Windows xp boot issue

Somehow your MBR (Master Boot Record) likely got corrupted or possibly your hard drive went bad coincidentally.

Simply, you will start your computer from your Windows CD/DVD install disk, then when at a DOS prompt ( D:\ ) you will then type: FDISK /MBR (press enter).

Find your Operating System install DVD and start your computer with it, then follow instructions within this discussion:
Restore Windows XP MBR without Windows XP disc

Alternatively, review my search results for other instructions:
fdisk mbr windows xp Google Search

Try removing the power cord then press and hold the power button for 30 seconds. Put the power cord back in the try rebooting.

If it fails try to run the Check Disk Utility.

To run the check disk utility you will need a repair disc ora operating system disc. Put the disc in the cd drive and boot fromit. You want to get to the Dos Command Prompt (Black screen with whiteletters) and type the following command: chkdsk /r
Check disk will run well over an hour or two and you will notice thepercentages going from high to low, this is normal. Let it run tocompletion. Then reboot machine.

If check disk fails to solve your problem you might have to reinstall windows.Try doing a Repair Install that way you don't loose your data, documents,music, pictures, videos or programs.

In windows xp you get to the dos command prompt by selecting R for repair whenthe options appear.

In Vista and Windows 7 you want to get to the recoveryconsole and look down at the bottom of the window for the Dos Command.

Run the Check Disk Utility.

To run the check disk utility you will need a repair disc ora operating system disc. Put the disc in the cd drive and boot fromit. You want to get to the Dos Command Prompt (Black screen with whiteletters) and type the following command: chkdsk /r
Check disk will run well over an hour or two and you will notice thepercentages going from high to low, this is normal. Let it run tocompletion. Then reboot machine.

If check disk fails to solve your problem you might have to reinstall windows.Try doing a Repair Install that way you don't loose your data, documents,music, pictures, videos or programs.

In windows xp you get to the dos command prompt by selecting R for repair whenthe options appear.

In Vista and Windows 7 you want to get to the recoveryconsole and look down at the bottom of the window for the Dos Command.

Unplug it. Works every time.

Run the Check Disk UtilityTo run the check disk utility you will need a repair disc ora operating system disc. Put the disc in the cd drive and boot fromit. You want to get to the Dos Command Prompt (Black screen with whiteletters) and type the following command: chkdsk /r
Check disk will run well over an hour or two and you will notice thepercentages going from high to low, this is normal. Let it run tocompletion. Then reboot machine.

If check disk fails to solve your problem you might have to reinstall windows.Try doing a Repair Install that way you don't loose your data, documents,music, pictures, videos or programs.

In windows xp you get to the dos command prompt by selecting R for repair whenthe options appear.

In Vista and Windows 7 you want to get to the recoveryconsole and look down at the bottom of the window for the Dos Command.

Hi John,

I see you mentioned you update IE9 then you now get a blank screen...

If I may ask the blank screen showed up after the update or did it show up after restarting the computer?

If your getting a Blank screen when you boot into windows after the IE9 update, try rebooting then boot into Safemode.

Restart you computer then as soon as you see the Boot screen of you computer keep on Tapping f8 to get a list select safemode, then once it boots into safemode windows will load up in safemode on the issue and you can navigate arround to fix things that went wrong.

click on the Start Button on the lower left of the task bar then, click on Programs, select accessories then select system tools, look for system restore then select the option select a different restore point, on the window you may see a list of restore points hoping your system restore was turned on in the very beginning, once you have selected a restore point keep on clicking next then a warning will show just click next again then it will restart your computer.

System restore allows you to restore to a date where you had windows working fine without any problems so if you can get a restore point before updating IE9 then it is possible that you may be able to fix you windows back the way it was.

I hope that this will help,

michaelvincentc

If the computer boots in to safe mode fine, you more than likely have a virus or spyware interfering with the boot process.

Windows also could have corruption on it.
Insert your windows XP CD and boot the computer, you may need to set your boot order in BIOS so tht CD is first.

Once the CD loads Run the recovery console Select 1 for the C: drive if it asks for a password this is generally blank or will be the password on the "Administrator" account you see when you boot to windows in safemode

Once in the recovery console do a chkdsk /f command
This is will check for errors on the disk and can fix a lot of boot issues
I would also suggest typing the command mbrfix to replace the master boot record.

If it still will not boot you may need to reinstall windows xp

Try unplugging the monitor and then restart, and then go back to default settings.

