Unable to boot windows - Please help!!!

Status
Not open for further replies.
I currently have a major problem with my Toshiba laptop (Windows XP Home Edition). When starting it up, it gives the message that Windows did not load successfuly, choose startup option (safe mode, last known good, normal, etc). Whichever one I choose, it begins to boot up, but just before it finishes I get a flicker of a blue screen and then it restarts. It keeps going round in this loop until I turn it off.

I've read about the repair windows function, but I only have the Toshiba recovery disk which doesn't seem to have that option.

Does anybody have any ideas of what I can do? I'm panicking as I have 2 years worth of photos in my shared documents folder that are not backed up and only half of them developed, so I'd be devestated if I lost them. (I know I should have backed them up, I actually bought some CDs 2 days before to do just that!!)

If it wasn't for them, I'd happily format the hard-drive.

If anybody can help I will be eternally gratefull!!!
 
Are you sure you do not have a recovery or repair mode available in your Recovery CD? If not, can you borrow a WinXP Installation CD or an OEM WinXP Reinstallation CD from someone? To use the installation CD to enter and use the recovery console will not be illegal, as long as you do not make a clean installation of WinXP. And, once you are in the recovery console you can install it on your HDD so you will have it in the future:

Here are some links which may be useful for you:

How to install and use the recovery console in Windows:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q307654&

How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of WinXP:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315341/en-us

How to perform an in-place upgrade/repair of WinXP
https://www.techspot.com/vb/topic8356.html
 
Hi, thanks for your reply.

I read that doing the windows recovery/repair will wipe your "Shared Documents" folder. Is this true or is there a way around this?

Unfortunately the critical data I need to retrieve is in that folder!

I would be able to borrow a CD though if I need it.

Thanks again.
 
markh82 said:
I read that doing the windows recovery/repair will wipe your "Shared Documents" folder. Is this true or is there a way around this?

I don't know how the "shared documents" folder is affected. I will do some research and post back. Perhaps some other member can answer this question.

In the meantime, an alternative you should consider if you have access to another computer, is to re-jumper your HDD to slave and install it in the other computer and copy all the data you want to save to another medium. Once you have saved all the data (photos) you want, your approach to the problem of fixing your OS installation becomes far simpler.
 
Thanks, I went with your suggestion and retrieved all of my data. The hard-drive turned out to be damaged beyond repair, so had to fit a new one.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back