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ninerkmfan · Feb 13, 2008, 09:01 AM

So, like the title explains, whenever I log in to windows XP, it immediately restarts. The problem started today when I went onto my Windows partition for the first time in about 5 days. Prior to this, I had installed Leopard back when it was released (I pre-ordered it) and it worked fine. I had run software updates, switched back and forth between mac and windows, and had no problems whatsoever. But today, when I log in to Windows, it immediately shuts down. I had run a software update yesterday, so I am not sure if that had something in it that caused windows to act so randomly. Any advice on how to fix this would be great. I have a MacBook Pro, 2gb RAM, 2Ghz Processor, Windows XP SP2.

ghporter · Feb 13, 2008, 05:19 PM

Are there any error messages at all, or does it just spontaneously reboot? Can you boot in Safe Mode? Can you boot from the original XP install disc? Just exactly what is happening, and what you can and can't do with Windows is a very crucial set of data.

It sounds like there's a problem with the boot record for XP, and you may be able to fix that using some tools that come with the install disc, particularly a couple of command line utilities that work with the Recovery Console (fixmbr and fixboot). You have to have the Recovery Console on your install disc (It comes on the factory disc, but it doesn't necessarily wind up there if you slipstreamed SP2 onto your disc), but these tools work fine.

ninerkmfan · Feb 13, 2008, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

Are there any error messages at all, or does it just spontaneously reboot? Can you boot in Safe Mode? Can you boot from the original XP install disc? Just exactly what is happening, and what you can and can't do with Windows is a very crucial set of data.

It sounds like there's a problem with the boot record for XP, and you may be able to fix that using some tools that come with the install disc, particularly a couple of command line utilities that work with the Recovery Console (fixmbr and fixboot). You have to have the Recovery Console on your install disc (It comes on the factory disc, but it doesn't necessarily wind up there if you slipstreamed SP2 onto your disc), but these tools work fine.

No error messages, just a spontaneous reboot. I tried turning off automatic restart on system failure and that did not do anything. I can boot into safe mode and navigate around all right. When i do boot into safe mode, it takes an awful long time and all of my drivers' file extensions come up on the screen for seriously about 5 minutes (i attached a picture). Unfortunately, I don't have the original with me here at school and it was slipstreamed. Any other ways around it, or should I try to obtain the cd?

Is there a reason it would randomly do this? Literally one week ago, it was working fine. I haven't done anything since that week. This just is frustrating me to no end.

tekhead001 · Aug 4, 2008, 06:13 PM

I'm having the same problem. My windows box was working perfectly this morning (8-4-08). I shut it down while I did some work on my other machines, then when I turned it back on, it seemed to work fine until it got to the Windows loading screen, after which it spontaneously restarted. Then it went to the screen offering the option of loading Last Known Good Config or Safe Mode. Even in Safe Mode, it restarts.

At first I thought it might be a cooling or memory issue, but plugging in my Puppy Linux USB flash drive proved that wrong. Memory is working fine and prolonged running isn't causing heat buildup. So that leaves either the Hard Drive or the Windows Install itself. Unfortunately I'm not as up-to-spec on Windows as I'd like to be, and my copy of XP was installed by a buddy (who is currently in Iraq and unavailable for comment).

So, where can I get the tools I need to fix this?

/Thanks in advance.

patrix · Aug 4, 2008, 06:29 PM

May or may not be a clue:

Could it be SP3 ?

A couple of weeks ago, I had XP in bootcamp AND Parallels (using the bootcamp partition). From Parallels, I installed SP3, and from then on I was unable to boot XP in bootcamp, only from Parallels. Not sure if SP3 screwed the hardware profiles, or if SP3 has some issues with bootcamp. I couldn't uninstall SP3 either, apparently I didnt have enough free space to REMOVE it lollll. Ended up saying ******* and getting rid of Windows entirely for the time being...

Patrix.

ghporter · Aug 4, 2008, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by patrix

May or may not be a clue:

Could it be SP3 ?

A couple of weeks ago, I had XP in bootcamp AND Parallels (using the bootcamp partition). From Parallels, I installed SP3, and from then on I was unable to boot XP in bootcamp, only from Parallels. Not sure if SP3 screwed the hardware profiles, or if SP3 has some issues with bootcamp. I couldn't uninstall SP3 either, apparently I didnt have enough free space to REMOVE it lollll. Ended up saying ******* and getting rid of Windows entirely for the time being...

Patrix.

I'd say that yes, you have caused some problems through Parallels' install of SP3. I'd say that it's a good idea if you're using a Boot Camp-created partition for Parallels, that any real software updates, especially to the OS, should be done while booted into Windows, NOT through Parallels.

patrix · Aug 5, 2008, 03:40 AM

Originally Posted by ghporter

I'd say that yes, you have caused some problems through Parallels' install of SP3. I'd say that it's a good idea if you're using a Boot Camp-created partition for Parallels, that any real software updates, especially to the OS, should be done while booted into Windows, NOT through Parallels.

that's what I assumed too, wasn't trying to figure out my problem - was trying to hopefully give a clue that sometimes things do change (like forced service pack installations lol, although in my case I voluntarily installed it) and then everything goes bad and you can't figure out why.

Patrix.