laptop does not boot (keeps rebooting) 3

[mazinger]

Hello,

My Laptop, an year old compaq is going in circles and nopt booting up. i was running XP Home and it goes upto windows loading screen, (where the bar goes from left to right) and then it reboots.

I gives an error regarding system32/config/system. i have tried the response from MS but does not work. i had it once chkdsk to the third level but then it stopped there.

it does not boot in safe mode or to dos prompt.

i would appreciate if anyone has any solutions or someway how to extract my info as i have an years worth of prsonal photos that i need to extract.

thank you.

 

[Crowley16]

create a boot cd/disk on another machine, and then use that to boot, since xp doesn't seem to want to come on, you might have to make the boot disk boot to dos...

or if you feel adventurous, you can get your xp install cd and try to repair your windows install, but it is possible you'll loose files this way, esp if you kept your photos under windows directories...

--------------------
Procrastinate Now!

 

[mazinger]

thanks for your input. i did try to reboot using the Home cd but it did not. is their anyway i can take out the HDD and IDE it to my pc and use some anti virus to remove any virus that could have damaged it?.

thanks again.

 

[micker377]

Possibly, if you have the same OS on the desktop - Fat32 can't read NTFS. Get an adapter from 44(?) pin to standard IDE. Set it up on the desktop second IDE port as master (most laptop drives work as master only). Download and use AVG anti-virus (free) if you need one. Once you are straightened out, put AVG on the laptop also.

 

[bazzert]

I've slaved many laptop drives and never experienced the problem with master only. There is a group of four pins on the right hand side where you can add a jumper to set the state.

Also all lappy drives have standard connections, some lappy manufacturers have a custom gender changer to suit their own interface. Such drives are usually housed in a thin metal case, if you remove this and the adapter you'll be back to the standard connection.

There is a adapter cable that will allow you to connect the lappy drive to a desktop. They one cost a few dollars/pounds.

Only issue as MICKER points out is if the desktop is FAT32 and lappy NTFS you'lll not be able to read the drive. IIRC, there is a small appp you can get that allows NTFS drives to be read under FAT.

 

[pweegar]

You can also try going into the BIOS and looking (if you have) advance features. Look for something that will allow your system to stop on all errors. Then reboot. This, at least should give you the exact error. Sounds like a boot file has gotton corrupted. IF you can find the file someplace else, you may then be able to copy over it and have a bootable pc once again.

 

[micker377]

Thanks bazzert, I always wondered how to set those things to slave. Is there any "standard" jumper setting for those four pins?

 

[bazzert]

IIRC, no jumper is Master or single

Connect righthand top to righthand bottom is slave

and connect bottom pair is cable select