XP sometimes boots only part way

[billurie]

Too frequently my XP/SP2 will boot to where the
Desktop icons are complete and fully colored, but
it stops loading with the toolbar icons only
partially showing, meaning that it has stopped
loading programs. No way out but to recycle power.
Then, MOST times (but not always), booting to
"last remembered working system" will cause it to
boot all the way. Into Safe Mode it will always boot.

No viruses present; no worms; and I've run chkdsk/r
three times from Safe Mode and still sometimes it
takes two or more cycles to get it to load fully.

What additional investigatory or clean-up steps
can I take? Thanks..........

 

[Rich Barry]

Have you tried a System Restore back to before this started happening?
Go to Start>All Programs>Accessories>System
Tools>System Restore.

 

[billurie]

Can't do that, Rich. My backup system is to make a clone of the hard
drive every so often (as often as anyone might have system restore
points). When necessary, I plug in a clone and copy over the directories
like e-mail and bookmarks and letter-mail from the suspicious drive.
It's a sporadic thing, and altho' I could make the test with any number
of the clones, I suspect it wouldn't be conclusive. Good thought,
though, and thanks.

Have you tried a System Restore back to before this started happening?
Go to Start>All Programs>Accessories>System
Tools>System Restore.

 

[Harry Ohrn]

I'd be looking at hardware problems.

 

[Hawkins]

You could have a go at using selective start up. On the start up tab of
Msconfig turn off all non-Microsoft items and see if the problem has gone
away, then add your items back one by one rebooting each time till the
problem returns. That should narrow it down .

Richard.

..

I'd be looking at hardware problems.

 

[billurie]

Fine suggestion, Richard, but it is so sporadic that,
if it returned at some step, it could be that step,
or it could have been just coincidental. True, though,
that I could narrow it down by backing off and seeing
it go through clean five times, then add the next item
and try it five times, then go back that one step, ad
infinitum. It would take (estimated) 1/2 hour to do
five reboots for one step, and there are a *lot* of
steps. I'll keep it in mind, and thank you.

As for hardware, Harry....I don't follow. You mean booting up
some piece of hardware, Creative PC Camera, Visioneer Scanner,
whatever, could act differently on successive boot-ups?

You could have a go at using selective start up. On the start up tab of
Msconfig turn off all non-Microsoft items and see if the problem has gone
away, then add your items back one by one rebooting each time till the
problem returns. That should narrow it down .

Richard.

.

I'd be looking at hardware problems.
--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell\User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp

Too frequently my XP/SP2 will boot to where the
Desktop icons are complete and fully colored, but
it stops loading with the toolbar icons only
partially showing, meaning that it has stopped
loading programs. No way out but to recycle power.
Then, MOST times (but not always), booting to
"last remembered working system" will cause it to
boot all the way. Into Safe Mode it will always boot.

No viruses present; no worms; and I've run chkdsk/r
three times from Safe Mode and still sometimes it
takes two or more cycles to get it to load fully.

What additional investigatory or clean-up steps
can I take? Thanks..........

 

[Hawkins]

Sorry Bill ,
I was mixing up services and start ups. Disable all the start ups and see if
the problem has gone away. If it has then put back half of them and reboot
two or three times ,if clear the problem is in the other half so enable half
of those etc.etc. This is a quicker method than going through them one by
one.

Richard.

Fine suggestion, Richard, but it is so sporadic that,
if it returned at some step, it could be that step,
or it could have been just coincidental. True, though,
that I could narrow it down by backing off and seeing
it go through clean five times, then add the next item
and try it five times, then go back that one step, ad
infinitum. It would take (estimated) 1/2 hour to do
five reboots for one step, and there are a *lot* of
steps. I'll keep it in mind, and thank you.

As for hardware, Harry....I don't follow. You mean booting up
some piece of hardware, Creative PC Camera, Visioneer Scanner,
whatever, could act differently on successive boot-ups?

You could have a go at using selective start up. On the start up tab of
Msconfig turn off all non-Microsoft items and see if the problem has gone
away, then add your items back one by one rebooting each time till the
problem returns. That should narrow it down .

Richard.

.

I'd be looking at hardware problems.
--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell\User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp


Too frequently my XP/SP2 will boot to where the
Desktop icons are complete and fully colored, but
it stops loading with the toolbar icons only
partially showing, meaning that it has stopped
loading programs. No way out but to recycle power.
Then, MOST times (but not always), booting to
"last remembered working system" will cause it to
boot all the way. Into Safe Mode it will always boot.

No viruses present; no worms; and I've run chkdsk/r
three times from Safe Mode and still sometimes it
takes two or more cycles to get it to load fully.

What additional investigatory or clean-up steps
can I take? Thanks..........

 

[Harry Ohrn]

Bill from what you described in your original post leads me to believe that
your problem is hardware related not software related. If this was my system
I would have the hardware tested before I wasted more time trying to ferret
out possible software issues. If all of your hardware checks out then go
back to software troubleshooting.

--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell\User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp

Fine suggestion, Richard, but it is so sporadic that,
if it returned at some step, it could be that step,
or it could have been just coincidental. True, though,
that I could narrow it down by backing off and seeing
it go through clean five times, then add the next item
and try it five times, then go back that one step, ad
infinitum. It would take (estimated) 1/2 hour to do
five reboots for one step, and there are a *lot* of
steps. I'll keep it in mind, and thank you.

As for hardware, Harry....I don't follow. You mean booting up
some piece of hardware, Creative PC Camera, Visioneer Scanner,
whatever, could act differently on successive boot-ups?

You could have a go at using selective start up. On the start up tab of
Msconfig turn off all non-Microsoft items and see if the problem has gone
away, then add your items back one by one rebooting each time till the
problem returns. That should narrow it down .

Richard.

.

I'd be looking at hardware problems.
--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell\User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp


Too frequently my XP/SP2 will boot to where the
Desktop icons are complete and fully colored, but
it stops loading with the toolbar icons only
partially showing, meaning that it has stopped
loading programs. No way out but to recycle power.
Then, MOST times (but not always), booting to
"last remembered working system" will cause it to
boot all the way. Into Safe Mode it will always boot.

No viruses present; no worms; and I've run chkdsk/r
three times from Safe Mode and still sometimes it
takes two or more cycles to get it to load fully.

What additional investigatory or clean-up steps
can I take? Thanks..........