 GMT, "Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net>
wrote:

>Tim,
>ran the HD diagnostics and it Passed. It identified the drive correctly on
>IDE 0 and also identified the other 2 drives (CDRW and DVD ROM on IDE 1.
>If I do a "repair" of XP, will I lose all of her documents?
>Thanks to all again, I really appreciate the time and advice from everyone.
>I'm thinking that I WILL fix it!
>
>Morey
>
>
>"Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
>news:hAH9d.70226$Ot3.14755@twister.nyc.rr.com...
>> Tim,
>> Thanks; I will try that now. I've been working late and haven't had a
>> chance to mess with it.
>> Yews, it IS completely rebooting. Monitor shuts off, Dell splash screen
>> with "F2" & "F12" notices on the top right corner of the screen, the
>whole
>> deal. From the BIOS, it's OK. I can access the BIOS screen with no
>> problems, make changes ( I reset the date/time when I replaced the
>> battery), but as soon as Win XP gets to that "Loading your personal
>> settings screen", it reboots.
>> I will post back with the results of the HD diags.
>> Morey
>> "tim" <delltech@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:ffcc792e.0410080840.78822d82@posting.google.com...
>> > When you say its "re booting" is it going back to the logon screen or
>> > is it completely reboooting? If it's going back to the log-on screen,
>> > the best thing you can do is to do windows xp repair reinstallation.
>> > That should fix the problem.
>> > It it is completely rebooting, try to go to BIOS and see if it stays
>> > there without re booting. If it stays there, run the HDD diags by
>> > pressing Ctrl+Alt+D at the DELL screen(press the combination only once
>> > or else you would get keyboard error). If the computer reboots in
>> > BIOS, it could be a hardware problem ( eg. Process fan / Heatsink
>> > problem ).
>> >
>> > You can also call Dell Technical Support(800 - 624 9896). They can
>> > help you identify the problem and fix it by sending parts. They may
>> > ask you to open computer if required. Hold time is less if you call at
>> > night or Early hours.
>> >
>> > Tim.
>> >
>> > ben_myers_spam_me_not @ charter.net (Ben Myers) wrote in message
>> news:<41661682.57312793@news.charter.net>...
>> > > The other possibility would be to identify the manufacturer of the
>hard
>> drive,
>> > > download the manufacturer's diagnostic test software, and run the
>> > > non-destructive tests. Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor (including
>> Quantum),
>> > > Fujitsu, Hitachi (including IBM) all have comprehensive easy-to-run
>> diagnostics.
>> > >
>> > > ... Ben Myers
>> > >
>> > > On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 21:10:43 -0500, "S.Lewis"
>> <stew1960@cover.bellsouth.net>
>> > > wrote:
>> > >
>> > > >
>> > > >"Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
>> > > >news:T%l9d.155046$4h7.28236708@twister.nyc.rr.com...
>> > > >> Stew,
>> > > >> I don't mean to sound like a dummy, but how would I run the
>> diagnostics?
>> > > >> I think that might be my first step. If that fails, I will take
>your
>> > > >> advice, install the OS to a second hard drive (with HD prices
>what
>> they
>> > > >> are, her 20Gb was almost full anyway).
>> > > >> I'll keep you posted,
>> > > >> Morey
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > >Morey,
>> > > >
>> > > >Get into your system software CDs and look for the "Dell Dimension
>> Resource
>> > > >CD". Go into BIOS and put the disc into the drive. It's a bootable
>> disk.
>> > > >You may have to change the CDROM to your first boot device, or you
>> might be
>> > > >able to press F12 at the Dell splash to get a 'boot menu' where you
>> can
>> > > >manually choose to boot from the CD drive.
>> > > >
>> > > >Follow the prompts on the CD, it's pretty easy.
>> > > >
>> > > >Stew
>> > > >
>> > > >
>>
>>
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Ben (& all),
Update:
First, I can not yet enter safe mode. It gets to the "Loading personal
settings" screen AFTER the 4 "Safe Mode" messages on the corners of the
screen, and reboots.

She has kept all of her schoolwork in the "My Documents" folder and added
subfolders as needed.

