How to troubleshoot Windows XP system startup failure

If your computer's power is turned on and Windows XP is not booting properly, don't worry about why it won't start. First, find out why the computer can't start, and then solve the problem according to the problem. This is something you need to take. Troubleshooting means. The following is a list of possible problems and ways to solve them.

1. Using the Windows Boot Disk

If the boot problem is caused by the boot record of the active partition or the file used by the operating system being booted, the boot disk can solve the problem. The specific method is as follows:

Create a Windows boot disk, find a Windows XP machine with similar configuration and working normally, open my computer, right click and select the disk icon, then select format in the subsequent menu. . When the formatting dialog appears, keep all the default settings and click the Start button.

When the formatting operation is completed, close the formatting dialog and return to My Computer. Double-click the C: drive icon to access the root directory and copy the three files Boot.ini, NTLDR, and Ntdetect.com to disk. on. After creating the Windows boot disk, insert it into the drive of the failed system and press [Ctrl][Alt][Delete] to restart the computer.

2, use the last correct configuration

You can also try to start the operating system with the last correct configuration. This feature allows you to cancel any problem-causing changes made on the CurrentControlSet key of the registry, which defines the hardware and drive settings. The Known Good Configuration function replaces the current key value with the CurrentControlSet key value that was last started by the system. The specific method is as follows:

First press [Ctrl][Alt][Delete] to restart the computer. When you see “Please select the operating system to start" on the screen, or hear a beep from the computer, press [F8] and the Windows Advanced Options menu will appear on the screen. Select the “Last Known Good Configuration” option from the menu and press [Enter]. Keep in mind that you only have one chance to use the Last Known Good Configuration feature.

3, system recovery

Another tool that can help solve Windows XP startup problems is system recovery. System recovery runs as a service in the background and continuously monitors changes to critical system components. When it finds that a change is imminent, system recovery immediately makes a backup copy of the recovery point for these important components before the change occurs, and the default setting for system recovery is to create a recovery point every 24 hours. The specific method is as follows:

First press [Ctrl][Alt][Delete] to restart the computer. When you see “Please select the operating system to start" on the screen, or hear a beep from the computer, press [F8] and the Windows Advanced Options menu will appear on the screen. Now select Safe Mode from the menu and press [Enter]. When Windows XP enters safe mode, click the Start button, select the All Programs Accessories System Tools menu, and select System Recovery. Click Next to select a recovery point and start the recovery process.

4, use Recovery Console

If Windows XP startup problems are more serious. You can boot the system using the Windows XP CD and then use a tool called Recovery Console. Here's how:

Insert the Windows XP CD into the CD-ROM drive of the failed computer and press [Ctrl][Alt][Delete] to restart the computer. Once the system is booted from the CD, it is easy to load the basic files needed for booting as prompted. When you see the Welcome To Setup screen, press the R key to enter the Recovery Console. Then you will see the Recovery Console menu. It shows the folder containing the operating system files and prompts you to select the operating system you plan to log in to. You need to enter the serial number on the menu on the keyboard, and then you will be prompted to enter the administrator password, you will enter the main Recovery Console prompt page.

5, repair the damaged Boot.ini

With the Windows XP operating system loading, the Ntldr program points to the Boot.ini file to determine the location of the operating system files, and which startup to choose Option. So if there is a problem with the Boot.ini file, the Windows XP system will not start. You can fix it using the special version of the Recovery Console Bootcfg tool. Of course, you must first reboot the system with the Windows XP CD and open the Recovery Console as described in #4. You can call the Bootcfg tool like this: At the Recovery Console command prompt, type Bootcfg /parameter where /parameter is one of these required parameters:

/Add: Scan all Windows installations to help you Add any new content to the Boot.ini file.

/Scan: Search all Windows installations.

/List: Lists all entries for the Boot.ini file.

/Default: Set the default operating system as the primary boot entry.

/Rebuild: Re-create the Boot.ini file completely. The user must confirm each step.

/Redirect: Allows the operating system to redefine to a specific port when using the Headless Administration feature. Redefinition consists of two parameters: [Port Baudrate] [UseBiosSettings].

/Disableredirect: Disable redirection.

6, repair the damaged partition boot record

partition boot sector is a small part of the hard disk partition, which contains information about the file system in the operating system and a small machine language Programs, which are critical to helping the operating system start. If you suspect that the startup problem with Windows XP is caused by the partition boot sector being corrupted, you can fix it using a tool called Fixboot in the Recovery Console. First, start the system with the Windows XP CD and open the Recovery Console as described in #4. You can call the Fixboot tool like this: At the Recovery Console command prompt, type Fixboot [drive]: [drive] represents the partition where you want the newly created partition boot sector to be located.

7, repair the damaged master boot sector

The main boot sector occupies the first sector of the hard disk, responsible for the Window boot program. The primary boot sector contains the disk partition table and a small program called the master boot code, which is responsible for locating activity 0, bootable disk, and partition in the partition table. Once it is destroyed, the partition boot sector will take over and start loading Windows. If the main boot sector is corrupted, the partition boot sector will not be able to do this and Windows will not be able to boot.

If you suspect that the boot problem with Windows XP is caused by the destruction of the primary boot sector, you can fix it using the Fixmbr tool in the Recovery Console. First, start the system with the Windows XP CD and open the Recovery Console as described in #4. You can call the Fixmbr tool like this: At the Recovery Console command prompt, type Fixmbr [device_name]:[device_name] is the pathname of the device where you want the new primary boot sector. For example, the device path name is formatted according to the standard bootable drive C drive: DeviceHardDisk0.

8. Disable automatic restart

If Windows XP encounters a fatal error, the default setting for handling this error is to automatically restart the system. If the error is generated during the Windows XP boot process, the operating system will fall into the infinite loop of restart —— iteratively restarts and cannot be restored.

In this case, you need to disable the auto-restart feature. To do this, when Windows XP starts up, when you see “Please select the operating system to start”, or after you hear a beep, press [F8] to open the Windows Advanced Options menu.

Then, select to disable automatic restart in the event of a system failure, then press [Enter]. Now Windows XP will hang when it encounters a problem, it will give a stop message that you can use to diagnose the problem.

9. Recovery Backup

If you can't fix a Windows XP system with a boot failure, but have a recent backup, you can restore the system from the backup media. The method used to recover your system depends on the backup tool you use, so you need to restore the system according to the instructions of the backup tool.

10, in-place upgrade

If you can't fix the Windows XP system with boot problems and haven't backed up recently, you can do an in-place upgrade. Reinstalling the operating system in the same folder is like upgrading from one Windows version to another. In-place upgrades can solve at most most of the problems if they don't solve all Windows startup problems. Here's how:

Insert the Windows XP CD into your drive and restart your system from the CD. After the initial preparation is complete, you will see the Windows XP installation screen.

Press [Enter] to enter the Windows XP installer. Soon, you will see the license agreement page, then you need to press [F8] to confirm that you agree to the agreement.

Then the installer searches the hard drive for the previously installed Windows XP. When it finds the previously installed Windows XP, you will see a second Windows XP installation interface appearing on the screen. The interface will prompt you to press R to repair, or you can press [Esc] to reinstall a Windows XP.

In this case, repairing the system is the same as doing an in-place upgrade, so you can fix it by pressing the R key. After you have chosen it, the installer will check the disk where the system is located and then start an in-place upgrade. After an in-place upgrade or repair system, you must reinstall all Windows updates.

There are many reasons why the computer can't be started, but it is not helpful to solve the problem, so please solve the problem according to the above methods.