WIndow XP Home boot problem - restart endlessly

[Jacky]

I have a Dell i8100 laptop with Windows XP Home. I did a XP critical
update yesterday. Everything seems to be fine. It has Antivirus 2002
installed but expired long time ago. (I just simply click to remind 15
days later when asked to update.) This evening there seems to be some
error messages related to the Antivirus 2002 and an error report was
generated and sent to microsoft. I clicked to get to the Symantec
website to renew subscription but decided to cancel. When I clicked
cancel the dialog
box was still there for me to click next so I click next and finished
as if I had renewed the subscription. Upon restart the laptop took a
long time to boot with the usual dark screen with a bargraph and then
the color XP screen. But it just go back to reboot again to the
dark screen with a bargraph and then the color XP screen endlessly.
I tried to boot to safe mode but the screen just listed one file name
after another and then I think I briefly saw a blue screen with fatal
error
and then it will restart again. Never been able to go to safe mode.
Reboot with last know configuration it also restarted endlessly.
Is there anyway I can boot to safe mode and then run system restore?
The last thing I want to do is to re-install XP.
What should I do?
Thank you very much in advance.

 

[Harry Ohrn]

Try running a Repair Install on your computer. Take this link and look for
How To Run a Repair Install http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm
Make certain you reinstall SP1a and all Critical Updates after the Repair
Install.

Running your computer with no virus protection is a very, very bad idea. You
not only run a high risk of infecting your own system but others as well. By
not protecting your system you contribute to the proliferation of the spread
of viruses. If you can not afford to purchase virus protection there are
free programs you can use. Here is one that many people use and recommend
AVG Free Edition http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php