Also, I followed Tim's advice, called Dell and they walked me through a
couple of command sets from Recovery Console. One, was "copy userinit and
wsa-something"; the others, "bootcfg /rebuild" which appears to have given
me an option to load one of 2 OS's. winxp or Windows XP Home Edition. And
then "chkdsk /r" which reported back that it had repaired the volume.
Neither OS load progresses past that settings screen.
As I said, the "blue screen" flashes quickly just before the restart. It
does appear to be software.
It gets to the point where I am now obsessive about fixing it! Re-install
is the easy way out, but may be my only option.
Morey
(banging my head against the wall)

<ben_myers_spam_me_not @ charter.net (Ben Myers)> wrote in message
news:4167560e.18623453@news.charter.net...
> From what you describe, the problem would appear to be software, not
hardware.
>
> A Windows XP repair will not overwrite her documents.
>
> If (and only if) she has been disciplined in organizing her documents,
avoiding
> folders used by Windows, a Windows re-install over the existing Windows
will not
> overwrite her documents. However, a reinstall of XP blows away the
registry and
> builds a new one. In the process, access to any software application
(i.e.
> virtually all software applications) that relies on the registry is made
> impossible. So after a re-install, all software would have to be
reinstalled as
> well.
>
> Before doing a Windows XP repair, answer a question: Does the computer
boot up
> successfully in safe mode (F5 or F8 when the computer boots)?? If so,
it's
> worth some effort to run a complete anti-virus scan followed by running
Spybot
> and Ad-Aware SE (both with latest updates) in the hope that a virus,
spyware,
> malware, or some other badware is mucking up the system... Ben Myers
>
> On Sat, 09 Oct 2004 02:04:48 GMT, "Morey G."
<mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net>
> wrote:
>
> >Tim,
> >ran the HD diagnostics and it Passed. It identified the drive correctly
on
> >IDE 0 and also identified the other 2 drives (CDRW and DVD ROM on IDE 1.
> >If I do a "repair" of XP, will I lose all of her documents?
> >Thanks to all again, I really appreciate the time and advice from
everyone.
> >I'm thinking that I WILL fix it!
> >
> >Morey
> >
> >
> >"Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
> >news:hAH9d.70226$Ot3.14755@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> >> Tim,
> >> Thanks; I will try that now. I've been working late and haven't had a
> >> chance to mess with it.
> >> Yews, it IS completely rebooting. Monitor shuts off, Dell splash
screen
> >> with "F2" & "F12" notices on the top right corner of the screen, the
> >whole
> >> deal. From the BIOS, it's OK. I can access the BIOS screen with no
> >> problems, make changes ( I reset the date/time when I replaced the
> >> battery), but as soon as Win XP gets to that "Loading your personal
> >> settings screen", it reboots.
> >> I will post back with the results of the HD diags.
> >> Morey
> >> "tim" <delltech@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> >> news:ffcc792e.0410080840.78822d82@posting.google.com...
> >> > When you say its "re booting" is it going back to the logon screen
or
> >> > is it completely reboooting? If it's going back to the log-on
screen,
> >> > the best thing you can do is to do windows xp repair reinstallation.
> >> > That should fix the problem.
> >> > It it is completely rebooting, try to go to BIOS and see if it stays
> >> > there without re booting. If it stays there, run the HDD diags by
> >> > pressing Ctrl+Alt+D at the DELL screen(press the combination only
once
> >> > or else you would get keyboard error). If the computer reboots in
> >> > BIOS, it could be a hardware problem ( eg. Process fan / Heatsink
> >> > problem ).
> >> >
> >> > You can also call Dell Technical Support(800 - 624 9896). They can
> >> > help you identify the problem and fix it by sending parts. They may
> >> > ask you to open computer if required. Hold time is less if you call
at
> >> > night or Early hours.
> >> >
> >> > Tim.
> >> >
> >> > ben_myers_spam_me_not @ charter.net (Ben Myers) wrote in message
> >> news:<41661682.57312793@news.charter.net>...
> >> > > The other possibility would be to identify the manufacturer of the
> >hard
> >> drive,
> >> > > download the manufacturer's diagnostic test software, and run the
> >> > > non-destructive tests. Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor
(including
> >> Quantum),
> >> > > Fujitsu, Hitachi (including IBM) all have comprehensive
easy-to-run
> >> diagnostics.
> >> > >
> >> > > ... Ben Myers
> >> > >
> >> > > On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 21:10:43 -0500, "S.Lewis"
> >> <stew1960@cover.bellsouth.net>
> >> > > wrote:
> >> > >
> >> > > >
> >> > > >"Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
> >> > > >news:T%l9d.155046$4h7.28236708@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> >> > > >> Stew,
> >> > > >> I don't mean to sound like a dummy, but how would I run the
> >> diagnostics?
> >> > > >> I think that might be my first step. If that fails, I will take
> >your
> >> > > >> advice, install the OS to a second hard drive (with HD prices
> >what
> >> they
> >> > > >> are, her 20Gb was almost full anyway).
> >> > > >> I'll keep you posted,
> >> > > >> Morey
> >> > > >
> >> > > >
> >> > > >
> >> > > >Morey,
> >> > > >
> >> > > >Get into your system software CDs and look for the "Dell
Dimension
> >> Resource
> >> > > >CD". Go into BIOS and put the disc into the drive. It's a
bootable
> >> disk.
> >> > > >You may have to change the CDROM to your first boot device, or
you
> >> might be
> >> > > >able to press F12 at the Dell splash to get a 'boot menu' where
you
> >> can
> >> > > >manually choose to boot from the CD drive.
> >> > > >
> >> > > >Follow the prompts on the CD, it's pretty easy.
> >> > > >
> >> > > >Stew
> >> > > >
> >> > > >
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

