HD caught in a boot loop

Hi,

It's a little long this post, my apologises, I figured more is good but please read carefully, no disrespect, it will save us all time.

WIn XP Home upgrade from 98 SE

One of my friends last week end asked me to have a look at his PC as it no longer worked, fortunately it was a blown PSU, nothing more serious, everything has been working fine since then.

They also asked me to check HD for bugs, viruses, malware and so on.

The first thing I did was un-install AD-Ware but did not restart the PC then uploaded three freebie programmes, A-Square, AVG, Malwarebytes.

I ran Malware first, 90 minutes later, shed loads of tracking cookies and six other various threats, I removed them, that's where my problems started.

As the title of this post suggests, on rebooting the PC is caught in a boot loop.

I'll describe briefly, first a black screen, then a boot sequence, then the XP home logo, then a screen informing me as windows did not close properly I had three options, safe mode, last known configuration, start windows normally, the problem being I can't select any of them, the keyboard, any key board will not allow me to imput a selection, all the PC does is countdown and starts the process all over again.

The HD emits no beeps or error codes of any kind.

Having checked I could at least get into the BIOS via the key board I made a floppy start up disk off another XP PC.

Having changed the boot sequence the floppy did nothing, back again to booting off a disk drive, tried the XP upgrade disk, it asked me to hit any key, I did, I also let it time out, nothing, just kept restarting in the same loop asking me to select an option and not able to use the keyboard to do so.

Having myself a near identical PC, ( same MOBO and OS), I slaved the affected HD and to my surprise, I was able to read and save most of what was on it.

What I have not been able to do is get at OE 6 or recent DBX files, I have through one means or tuther recovered deleted old DBX files but these are no good, I also did a start then search on the affected HD, can only find old DBX files

Apparently there 11 exceptionally important recently received emails and a draft Email my mate can not loose.

I installed the affected HD back in it's own PC, possessed, clutching and trying anything, ( and I do not know why it worked), I put a blank floppy in it's drive and the XP upgrade disk and did a hard re- boot and success, a blue set up screen and the key board is responsive.

What I wanted do, ( still do ) is an in-place install" - or a "Repair" Installation but my lack of knowledge and ignorance on installing XP or doing a repair this way lets me down.

The set up screen gives me an option of starting afresh or R, ( recovery ), some where in the back of me head, I remember reading not to press R , press F3 first to accept the ULA, having done this it gets to a sequence informing me the I must put in the 98SE disk to verify a previous installation of Windows, then to verify the partition, this is where I let myself down, it tells me it will wipe the existing installation, unless I tell it what folder I should install on or something like that but I don't know what to imput, exactly what do I type?

It also tell me that doing this will install another copy of window to that folder but do I want to do this? I want to repair/recover the existing installation, so I exited.

I took a gamble and started all over again but this time I pressed R for recovery, ( no F3 this time ), again it asked me to type something in but I don't know what to type so I exited

I should mention the affected HD is labelled C

Is there any way I can reboot/getting in to the existing XP installation/HD without having to do a repair or recovery?

If I have to repair by using the repair/recovery option what do I do and what do I type? what I cannot do is format or wipe the hard drive?

Please remember I only have to hand the XP Home upgrade disk and the 98se disk that I was given.

If I make the affected HD a slave or master again, is there anyway I can get it in to safe mode or choose known configuration? just so I can get at OE and make a back up copy of the DBX files, then I will replace the HD and reinstall everything.
Johanus

Hi,

Anyone?

Johanus, I don't run Windows anymore but you did say "anyone". I don't know how to tell you to get it into Safe Mode. If you can get into Safe Mode you can access his emails while in safe mode and save them right from there. Any time I have stuff I wish to keep I back it up to pen drive. I also have 2 DVD's with all my files and settings on them. In other words when I am thinking of making a major change to my operating system or hardrive I make a backup of everything I think is important to me before I start. Next time you help a bro out you will probably remember to ask they want to keep before you unbugger their system.

http://www.myfixes.com/articles/system

Kudos to you for helping your friend out and good luck with this problem. Hope I helped a little bit but like I said , I don't run Windows anymore.

__________________
I’ll keep using Linux until they pry it from my cold dead fingers.

Hello rokytn,

Perhaps I did myself a disservice in my original post.

I indeed did ask my bro had they backed up their HD/data, if not I would have done it for them, they told me they had on the morning I collected their PC, I had those back ups to hand.

During the initial debugging things went pear shape, and the hard drive got caught in a re-boot loop fortunately I had a spare PC they could use and loaded everything back on to it's HD from their back ups.

It was then my friend discovered for some unknown reason an OE folder with 11 emails and a draft was not in the back ups, we still don't know the reason why this happened.

