Cannot get into Safe mode

[haban3ro]

Hi, My name is Haban, and I'm addicted to my PC...

I'm running an eMachines T5254 with 2 HD; master is a WDC WD3200AAJS-22VWA0; slave is a Maxtor 4D040H2. Yes, it's old, but I use it to store music and pics. It has Windows 98. The WDC is my usual boot source, and has Vista Home Basics 32 bit on it.

Monday morning, I tried to start my PC, got past the BIOS & Boot inputs, then the screen had a small flash of color at the bottom, and the PC shut itself down. I started up again, this time hitting the F10 option, and selecting my WDC HD. This time I got to the "Run Startup Repair" or Start Windows Normally options. I selected Startup Repair, but it again produced a small flash of color at the bottom of the screen, and the PC shut itself down.

Next. I attempted to load from my CD\Rom, and it gave me the same 2 options. I again chose startup repair. the system gave me a black screen, with a line at the bottom of the screen indicating that files were loading. As soon as the line came to the end, the PC again shut itself down.

I tried the Start windows normally option from both the HD and the CD, and each time the shutdown was immediate.

I tried booting again from both HD and CD, using F8 to access the Advanced boot options. I selected each option in turn, but the result was always the same. I could not load in Safe mode at all; each time the system shut itself down. I had no error messages to instruct me.

I opened the PC, unseated and reseated all of the connections, and they worked. While I has\d the box open, I gave everything a good cleaning and dusting. (I did not use any cleaners, just a lint-free cloth, and a toothbrush for the stubborn dust on the fan.)

I retried all of the steps above, and still no joy.

Next I tried to boot from the Maxtor HD. This time, I got an error message that I should remove memory resident programs, from my Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files. Safe mode did not work here, either.

I can get to a command prompt, but it's been too many years since I used any DOS commands. All of the advice I've seen here requires the system to at least boot up to the point where Windows in Safe Mode can function, but I can't get there.

What is my next step?


(Buying a new PC is TWO steps away.)

 

[usasma]

I suggest starting all troubleshooting with the following diagnostic tests. They'll save you a lot of time and heartache if there is a hardware failure, and you'll have the disks on hand in case you need them in the future:

H/W Diagnostics:
Please start by running these bootable hardware diagnostics:
Memory Diagnostics (read the details at the link)
HD Diagnostic (read the details at the link)

 

[senojdr2]

Hi, My name is Haban, and I'm addicted to my PC...

I'm running an eMachines T5254 with 2 HD; master is a WDC WD3200AAJS-22VWA0; slave is a Maxtor 4D040H2. Yes, it's old, but I use it to store music and pics. It has Windows 98. The WDC is my usual boot source, and has Vista Home Basics 32 bit on it.

Monday morning, I tried to start my PC, got past the BIOS & Boot inputs, then the screen had a small flash of color at the bottom, and the PC shut itself down. I started up again, this time hitting the F10 option, and selecting my WDC HD. This time I got to the "Run Startup Repair" or Start Windows Normally options. I selected Startup Repair, but it again produced a small flash of color at the bottom of the screen, and the PC shut itself down.

Next. I attempted to load from my CD\Rom, and it gave me the same 2 options. I again chose startup repair. the system gave me a black screen, with a line at the bottom of the screen indicating that files were loading. As soon as the line came to the end, the PC again shut itself down.

I tried the Start windows normally option from both the HD and the CD, and each time the shutdown was immediate.

I tried booting again from both HD and CD, using F8 to access the Advanced boot options. I selected each option in turn, but the result was always the same. I could not load in Safe mode at all; each time the system shut itself down. I had no error messages to instruct me.

I opened the PC, unseated and reseated all of the connections, and they worked. While I has\d the box open, I gave everything a good cleaning and dusting. (I did not use any cleaners, just a lint-free cloth, and a toothbrush for the stubborn dust on the fan.)

I retried all of the steps above, and still no joy.

Next I tried to boot from the Maxtor HD. This time, I got an error message that I should remove memory resident programs, from my Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files. Safe mode did not work here, either.

I can get to a command prompt, but it's been too many years since I used any DOS commands. All of the advice I've seen here requires the system to at least boot up to the point where Windows in Safe Mode can function, but I can't get there.

What is my next step?


(Buying a new PC is TWO steps away.)

Boot computer tap f8 key repeatedly a page with options should appear.Select last known good configuration.This may fix problem.

 

[Lorien]

Boot computer tap f8 key repeatedly a page with options should appear.Select last known good configuration.This may fix problem.

In the initial post it was stated that all the F8 Advanced options had been tried and failed, so this option, while normally a good suggestion, doesn't apply in this situation since it already hasn't worked.

How did the tests suggested by usasma work out - did they come up clean or show any errors (or were you unable to run them)? Those are the most important things to try first, before any of the following suggestions. If they show problems, then you have a hardware problem and can forget the following steps and deal with the hardware issue.

I'm not sure what disk you were using to boot to, but you can make a bootable Recovery Disk using http://neosmart.net/blog/2008/windows-vista-recovery-disc-download/ along with burning software like: http://www.snapfiles.com/get/active-isoburner.html and, of course, a blank CD (perhaps made on a different computer). From this disk you can run System Restore, Startup Repair, Memory Diagnostics, and use the command prompt to do some scans. Depending on the condition of your system and the cause of the problem, these options may or may not work - it's hard to tell at this point.

Do you know when this problem began? Try a System Restore to a point in time BEFORE the problem began. Here's the procedure: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/76905-system-restore-how.html. Be sure to check the box to show more than 5 days of restore points. If the first attempt fails, then try an earlier point or two. NOTE: You will have to re-install any software and updates you installed between now and the restore point, but you can use Windows Update for the updates. Use the recovery disk if the system prompt doesn’t work. The recovery disk works a bit different from the above procedures but if you follow the prompts from the System Restore menu option with the above information you should be able to restore with no problems.

If the System Restore doesn't work, do a Startup Repair by booting to the genuine Windows Vista Installation Disk (or one you can borrow from ANYONE) or from a Recovery Disk with recovery options included on it. Here's the procedure: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/91467-startup-repair.html. To boot to the CD you may need to change the BIOS to make the CD-drive first in the boot sequence. To do that, wait for the screen that tells you the F key to push to access the boot menu or boot setup. Push it quickly. Make the changes, save your work, and exit. Put the CD in the drive and reboot. When prompted, push any key to boot from the CD.

If using the disk, cd to C:\Windows\System32. Type sfc /scannow and enter and let it run. It will scan and try to fix some of your system files. Hopefully it will complete with no corruption it could not repair (if there is such corruption post back here or try to analyze it to find the problem file(s) using http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928228. Try to attach the report (you may need to copy it to a USB flash drive if you can't access the system before it will permit you to attach it - assuming you can access a USB flash drive) here so we can see if they can be repaired with good copies from the installation disk (unless there are too many).

While in Command Prompt, type chkdsk /f /r and enter and let it run. It will want to schedule itself to run at the next restart. Answer yes and then reboot to run the program. It will scan and try to fix any corruption or bad sectors on your hard drive and mostly remove that as a potential cause.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!