First try a repair reinstall. Follow this directions carefully and you
won't lose any docs:

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

"Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
news:XpJ9d.70239$Ot3.55068@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> Ben (& all),
> Update:
> First, I can not yet enter safe mode. It gets to the "Loading personal
> settings" screen AFTER the 4 "Safe Mode" messages on the corners of the
> screen, and reboots.
>
> She has kept all of her schoolwork in the "My Documents" folder and added
> subfolders as needed.
>
> Also, I followed Tim's advice, called Dell and they walked me through a
> couple of command sets from Recovery Console. One, was "copy userinit and
> wsa-something"; the others, "bootcfg /rebuild" which appears to have given
> me an option to load one of 2 OS's. winxp or Windows XP Home Edition. And
> then "chkdsk /r" which reported back that it had repaired the volume.
> Neither OS load progresses past that settings screen.
> As I said, the "blue screen" flashes quickly just before the restart. It
> does appear to be software.
> It gets to the point where I am now obsessive about fixing it! Re-install
> is the easy way out, but may be my only option.
> Morey
> (banging my head against the wall)
>

 

[Tim]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Morey
To do XP repair reinstall you can the follow steps mentioned in the
web site http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm ( as
mentioned in the previous post by WSZsr) .

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 312369 titled "You May Lose Data
or Program Settings After Reinstalling, Repairing, or Upgrading
Windows XP" also has
steps which can be performed to avoid data loss while doing XP repair.

If you don't want to lose data at all, You can do XP parallel
reinstall which is installing XP in a different folder other than the
default "WINDOWS". I found this website
http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winxppro/installxpcdparallell/indexfullpage.htm
which describes parallel reinstall of xp with screenshots.

Tim.


"WSZsr" <nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<TcK9d.3162$Al3.1228@newssvr30.news.prodigy.com>...
> First try a repair reinstall. Follow this directions carefully and you
> won't lose any docs:
>
> http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
>
> "Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
> news:XpJ9d.70239$Ot3.55068@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> > Ben (& all),
> > Update:
> > First, I can not yet enter safe mode. It gets to the "Loading personal
> > settings" screen AFTER the 4 "Safe Mode" messages on the corners of the
> > screen, and reboots.
> >
> > She has kept all of her schoolwork in the "My Documents" folder and added
> > subfolders as needed.
> >
> > Also, I followed Tim's advice, called Dell and they walked me through a
> > couple of command sets from Recovery Console. One, was "copy userinit and
> > wsa-something"; the others, "bootcfg /rebuild" which appears to have given
> > me an option to load one of 2 OS's. winxp or Windows XP Home Edition. And
> > then "chkdsk /r" which reported back that it had repaired the volume.
> > Neither OS load progresses past that settings screen.
> > As I said, the "blue screen" flashes quickly just before the restart. It
> > does appear to be software.
> > It gets to the point where I am now obsessive about fixing it! Re-install
> > is the easy way out, but may be my only option.
> > Morey
> > (banging my head against the wall)
> >

