Win XP will not boot in safe mode

[redfish]

I can not get windows XP to boot in safe mode. I was about to use the recovery disk to repair the windows but I don't have a recent backup. First, is there a way to back up with out booting up? Second any suggestions besides safe mode to boot up windows.

 

[Smokey Bear]

What happens when you try to boot up? Does it do the POST? (Power On Self Test) where it checks your drives, RAM etc. ? Can you get to the setup menu when it first turns on? Need more description. If it does the POST, is it recognizing all your drives? And RAM? Can you get to the Boot Menu to choose Safe Mode?

 

[redfish]

I can get to the boot menu and choose safe mode, but once the blue logo screen pops, it stays there.

 

[Smokey Bear]

Anything change recently? New software, software/Windows update? Virus scan update? Any new hardware devices? Have you tried "last known good configuration"? Do you have a Windows boot disk?

 

[Smokey Bear]

Forgot to ask - are you getting the Blue Screen of Death or the blue Windows boot screen?

 

[lisagruhot]

The same thing happened to me about a week ago. The only way that I finally got it to boot was to use a windows disc and had to do the repair installation.

 

[redfish]

I tried the last good configuration already. The system did not boot. I have a new lapper and left this one at my office running for a week or so. Now it won't boot. I haven't added anything to it. I do have the Toshiba recovery disk, but it looks like I will lose all my hard drive data. I have not done the sp3 update, as I know some folks are having diffuculty with that.

The problem started when I started it and it began beeping and gave me a message about something I dont's recall because my attention was drawn to the bottom I of the message where it stated that physical memeory dump was in process, and then below that it stated that physcial memeory dump was complete. I think this thing crashed and I am gonna have to wipe it clean.

 

[redfish]

The same thing happened to me about a week ago. The only way that I finally got it to boot was to use a windows disc and had to do the repair installation.

did you lose data or have all your files backed up. I have a few files that are not backed up and that I cannot afford to lose.

 

[lisagruhot]

If the repair installation works then you should not lose your data, but if it won't let you do it and you have to do a new install you will lose it. It has happened to me on my laptop and on my desktop. On my desktop it let me repair it and on my laptop I had to do a new install. I had my files backed up on my laptop, but not on my desktop so luckily it let me repair in on the desktop.

 

[Smokey Bear]

You can take it to Best Buy or whatever and they can recover the disk for you. Chances are something did an automatic download when you left it running and the update got interrupted, leaving Windows corrupt. Reinstalling Windows from a recovery disk should only reinstall windows but leave your data ok, but double check this. The only hard part is you have to reinstall ALL of your software after doing that. Might be better to take it in, if there's a virus it can probably be cleaned up. I have a hard drive the works just fine as a secondary disk, but not a boot disk, so it's possible they can get to it and clean itup.