When I slaved the affected HD, I could see most of the files but no OE, ( DBX files ), I did a recover, all I found was deleted files of all kinds.

Now I had two problems, three actually,

1. When I set it up as master again it was still caught in a boot loop, 2. The affected HD was getting very warm, 3. Why could I not see the recent DBX files, search for them or anything to recover them?

I knew if I got out of the boot loop, I could do a restore or back to a last working configuration but damn the HD was getting hot, I knew it was on its way out.

20 minutes later, wrapped in plastic, the HD is in my freezer, I left it there for a good six hours, after re-installing it, still the same problem persisted, constantly re-booting and no key board input of any kind, no matter what key boards I used, NUTS.

Then it happened, one of those moments where before giving up, ditching the offending item and buying new, you check the fuse, in other words back to basics.

I mentioned earlier I had tried at least 4-5 key boards, I had but all of them were USB or wireless, a quick search in the junk box and I came up with a PS2 key board, swapped it, rebooted, key board input, problem solved.

You sit there feeling, well stupid, all that and that's all it took, an anti-climax in a way.

And there was OE, all intact.

I have now fitted a new HD and everything is back to normal, not as slow and I am now a couple of decent bottles of whiskey better off.

If I learned anything, there is not always an explanation but persistence pays, most times and paying donations to a site like this doesn't always bring you help or a re-assuring word, accept yours that is.

You're the bomb Johanus, I'm glad everything worked out for you. The only thing I could think of to suggest next was to burn a Linux Knoppix cd and try to recover your hardrive using Linux. Having become a self taught Linux user I have burnt many coasters, Formatted dozens of times and googled my brains out so I know how gratified you feel. Thanks for posting how you fixed this problem because I am pretty sure new and old forum members will refer to this.

__________________
I’ll keep using Linux until they pry it from my cold dead fingers.

Thanks rokynji,

I so wish to move over to a Linux based system but am scared stiff to do so, actually that's not true, it's just the learning curve all over again but I am quite sick of Windows anything.

That spare PC I spoke about is in fact what I will get around to installing Linux to, I'll add more memory, I can't remember if it's an AMD or Intel set up, does it matter?

I can build PCs. anyone can, I am so bad at the software side of things and interpreting the spiel.

There is still confusion, not as as much I grant you over Linux systems but you do hear horror stories of not getting programs or existing equipment to work, ( same as Windows, not as much ), printers, scanners, all in ones and such like.

I enjoy the plug and play aspect on Windows something you don't always get with Linux and there are so many variants of Linux, which to choose, can one version of Linux screw up another version if installed on a PC.

One old program I use on a regular basis and a lot of my files are written in is Lotus Pro, ( word processor ) would this work on a Linux OS, would my Lexmark all in one work, ( which I finally understand ), would my Nokia updater work, MP3 player, camera software, can I read/use my existing emails, ( Outlook Express ), I use Explorer to surf, you can tell can't you, I'm a Win Junkie, truly hooked and not very proud of my yellow streak in not exploring fully moving over to a Linux system.

Not so long ago someone I know, self taught like your self, after hearing me bitching gave me Ver 6 something of Ub something on a CD, that I could use, I liked what I saw but my head is full of these incompatible stories and I crawled back to my comfort zone of Windows.

Hopefully I will stop prevaricating and get round to converting, hopefully much, much sooner, the later, but my life is wrapped in Windows and I'm cross with myself for being entrapped by it.

If this sounds as If I'm silaging Linux off, I'm not, my fear is based on ignorance as all fear is, I guess like everything, stop bitching Johanus, shift your ar*e and make the move to Linux, you know you want to.

Everything that shows up in outlook express shows up on my Evolution and Thunderbird email. When you set up your pop and smtp account in either Evolution or Thunderbird , it works the same as outlook express because you are still getting your emails through your Internet Service Provider (ISP) the same as you would through Windows. I have my Gmail also show up in my linux email programs also.

As for your printer I need the model number. I have a old cheap Lexmark Z645 that I have working in Ubuntu even though Ubuntu said it wouldn't support it. Go figure. I did a work around till I got it working. Camera and MP3 player should work also. As for Lotus
IBM Software for Linux
IBM open collaboration client solution: Migrating applications to the Linux desktop

If you ever have a spare pc with about P3, 512 mb ram, 10 gig hardrive , AMD or Intel, With a bios capable of booting from cdrom, you can run Ubuntu,Mepis 7.0, Mandriva 2008, and Linux Mint ( which is Ubuntu with codecs} . If you decide to go for it , just make sure you burn a live cd version so as to try out the O/S before you install it. A live cd will run on a pc without installing.

I have had good luck with the 4 distros mentioned above, I run a IBM M-41 Desktop, a Panasonic CF-48 Laptop, a Amrel RT 686 EX and a Amrel Rocky II RT686 laptops.