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

THANKS FOR THAT WEB PAGE! (sorry for the CAPS, but as you may have guessed,
I'm almost 100% back to where her PC was.!
Hello again to all the helpers. UPDATE:
I followed the first step in the instructions on the link that was on the
website you provided. (A site by Charlie White). It instructed me to use the
Recovery console and command line instructions to pick a snapshot registry
restore point and copy it to the "c:\windows\system32\config" folders.
I restored config\system; config\default; config\sam; config\security and
config\default.\After I did this, I was asked to call MS and re-activate Win
XP, I did this and it booted me to her old desktop where I did a restore
point again (since the display driver was missing) and now I am at her
desktop at the point of October 4th. (a good day I guess)
HOORAY
Anyway, I have one lingering issue that I would like to get rid of if I can.
When the PC boots, it asks me which OS I want to start (a result of Dell
tech support) "winxp" or "Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition". The latter
appears to be the repaired version since that gets me to where I am right
now (running AD-AwareSE 1.05).
How do I get rid of the other "winxp" entry?
Thanks again VERY much and best regards
Morey
"tim" <delltech@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:ffcc792e.0410090247.584512b4@posting.google.com...
> Morey
> To do XP repair reinstall you can the follow steps mentioned in the
> web site http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm ( as
> mentioned in the previous post by WSZsr) .
>
> Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 312369 titled "You May Lose Data
> or Program Settings After Reinstalling, Repairing, or Upgrading
> Windows XP" also has
> steps which can be performed to avoid data loss while doing XP repair.
>
> If you don't want to lose data at all, You can do XP parallel
> reinstall which is installing XP in a different folder other than the
> default "WINDOWS". I found this website
>
http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winxppro/installxpcdparallell/indexfullpage.htm
> which describes parallel reinstall of xp with screenshots.
>
> Tim.
>
>
> "WSZsr" <nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:<TcK9d.3162$Al3.1228@newssvr30.news.prodigy.com>...
> > First try a repair reinstall. Follow this directions carefully and you
> > won't lose any docs:
> >
> > http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
> >
> > "Morey G." <mgottesman@nospam.frontiernet.net> wrote in message
> > news:XpJ9d.70239$Ot3.55068@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> > > Ben (& all),
> > > Update:
> > > First, I can not yet enter safe mode. It gets to the "Loading personal
> > > settings" screen AFTER the 4 "Safe Mode" messages on the corners of
the
> > > screen, and reboots.
> > >
> > > She has kept all of her schoolwork in the "My Documents" folder and
added
> > > subfolders as needed.
> > >
> > > Also, I followed Tim's advice, called Dell and they walked me through
a
> > > couple of command sets from Recovery Console. One, was "copy userinit
and
> > > wsa-something"; the others, "bootcfg /rebuild" which appears to have
given
> > > me an option to load one of 2 OS's. winxp or Windows XP Home Edition.
And
> > > then "chkdsk /r" which reported back that it had repaired the volume.
> > > Neither OS load progresses past that settings screen.
> > > As I said, the "blue screen" flashes quickly just before the restart.
It
> > > does appear to be software.
> > > It gets to the point where I am now obsessive about fixing it!
Re-install
> > > is the easy way out, but may be my only option.
> > > Morey
> > > (banging my head against the wall)
> > >

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

I think that is rectified by running msconfig-->boot.ini and clicking on
'check all boot paths'

--
David Nimon
dnimonREMOVE@##sympatico.ca

--------------------------------
"Morey G" <moreyag@nospamfrontiernet.net> wrote in message
news:I%fad.159315$4h7.29042729@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> Anyway, I have one lingering issue that I would like to get rid of if I
> can.
> When the PC boots, it asks me which OS I want to start (a result of Dell
> tech support) "winxp" or "Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition".

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

David,
Thanks for the suggestion. It is a valid boot path, I just wnat to remove it
since it points to a version of the OS that is wrong .

