Reboot and press F8 before Windows starts to load. Choose Last Known Good from the menu. If that works, shut down normally and reboot normally.
If that doesn't help, you may want to run chkdsk on the hard drive. Reboot from the Dell Windows Reinstallation CD. Press R at first screen to open the Recovery Console. At C:\ prompt, type in:
chkdsk c: /r
Press Enter
Go take a nice long nap!
When it's done, remove the Windows disk and reboot. If you're lucky....
If that doesn't help, you may need to run a Repair/Reinstall of Windows. Personal files will be ok, but you will have to reinstall a lot of Microsoft updates and hotfixes again. In order to run the repair, the Windows disk must have the same version of the OS (eg, XP Home or XP Pro) and the same Service Pack as installed on the hard drive (eg, SP3).
And be sure to back up your personal files on external media, in case this was the first indication of a hard drive failure.
Yes...it did not work. Looks like I'm going to have to take the hard drive out, attach it to a desktop, backup the needed files, and re-install the os. Thanks for your suggestions.
What happens if you reboot, press F8 and choose Last Known Good from the menu? If that works, shut down normally and reboot normally. Then back up your files!
And what happens if you choose Safe Mode from the F8 menu?
If this is the original hard drive and not previously reformatted, you should have PC Restore on the drive. It'll reset everything to the factory configuration in about 10 min. You will have to reinstall the XP Service Pack(s) and all other Microsoft updates and hotfixes. Personal files and software you installed will be lost so you have to back them up first. That's easier and faster than a clean install.
Access PC Restore by rebooting and pressing Ctrl-F11 on an XP system right after you see the blue stripe across the top of the screen. Follow the prompts...
Thanks again. None of the above worked so I had to copy the personal files I needed by connecting the hard drive to a desktop and then restore it back to original. Thanks again.
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
February 23rd, 2013 16:00
Win XP? What PC model?
You can try this:
Reboot and press F8 before Windows starts to load. Choose Last Known Good from the menu. If that works, shut down normally and reboot normally.
If that doesn't help, you may want to run chkdsk on the hard drive. Reboot from the Dell Windows Reinstallation CD. Press R at first screen to open the Recovery Console. At C:\ prompt, type in:
chkdsk c: /r
Press Enter
Go take a nice long nap!
When it's done, remove the Windows disk and reboot. If you're lucky....
If that doesn't help, you may need to run a Repair/Reinstall of Windows. Personal files will be ok, but you will have to reinstall a lot of Microsoft updates and hotfixes again. In order to run the repair, the Windows disk must have the same version of the OS (eg, XP Home or XP Pro) and the same Service Pack as installed on the hard drive (eg, SP3).
And be sure to back up your personal files on external media, in case this was the first indication of a hard drive failure.
davide0721
1 Rookie
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4 Posts
0
February 25th, 2013 06:00
XP os, Inspiron 600m dell
RoHe
10 Elder
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45.2K Posts
0
February 25th, 2013 15:00
Did you try any of my suggestions?
davide0721
1 Rookie
•
4 Posts
0
February 25th, 2013 16:00
Yes...it did not work. Looks like I'm going to have to take the hard drive out, attach it to a desktop, backup the needed files, and re-install the os. Thanks for your suggestions.
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
February 26th, 2013 10:00
What happens if you reboot, press F8 and choose Last Known Good from the menu? If that works, shut down normally and reboot normally. Then back up your files!
And what happens if you choose Safe Mode from the F8 menu?
If this is the original hard drive and not previously reformatted, you should have PC Restore on the drive. It'll reset everything to the factory configuration in about 10 min. You will have to reinstall the XP Service Pack(s) and all other Microsoft updates and hotfixes. Personal files and software you installed will be lost so you have to back them up first. That's easier and faster than a clean install.
Access PC Restore by rebooting and pressing Ctrl-F11 on an XP system right after you see the blue stripe across the top of the screen. Follow the prompts...
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
February 27th, 2013 19:00
You're welcome. Glad you were able to rescue your files.
davide0721
1 Rookie
•
4 Posts
0
February 27th, 2013 19:00
Thanks again. None of the above worked so I had to copy the personal files I needed by connecting the hard drive to a desktop and then restore it back to original. Thanks again.