All my stuff is intel instead of AMD and I run graphics from motherboard vga plug. Nothing fancy.

The Kernels for the new Distros are coming now with alot of drivers to pretty much get you going with out a fuss. I think Bootneck in his thread in the Linux section here just installed a dual boot Windows XP/Ubuntu on one of his rigs for the 1st time.

If you want to run Linux in Windows, (which is kinda cool), go here Wubi - Ubuntu Installer for Windows It runs linux inside of Windows but is still a seperate operating system. If you get good at linux later and want to free up the space on your hardrive in Windows just go to the Ubuntu folder in Start>Explore and click on the uninstaller icon in the file and boom, linux is gone.

If you go the wubi route Ubuntu will be added to your Windows bootloader and when you start up your computer you will get the Bootscreen from Windows with Windows XP on top and Ubuntu underneath so you can pick which system you want to boot. I think on the Wubi install you can pick from a 8gig install to a 30gig install. Its a neat way to play with Linux in my opinion. Read the whole page on the Wubi link to get a idea what I am talking about. I also recommend the Ubuntu install,Not the Xubuntu one. Just make sure you remember user name and password (write it down) as it is important because you log in every time you boot up linux,(because you are admin.)

I haven't had any compatibilty issues and I run the laptops on PCI and PCMCIA Wireless. Linux comes with preinstalled burners and the software repositories for Ubuntu in my machines have over 2700 software packages I can access for free.

Whatever you decide to do have fun with it dude.

__________________
I’ll keep using Linux until they pry it from my cold dead fingers.

Hello Rokytnji,

Wanted to say thank you and sorry for not replying sooner.

I have a made up saying " when it sh*ts it shovels and boy how it has shoveled the last few days upon me.

Also, a few bad days with my own PCs, ( fried a MOBO ), and had to deal with a service provider disconnection, everything. no phone, no broadband, no TV, nothing, went down early Tuesday, back up 1.30am this morning GMT, the end result, a measly few bucks compensation.

Thank you for the Linux in Window link and others I will explore.

My printer is a Lexmark X5470 as bad a brand you can get when it comes to Linux, I can see yet another printer purchase, damn, just as I had got use to this one.

I note you ride Harleys, I haven't done that but as a 15 then 17 year old I rebuilt and restored a 1958 175cc BSA Batam, ( won a few prizes to ), then a650 Norton.

It was a good few years ago, my lard arse has spread and I haven't been on a bike for a few good years but great memories.

Anyway thanks and you have reignited my determination to go Linux.

Your printer is considered a paperweight by linux. Mine had the same rating to but I got it to work. It took a lot of work though. Here is the only post I foundon googling your printer using linux and google only pulled up 2 pages and most the links were in a foreign language.

With open SuSe10.2, Yast2 configures automatically driver for my Lexmark X5470 and I can print text files (I didn’t test image files). The default driver is: “Lexmark 5000” (recommended by Yast2) and it works well with my printer (I test it only with openSuSe10.2); you must remember that this driver is only for printer!!! (Scanner, FAX… doesn’t work! Grr…).

Doesn't sound promising, does it.Then I saw this.

Lexmark offers 2 printer drivers for Red Hat Linux for the X5270.

Can you run a Red Hat driver in Ubuntu ???

I'll have to do some more research to see if Redhat Hat Drivers ( which I think are rpm packaged drivers) can be converted to run in Ubuntu.

Back in the 1970's when I first got into motorcycles, I worked at my first bike shop in Tampa Florida called Ravens. We tricked out a 650 Norton. Did such a fine job on it a guy traded his Harley Panhead straight across.

I have built and owned Moto Guzzis, 650 Triump, Kawasakis, 750 BSA hardtail, Hondas, and now Harleys. Its in my blood now.

Right now I am dealing with Doctors so Give me some time and I'll see what I can come up with regarding your printer. It looks dismal though. From what I have gathered so far the best any linux user has done with this printer is to getit to print text ,but nothing about images, faxing,or scanning.

Mine is areal simple printer which just prints photos, and text. That's it. So I had less to enable than you do. I am gonna approach this to see if anybody got this printer to work using Windows Drivers in Linux using Wine or Ndiswrapper. These 2 applications allow windows drivers to function in linux.

We we'll see what we'll see. I am learning myself (caveman talk he he) to customize my computers like I do my bikes. Wife hates all the time I spend on this stuff. Oh well.

__________________
I’ll keep using Linux until they pry it from my cold dead fingers.

I heard about not bad application-DBX repair, which can read password protected dbx file of user's Identities, supported *.dbx file formats: MS Outlook Express 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, support to repair dbx files with a size up to 4Gb, tool support Windows 98/ME/NT 4.0/2000/XP/2003.