Looking for future tips

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sherry Crawley
  • Start date Start date
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Sherry Crawley

For the second time in as many months, I've had to re-load XP MCE.
The reason: When I would boot, the system would go into a boot loop.
It would sometimes make it to the desktop, but then would always restart.
I could boot into Safe mode. I deleted many programs to no avail.
I am running a decent firewall as well as anti-virus software.
The day before the thing worked fine, and I can't think of anything I
may have done that would cause this.

I'm afraid that this will happen again and I would sure like to avoid
the whole re-load thing.

Are there any suggestions as to what I can do to diagnose what's going
on if/when this happens again? As I mention, I was able to boot into
Safe mode with networking.

Thanks.
 
Have you tried running a memory diagnostic tool? You can download one for
Microsoft http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp . Your problem could also
be related to some other hardware related issue. I've seen this happen with
damaged motherboard, cpu and even power supply issues. You may need to take
it into a qualified service center or check your warranty.

You should disable XP's auto start feature which might shed some light on
this. Right click My Computer and select Properties->Advanced Tab. Click the
Startup and Recovery section Settings button. Uncheck the "Automatically
restart" box. That way a crash should present you with a blue screen and you
can post the error code you see. This will only work if the crash occurs
after you are booted to the Desktop though.
Also check the Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Event Viewer->System and
double click on items with "Error" to see if you can learn anything there.
 
Harry said:
Have you tried running a memory diagnostic tool? You can download one for
Microsoft http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp . Your problem could also
be related to some other hardware related issue. I've seen this happen with
damaged motherboard, cpu and even power supply issues. You may need to take
it into a qualified service center or check your warranty.

You should disable XP's auto start feature which might shed some light on
this. Right click My Computer and select Properties->Advanced Tab. Click the
Startup and Recovery section Settings button. Uncheck the "Automatically
restart" box. That way a crash should present you with a blue screen and you
can post the error code you see. This will only work if the crash occurs
after you are booted to the Desktop though.
Also check the Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Event Viewer->System and
double click on items with "Error" to see if you can learn anything there.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I'll try those things out.

I can't say for certain, but it seems to have happened since I have left
my system on for a long time. I have it power down around 5:00am, and
power up again at 8:00am. I leave it on because I use MCE to record TV
shows that I watch via the XBOX (too much TV maybe? my wife thinks so)
 
Sherry Crawley said:
Thanks, I'll try those things out.

I can't say for certain, but it seems to have happened since I have left
my system on for a long time. I have it power down around 5:00am, and
power up again at 8:00am. I leave it on because I use MCE to record TV
shows that I watch via the XBOX (too much TV maybe? my wife thinks so)
Click to expand...

Recording TV shows can place a huge demand on the CPU. Perhaps heat is the
problem. Have you checked your CPU fans to ensure they are clean? Purchase a
can of compressed air. Turn off the computer. Open the case and locate the
CPU fan. Do Not remove the fan. Use short blasts of air to clean the fan and
heat sink (metal flanged heat dissipater that sits on top of the CPU). Keep
the case off and restart the computer. Watch to ensure the CPU fan is
turning very quickly and quietly. If your computer case is located in a
tight space without much air flow you may need to relocate it. Also try
running without the case for a few days and see if that helps.

Also check that air is being blown out of the powersupply. Often there is
not a huge amount of output but you should be able to feel air being blown
out of the powersupply. If the fans aren't working correctly replace them as
soon as possible.
 
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