Rebooting XP question

[Scott M]

So my desktop that needs replacement had a hiccup when the power got cut with the storm and will not reboot, not even in safe mode. I have some files I need to access, but don't have a copy of the software on CD (I purchased XP software cheap as a student in college through my University). My wife has a copy of Vista and I wouldn't mind the upgrade, but I'm not sure if Microsoft will let you use it on two computers or what. I also don't want to lose any files (music, photos, a couple word documents, not all of which are backed up...Yes, I know they ALL should have been first).

I'm looking for some advice, what is my best course of action?

[LMITOUT]

What exactly does the computer do when turned on? What does the screen look like? Any messages/warnings?

[Scott M]

No messages, it boots up, then goes to the screen that tells you to choose between starting windows normally, in various safe modes, or at last working configuration. You can try and choose any of those choices and it freezes each time.

***One other note, my wife's version of Vista is a bundle meant for Gateway computers, it may not work on mine.

[Jim Almquist]

It really sounds like a complete reload but there are a couple of things to try but I don't have high hopes that they will work. The first is to hold the power button in for about 15 seconds and then power it back up. The other thing would be to unplug the system and pull the BIOS battery and leave it out for a couple of hours and then put it back in and power it up. I would not worry about the files cause if all else fails you can either buy a enclosure to put the hard drive in and then connect to it with a USB cable or you could install it in another tower and it will just be added as another drive and you will be able to pull your files off.

[LMITOUT]

I have a USB to hard drive cable that has saved files from damaged hard drives before. Don't have to mess with enclosures, etc. For about $25 it's well worth it.

[Scott M]

Tried the 15 second thing, now the load page shows all the hardware is recognized, but it says "The system was not correctly shut down and now working in safe mode speed, please press "DEL" to BIOS setup table to set correct CPU speed"

Can anything be done from the BIOS page?

[LMITOUT]

I would try opening the PC case and removing the battery as Jim said.

It sounds like your hard drive may be OK.

[Scott M]

I'm trying to google pictures of all this. Is that the same as CMOS battery on the motherboard?

[LMITOUT]

Yep. looks like a watch battery.....most of the time. Should be the only battery inside the PC.

[Scott M]

Thanks guys. I'm gonna rest everything until this evening, then reinstall the battery and try again. If it doesn't work, I will enslave that hard drive on another computer I have and work it that way. I had planned to dump this desktop in the next 1-2 months, this just may speed up the process.

[Jim Almquist]

It sounds like you have it working in Safe Mode. You might just want to try a shutdown and reboot and see if it might come back. The one bad thing is I think your last known config. may be junk but it might work. too bad you don't have a XP CD because it really only sound like a bad boot file and could be repaired.

This is the stuff we are learning the past couple of weeks. Mess up your boot file and use the cd to fix-Big Fun

[Jim Almquist]

I just thought of one other thing that could cause that type of problems. If you have installed anything new to your system, that device could have bad drivers that could cause that type of problem. You can remove that device while you are in Safe Mode.

[Jim Almquist]

All right one more thing that might just get you back in business. If you are in Safe Mode you can go to Start, Accessories, Tools and then go to System Restore and pick a date that you know your system was running good. These are only System files and have nothing to do with your personal files.

[upnorth]

Usually installing new hardware and driver problems will BSOD. This sounds like an issue with corrupt file. Can you beg a copy of XP. There is a repair feature you can run. I have one, but I would be a long haul to borrow it.

If you are serious about replacing it,I would pop the hood, pull the drive and find a PC you can put it in to pull the data files off.

If you can get it too boot into safe mode you may be able to get it to see a USB drive and copy your files off that way too.

[Scott M]

No luck taking the BIOS battery out. It reads at startup Floppy disk fail (40), CMOS checksum error - Defaults loaded Warning!! CPU have been changed

I'm going to try and enslave the drive in a different desktop I have. I'm just worried that there won't be room as the tower is one of those slim Dells.

[Scott M]

Nope! Definitely not room to enslave the drive in this unit. Back to the drawing board. Run an XP CD? Trouble is finding someone that has one that lives close to me. Texted a couple FMers, they both run Vista.

It's not a hardware issue, it's just gotten to be a beaten down O.S. After I graduated, I stopped getting the free upgrades/updates so the system was a little more vulnerable to virus and malware stuff. Not sure why it won't boot but I would like to recover my files. Maybe I just have to visit someone with a working tower with space, enslave the drive for an hour, and recover my stuff.

[Scott M]

I have a USB to hard drive cable that has saved files from damaged hard drives before. Don't have to mess with enclosures, etc. For about $25 it's well worth it.

Heckuva idea. I see Wally World has a "Cables To Go 30504 USB 2.0 to IDE/Serial ATA Drive Adapter" Would this work for me? My hard drive is about 4" wide...I just plug the ribbon connection in and it should work, right?

[upnorth]

You can lay PC on it's side and just connect the cables and leave the case open. But if you have an older PC and newer PC you may run into a connection type mis match. Old one will probably be ide and the newer on SATA. They are way different and even different power cables.

[LMITOUT]

I would try what upnorth said, but yes, that adapter sounds a lot like the one I have. Basically it turns your HD into a giant thumbdrive. Fire up a good PC and then plug in the USB adapter and Windows should find it as a removable disk, or something similar. Then it's just drag and drop after that.

[Shack]

This is a laptop issues I a couple years back with a Toshiba running Vista. I got the HDD to slave itself in away, enough to run Windows recovery and then the repair windows program:

Scott if you are in the North Metro tommarow I have an XP disc. Also I could drop it in the mail for you if you can wait that long.

[Scott M]

At this point I'm trying to get the new computer up and running. Can't even get internet to work, so I'm plugging my way through lots of small issues to eventually tackle the larger ones. I love computers!

[MN Mike]

In your post above you said you got a floppy error when you pulled the battery.

Do you have a floppy drive? If so, Microsoft has a download that will create 6 floppy disks that you can boot from and use to repair your MBR and do a check disk too.

A XP CD would be WAY easier though.

Mike

[Jim Almquist]

What Mn Mike said is more then likely the problem. The MBR is your Master Boot Record that loads all the drivers to get your system running. If you can get your system into Safe Mode, I really believe it would fix your problem. The only reason you keep seeing the floppy error is, it is the first thing to boot and your system cannot find your MBR, so it is looking for the floppy to have it. It will look at your Floppy then your CD and then look to the hard drive until it finds the MBR. Because it seems like your is corrupt on the HD it now thinks the floppy should have it. If you got a XP copy from Shack and did a Repair when the disk loads it will fix your MBR.

[upnorth]

Could also be that removing the battery cleared all CMOS settings and his PC can't find drive C anymore.

[Jim Almquist]

Could also be that removing the battery cleared all CMOS settings and his PC can't find drive C anymore.

That is a possibility. Might not hurt to go into the BIOs and put his hard drive first in the boot order. Depending on the machine you can hit Del. or on some it is F2 when the system is starting up. Just keep hitting till the BIOS menu starts and then find the right tab. On mine it is Advanced Config.