Reboot repeating

hudders · 21-03-2008, 09:12 PM

My PC froze during a disk clean - sounded like an aircraft taking off too. However, when I tried to stop the action, the screen froze and I switched off and restarted PC. Problem is now that it won't boot up! Gets past the Windows XP splash screen, goes black for a few seconds, then simply reboots, and simply keeps doing it! I have tried rebooting in safe mode but to no avail. I am loathe to do a system restore as I think I'll lose so much. Help anyone??? Using Windows XP Pro by the way.

ferg · 22-03-2008, 09:45 AM

If you press F8 just after the initial post screen (just after it has listed what's inside your computer) you should get to a boot menu for xp, can you get it to start up in safe mode? (this loads xp with minimal driver/services)

hudders · 22-03-2008, 11:05 AM

That was he first thing I tried - PC doesn't seem to recognise Hard Drive at all!! HAve taken it to PC World who told me that with the info they could see: "Hard Drive is fried"!! I am currently trying System Recovery Disk and hoping to retrieve some files afterwards. If my new PC had arrived this week, I wouldn't be in this position!! Karma...?

Ghostman 1 · 22-03-2008, 02:25 PM

Sounds like the power supply, Smell the top of the power supply where the fan is, does it smell like electrical burn smell ? Also could be your Processor fan went bad. check both if you can..

hudders · 22-03-2008, 03:51 PM

Went to PC World earlier. They checked it and said Hard Drive is "Fried"!!! Now waiting for new PC to arrive! Thanks anyway

Ghostman 1 · 22-03-2008, 06:39 PM

Why not just get another hard drive ????

hudders · 22-03-2008, 07:01 PM

PC is 4 years old and it was more or less time to get another. This just forced the timing! New one is far higher spec too...

nicky9499 · 23-03-2008, 04:55 AM

It's nice to have a new computer, but the next time this happens and it doesn't feel like the best time to get a new computer try this.

The moment you hear any weird sound at all, pull the plug immediately, forget about whatever work you're doing. The next thing you want to do is get a spare power supply and see if the machine boots up. A fried psu normally means a fried everything-inside-the-case if the pc continues to run. In this scenario, your fried power supply may have damaged the hard disk's logic board only. Platters in general are damaged by impacts and read/write heads dragging across it's surface. A cheap fix to this (if the information's important) is to get a new logic board (the chip below the drive) of the same manufacturer and firmware and replace it. I did this because the information was of far more value than the effort spent trying to get a new logic board. Hardware manufacturers do not (as far as I know) sell logic board separately, so you'll need to get a new drive, just buy something real cheap like 10 gigs.

In my case, my hard disk rose from the dead.

hudders · 24-03-2008, 10:09 AM

Pity I hadn't backed info up onto DVD!! Thanks for gthe advice = will be listening carefully for anything like that again in future!! Technician did say that: "If its any consolation, you have a good system there - despite the fried drive!". Hard lesson, but I did want a new PC anyway!!! Thanks again for help.

21-03-2008, 09:12 PM	#1 (permalink) Top
hudders Geek Trainee Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 5 Status: Offline	Reboot repeating My PC froze during a disk clean - sounded like an aircraft taking off too. However, when I tried to stop the action, the screen froze and I switched off and restarted PC. Problem is now that it won't boot up! Gets past the Windows XP splash screen, goes black for a few seconds, then simply reboots, and simply keeps doing it! I have tried rebooting in safe mode but to no avail. I am loathe to do a system restore as I think I'll lose so much. Help anyone??? Using Windows XP Pro by the way.

22-03-2008, 09:45 AM	#2 (permalink) Top
ferg Manbearpig Join Date: May 2004 Age: 25 Male Posts: 539 Times Helpful: 26 My Mood: Innocent Status: Offline My Computer	If you press F8 just after the initial post screen (just after it has listed what's inside your computer) you should get to a boot menu for xp, can you get it to start up in safe mode? (this loads xp with minimal driver/services) __________________ FREE STUFF Spybot S&D Ad-Aware Spyware Blaster Comodo Free Firewall Speedfan Ad Block Plus (Plugin for Firefox)

23-03-2008, 04:55 AM	#8 (permalink) Top
nicky9499 Geek Trainee Join Date: Feb 2008 Age: 15 Male Posts: 36 My Mood: Bored Status: Offline	It's nice to have a new computer, but the next time this happens and it doesn't feel like the best time to get a new computer try this. The moment you hear any weird sound at all, pull the plug immediately, forget about whatever work you're doing. The next thing you want to do is get a spare power supply and see if the machine boots up. A fried psu normally means a fried everything-inside-the-case if the pc continues to run. In this scenario, your fried power supply may have damaged the hard disk's logic board only. Platters in general are damaged by impacts and read/write heads dragging across it's surface. A cheap fix to this (if the information's important) is to get a new logic board (the chip below the drive) of the same manufacturer and firmware and replace it. I did this because the information was of far more value than the effort spent trying to get a new logic board. Hardware manufacturers do not (as far as I know) sell logic board separately, so you'll need to get a new drive, just buy something real cheap like 10 gigs. In my case, my hard disk rose from the dead. Last edited by nicky9499; 23-03-2008 at 04:58 AM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Strange reboot with an MSI P35	RHochstenbach	CPU, Motherboards and Memory	10	01-10-2007 08:24 AM
Reboot Fails	Ditch	CPU, Motherboards and Memory	1	06-03-2007 01:01 AM
XP crash, reboot	uzzle	Windows OS's	6	05-07-2006 11:12 PM
Automatic reboot...	xxxxxposed	General Hardware	4	01-03-2005 10:30 PM
Computer reboot problem!	Raven	General Hardware	2	01-02-2004 01:13 PM

22-03-2008, 11:05 AM	#3 (permalink) Top
hudders Geek Trainee Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 5 Status: Offline	That was he first thing I tried - PC doesn't seem to recognise Hard Drive at all!! HAve taken it to PC World who told me that with the info they could see: "Hard Drive is fried"!! I am currently trying System Recovery Disk and hoping to retrieve some files afterwards. If my new PC had arrived this week, I wouldn't be in this position!! Karma...?

22-03-2008, 02:25 PM	#4 (permalink) Top
Ghostman 1 Ultra Geek Join Date: May 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 736 Times Helpful: 34 My Mood: Mellow Status: Offline	Sounds like the power supply, Smell the top of the power supply where the fan is, does it smell like electrical burn smell ? Also could be your Processor fan went bad. check both if you can..

22-03-2008, 03:51 PM	#5 (permalink) Top
hudders Geek Trainee Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 5 Status: Offline	Went to PC World earlier. They checked it and said Hard Drive is "Fried"!!! Now waiting for new PC to arrive! Thanks anyway

22-03-2008, 06:39 PM	#6 (permalink) Top
Ghostman 1 Ultra Geek Join Date: May 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 736 Times Helpful: 34 My Mood: Mellow Status: Offline	Why not just get another hard drive ????

22-03-2008, 07:01 PM	#7 (permalink) Top
hudders Geek Trainee Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 5 Status: Offline	PC is 4 years old and it was more or less time to get another. This just forced the timing! New one is far higher spec too...

24-03-2008, 10:09 AM	#9 (permalink) Top
hudders Geek Trainee Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 5 Status: Offline	Pity I hadn't backed info up onto DVD!! Thanks for gthe advice = will be listening carefully for anything like that again in future!! Technician did say that: "If its any consolation, you have a good system there - despite the fried drive!". Hard lesson, but I did want a new PC anyway!!! Thanks again for help.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)