Try and do a XP repair: Boot the PC with a Win XP cd.
When you boot with the Win XP install CD-ROM, it loads a minimal operating system, similar to DOS, but compatible with Win XP. At the first screen you select install Win XP (not Recovery Console) and at the next screen it will find that you already have Win XP and offer to attempt a repair. This repair should not touch your applications, it just reinstalls the Windows files. This is great because when it works you don't need to reinstall all your software.
If I could be of further assistance, let me know. If this helps or solves the issue, please rate it.
Thanks, Joe



I’m happy to assist further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/joe_8b8c2cd6ce148309

Insert the original Windows XP "System Restore" CD-ROM,
and tell your computer to "boot" from it.

Does it boot, and get to a screen that asks you "do you really want to ...", or does it stop at a "blank" screen?

If it "stops", you have a "hardware" problem.
If it "asks", then either:
* your disk-drive has failed, or is about to fail,
* your installed copy of Windows is messed-up, and it cannot complete the "boot" process.

Take your computer to a computer-store, for more trouble-shooting.

How to get to a MS-DOS prompt.
Reason: If Windows or the computer is not operating properly, it may be necessary to get to a MS-DOS prompt to diagnose and to perform additional troubleshooting on the computer.
Solution: MS-DOS users
Windows 3.x users
Windows 95, 98 and ME users
Windows NT, 2000 and XP users
Windows Vista users
Other PC Operating System users
MS-DOS users If you are running MS-DOS with no other operating systems, the computer should be booting into a MS-DOS prompt automatically unless you have a shell or other program loading automatically. If the computer is not getting you to a MS-DOS prompt, reboot the computer and as the computer is booting, press the F5 key when you see the message "Starting MS-DOS" or the MS-DOS version. This will load the default standard MS-DOS. If you successfully get to a MS-DOS prompt and would like to prevent the computer from loading the program that is preventing you from getting to a MS-DOS prompt, or if you would like to fix possible error messages you may be receiving when booting the computer, edit the autoexec.bat and/or the config.sys files.

Windows 95, 98, and ME users If you are able to get into Windows 95, 98 or ME, you can get to a MS-DOS prompt by following the below steps.

1. Click Start
2. Click Run
3. Type "command" and press enter.

This will open a MS-DOS shell. However, if you are attempting to troubleshoot an issue with the computer and are using Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows 98we suggest you restart the computer into MS-DOS. To do this follow the below steps.

1. Click Start
2. Click Shutdown
3. Choose the option to restart the computer into a MS-DOS prompt.

If you are unable to get into Windows 95 or Windows 98 to get into a MS-DOS prompt, follow the below instructions (Windows ME does not have this option).

1. Reboot the computer
2. As the computer is booting, press the F8 key when you hear a beep or when you see "Starting Windows 95" or "Starting Windows 98". Windows 98 users sometimes may find it easier to press and hold the left CTRL key as the computer is booting.
3. If done properly the user should get to a screen similar to the below screen.

Microsoft Windows 95 Startup Menu
============================= 1. Normal
2. Logged (\BOOTLOG.TXT)
3. Safe mode
4. Step-by-step confirmation
5. Command prompt only
6. Safe mode command prompt only
Enter a choice: 1
F5=Safe Mode Shift+F5=Command prompt Shift+F8= Step-by-step confirmation [N]

4. Select the option for Safe mode command prompt only.
Windows NT, 2000, XP, and Vista users If you're running Windows NT, 2000, or Windows XP and need to get to MS-DOS prompt follow the below steps.

1. Click Start
2. Click Run or click in the "Start Search" field if you're running Vista
3. Type "cmd" or "command" and press enter.

Additional information about the difference between "cmd" and "command" can be found on document CH000395. If you're attempting to get into a MS-DOS prompt to troubleshoot the computer boot the computer into safe mode. Additional information about how to get into safe mode can be found on document CHSAFE. Windows 2000, XP, and Vista users who are unable to boot the computer into Normal Windows mode or Safe mode can also enter the recovery console to manage their computer from a prompt. Additional information about how to do this can be found on document CH000627. Finally, if you are experiencing issues getting into Windows NT, 2000, or XP, it may be necessary to run troubleshooting steps from a MS-DOS prompt. It is recommended that the Network Administrator get into the MS-DOS prompt by using either a standard MS-DOS boot diskette (note: will not be able to access data using a standard MS-DOS bootable diskette) or the ERD diskettes created after the installation of Windows NT, or boot from the Windows XP CD.


Index

Category:
MS-DOS Q&A

Companies:
Microsoft

Related Pages:
MS-DOS
Safe Mode
Resolved

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