Optiplex GX150 endless loop

Question

Hi all,   I was given an older GX150 about 2 wks ago. It was slow then. The previous owner installed XP and complained that it was running too slow. From what I can tell so far is that it is a stock machine. The only thing changed was the ram. It's been bumped up to 512 of PC100. About 3 days ago it started an endless loop. It boots until WXP begins to load and then wants you to start up in Safe Mode. No matter what selection you choose the loop begins all over again. The bios is AO5. The other problem is that I don't have the WXP disc. The original owner gave it to her son to use. I ran the Dell diagnostic CD and it didn't show anything wrong. I have a feeling that it's an XP issue. Big surprise there.   Some help would be great.   Thanks.

shenfoo · Answer

is sp2 on it...         People who point at their wrist while asking for the time.... I know where my watch is pal, where the hello is yours? Do I point at my crotch when I ask where the toilet is?

TA2Z · Answer

Haven't had it running long enough to get it loaded.

snapohead · Answer

Will it boot into safe mode?

TA2Z · Answer

I select safe mode, it starts to load XP, the system reboots and I end up back at the selection screen. Safe mode, network connection, normal. It becomes an endless loop. I'm going to unplug everything and remove the cmos battery for a couple of minutes and try to reboot.

Is it possible to upgrade the bios with XP? I had a poblem doing this on an older system.

It boots now but is very slow. I'm talking slower than slow.

snapohead · Answer

When you unplug everything and remove the battery, press and hold the power button to discharge the capacitors. This will drain the flea power. But i doubt it will fix your problem. In the bios, check that the cpu speed is set to normal and not compatible. It could also require a reload of the OS.

tcsenter · Answer

@TA2Z wrote:

I was given an older GX150 about 2 wks ago. It was slow then. The previous owner installed XP and complained that it was running too slow. From what I can tell so far is that it is a stock machine. The only thing changed was the ram. It's been bumped up to 512 of PC100.

Previous owner didn't complain of endless loop, but after you add RAM the endless loop appears, and you think the problem is Windows XP? lol!

Test the RAM for errors or defects. Also, there have been 5 BIOS updates since version A05. Current version is A10.

shenfoo · Answer

my gx 115 / 256mb / 40hd did the same thing / start the system with the boot disk / make the cd the first boot drive format your hard drive / or add a small hd.2gb or so if you do not wish to lose what you have on your hd. the small hd will will be your boot drive (hd-1) / your old drive will be (hd-2) reinstall windows xp / and i think you will be ok after that... fingers crossed :smileyhappy:

TA2Z · Answer

Thanks, I was able to reformat the hd. I didn't care about losing any data. I didn't have XP to reload the OS so I reverted to 98se.

Things to be running smoothly so far. The previous owner had tons of junk loaded on the hd. The registry was an unsightly mess. So far things are operating smoothly. The only thing I lost was the ability to use the DVD player. I located a newer version of dell windvd from a friend. I loaded the disc and the dvd is back on line.

Somewhere along the way I will upgrade the os. Not now. It runs great for a 10 year old.

Thanks for the help and Happy New Year!

shenfoo · Answer

i did put xp pro on gx 115 and it still works well hope you had a good great xmas / new year :smileyhappy:

Locked Topics – Desktops General

Optiplex GX150 endless loop

Was this post helpful?