windows xp laptop crashed and i have lost my recovery disk, what can i do now

[myo4tahoe]

I have a laptop with windows xp home edition was dowloading a game when it crashed. Now it will not boot up, it will turn on then off by itself. I have tried restarting in safe mode, safe mode with networking, safe mode with command prompt, last known configuration, and start windows normally; none work. I have lost my recovery disk, what can i try now?

 

[Murissokah]

By not boot up you mean it starts loading windows and then restarts before the OS is fully loaded?

If that is the case, your best bet would be downloading a repair disk somewhere else to to try and get it to boot again. A Hiren's Boot CD image would be great. I believe you can use an USB stick, if your PC can boot from USB.

I don't think there is anything you can do without access to another computer.

 

[Murissokah]

There may be a solution if he can fix that installation, instead of re-installing windows. Also, the product key may be printed on the laptop. In any case, Microsoft has a strict policy regarding OS distribution and will not provide a second image even for legitimate buyers. One could argue that if you own a legitimate copy, downloading the software couldn't be illegal, but since Microsoft hasn't recognized things that way, we can't advise you to do so.

If, however, you have access to an install disk (borrowed, maybe), you can launch the repair console and try to fix your installation. If you need any guidance with that let us know.

 

[hang-the-9]

If the laptop shuts off, it's probalby nothing to do with Windows. Could be power supply, RAM, motherboard, battery, overheating, video card issue (same as a motherboard issue really). A hard shutdown is almost always a hardware issue. A Windows issue would cause it to be stuck at a screen, maybe reboot, or at least do something other than just turn off.