I'm not sure why it's there, as I said, it was created when the Dell tech
support guy tried to help me get the PC up & running.
I want to delete it but I don't know how.
Thanks,
Morey
"David Nimon" <dnimonREMOVE@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:jWgad.8731$hk6.120297@news20.bellglobal.com...
> I think that is rectified by running msconfig-->boot.ini and clicking on
> 'check all boot paths'
>
> --
> David Nimon
> dnimonREMOVE@##sympatico.ca
>
> --------------------------------
> "Morey G" <moreyag@nospamfrontiernet.net> wrote in message
> news:I%fad.159315$4h7.29042729@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> > Anyway, I have one lingering issue that I would like to get rid of if I
> > can.
> > When the PC boots, it asks me which OS I want to start (a result of Dell
> > tech support) "winxp" or "Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition".
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

On Sun, 10 Oct 2004 22:17:29 GMT, Morey G wrote in
<news:Zxiad.159339$4h7.29087050@twister.nyc.rr.com>:

> David,
> Thanks for the suggestion. It is a valid boot path, I just wnat to remove it
> since it points to a version of the OS that is wrong .
>
> I'm not sure why it's there, as I said, it was created when the Dell tech
> support guy tried to help me get the PC up & running.
> I want to delete it but I don't know how.

Let's see, you can buy a copy of Partition Magic 8 Pro. I think it's
around $70 last time I looked. You delete the offending partition and then
resize the hard drive to take up the extra space.

Or you can do a clean install of Windows XP making sure to delete any and
all partitions on the hard drive (except the small one if you'd like to
keep the diagnostic stuff available on your hard drive) then create a
single partition and install Windows XP on that.

Dave
--
You can talk about us, but you can't talk without us!
US Army Signal Corps!!

http://www.geocities.com/davidcasey98

Remove IH8SPAM to reply by email!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Have you tried clicking on the button and rebooting?

--
David Nimon
dnimonREMOVE@##sympatico.ca

--------------------------------
"Morey G" <moreyag@nospamfrontiernet.net> wrote in message
news:Zxiad.159339$4h7.29087050@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> David,
> Thanks for the suggestion. It is a valid boot path, I just wnat to remove
> it
> since it points to a version of the OS that is wrong .

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Right click on 'my computer'/ click properties/advanced/ settings under
'startup and recovery'. Set "time to display a list of operating systems"
to zero. The menu will go away.

You could also manually edit your boot.ini, but if done improperly, you
really don't want to get into that boat....


Stew


"David Casey" <sgtcasey@IH8SPAMcableone.net> wrote in message
newsd761jkseogb$.dlg@sgtcaseycableone.net...
> On Sun, 10 Oct 2004 22:17:29 GMT, Morey G wrote in
> <news:Zxiad.159339$4h7.29087050@twister.nyc.rr.com>:
>
>> David,
>> Thanks for the suggestion. It is a valid boot path, I just wnat to remove
>> it
>> since it points to a version of the OS that is wrong .
>>
>> I'm not sure why it's there, as I said, it was created when the Dell tech
>> support guy tried to help me get the PC up & running.
>> I want to delete it but I don't know how.
>
> Let's see, you can buy a copy of Partition Magic 8 Pro. I think it's
> around $70 last time I looked. You delete the offending partition and
> then
> resize the hard drive to take up the extra space.
>
> Or you can do a clean install of Windows XP making sure to delete any and
> all partitions on the hard drive (except the small one if you'd like to
> keep the diagnostic stuff available on your hard drive) then create a
> single partition and install Windows XP on that.
>
> Dave
> --
> You can talk about us, but you can't talk without us!
> US Army Signal Corps!!
>
> http://www.geocities.com/davidcasey98
>
> Remove IH8SPAM to reply by email!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

On Sun, 10 Oct 2004 19:30:09 -0500, S.Lewis wrote in
<news:Grkad.73321$yp.3327@bignews1.bellsouth.net>:

> Right click on 'my computer'/ click properties/advanced/ settings under
> 'startup and recovery'. Set "time to display a list of operating systems"
> to zero. The menu will go away.
>
> You could also manually edit your boot.ini, but if done improperly, you
> really don't want to get into that boat....

Ah, okay didn't know about that option. But I'd hate just leaving
something messed up on my system and covering it over. Personally, I'd do
a proper reinstall of Windows if I didn't happen to have Partition Magic 8.


Dave
--
You can talk about us, but you can't talk without us!
US Army Signal Corps!!

http://www.geocities.com/davidcasey98

Remove IH8SPAM to reply by email!