Windows XP wont Boot

[Panda]

Can someone offer any help other than burn it. No matter what I try I can't get the laptop to work.

Problem:

when I start it, it comes up with a screen apologising for the inconvenience but windows has experienced a problem and cant start, asks me to start at last known good point, or start windows normally etc. No matter what I do it will not go past the XP page with the green progress bar.

Tried to start in safe mode, boot log, and any other option it gave me but every time it gets to the graphic driver? atisgkaf.sys it freezes

Other things I've tried that haven't worked,

1. enter bios and reset to default for boot sequence

2. start with recovery disc in cd drive

3. start with recovery dvd in drive

4. start from external drive via usb and change boot sequence to action that first

In the case of the cd/dvd drive it appears to run then stops

I've looked on the web for an answer by putting the driver it freezes at in google and it would appear that loads of people have experienced this but I cant find a solution. Getting deperate now as I'm away on a course at the weekend for three weeks and could really do with it for presentations and my music/tele etc. Any whizzes got a possible solution I'm not particularly computer literate so cant try and rewrite programmes etc and I cant even access the internals (its a Cybermaxx/medion) even after removing all the screws.


Desperate of Lincs

Hi Panda, reading up on your problem sounds like it is an XP service pack 2 issue..
have you recently installed service pack 2??

odd about your cd/dvd not working on boot, go into bios and check that the cd/dvd drive is the first start up device (this may not be the default) if it is after your hdd your pc will not boot from it.

if you get it to boot i suggest recovering it (wipe and start again)

[Panda]

Dru,
thanks for the reply. Haven't loaded anything onto the laptop problem just occurred Checked the BIOS setting for the start up and all appears ok so am really lost. Been out and priced a new laptop tonight but not prepared to spend alot after this, PC World seem to have a good offer on a Sony Vaio which may tempt me as it should be reliable and I could do with one quick.

Cheers

[Hawkeye]

Sounds like a corrupt video driver but that should not stop it booting on safe mode, most strange. When you go to safe mode there is no video driver loaded, it will start in a basic 640*480 and 16 colours, look bloody awful but you can get in.

The bios should not have altered if you have not been in it unless the batt goes flat.

I personally have never had any probs with SP2, in fact it is much more stable tha SP1.

Manufacturers of laptops sometimes have special drivers written for their own specific requirements. You should get a CD with the laptop as well as a backup cd, maybe. Some of them ask you to buy it for a 'nominal' fee. The driver cd should be free though.

Try visiting the laptop manufacturer's web page and look for an updated video driver.

[Gary_M]

I had a similar problem with my PC earlier in the year. I was experiencing crashes and the BSOD message pointed to my ATI graphics driver being the culprid. Long story short it turned out to be corrupt boot sectors on the hard disk. £45 later I had a bigger, better and faster hard drive and after a clean XP install, my cyber world was restored.

[Panda]

Thanks again guys,

Hawkeye, got the discs with the computer but cant get in from any angle to get the discs to load and boot the system. Even downloading an updated driver, wouldn't be able to install as can't get into the operating system

Paragon, may try the HD option as even at £45 it is cheaper than £35 an hour for someone to look at it and I could do without the bill at the mo.

Cheers

Panda

Hi Panda,

Just a thought, but have you tried booting it from cold with your original XP disc, chosing to over-write tour OS. Although your disc may be the original, or SP1, you could still access your drive to do a checkdisk from there. Failing that do a checkdisk from the command prompt only.

Still mixed up, email me on Bespoke.PCs06@ntlworld.com and I'll try to find something else (I only charge £20/hour, by the way, and build new PCs cheaper than the high street, and to your spec.....)

Panhead Pete

Or even the motherboard system CD.....

[dpb-RK]

Our Tom recently had a similar problem with a pc, fixed by following advice on this thread

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/phpbb/viewtop...539f70d8b2851f