Strange Boot up Issue!

HI

I have a really strange problem that I can't figure out whatsoever and I'm not sure where to start.

I have a brand new machine that is showing no conflcts, clean format and clean install of windows XP Pro, which is fully patched and upgraded

I have No spyware, malware or Viruses

I have all correct drivers installed and I have never had a BSOD

However:

Sometimes when I shut down my machine, it shuts down fine, but when I switch it back on it wont boot and gives me the last known good config option or safemode option.

If I select Last known good configuration option it still wont boot and just goes in a circle back to the menu.

I can boot in safemode and from there I have to use system restore just to go back to the last restore point.

After that it boots fine form the last restore point.

At first I thought maybe I was installing something or doing something that was making it unstable, but this happened once when I hadn't done anything!

I just don't know how I can ever figure out what's causing this??

MY machine has the following specs:

Nvidia AN8 Ultra motherboard, AMD 3700 processor,
1 gig ram, 250 gig SATA harddrive, nvidia 6600 graphics
card

Firewall: Sygate
Antivirus: AVG

Hope some1 can help

 

HI!
'Brand New'=Still Under Warranty?
Take it back.
I would.

You should NOT be having this problem.....IMHO

 

edit "brand new"

I meant brand new components, it was a custom build I have ALL receipts and packaging for everything and my friend has the EXACT same setup as me with no problems.

The only difference is I have a SATA harddrive and he has an IDE.

The problem does not happen all the time I'd say a couple of times a month and the annoying thing is I don't know what is causing it, If it's the harddrive then I could take it back, but despite not having it long I have an awful lot of stuff on it and customised settings that I don't want to loose unless I really have to

The harddrive is a western digital 250gb

Why will it ALWAYS run in safemode surely that would mean something in normal windows is corrupt, conflicting or missing? or some other piece of hardware or software is causing it to become unstable that is not loaded when I run in safemode

Question is what?

Thanks for your help

 

Strange one all right MZPRESTO, have you gone to Event Viewer and checked the logs, something should show up there, and post back.

 

OK thanks for all your prompt replies. I had a look in event viewer and it was FULL of errors! I could not copy and paste or save the logs so I have taken 3 screen shots and uploaded them here:

http://www.heypresto.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/application.jpg

http://www.heypresto.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/system.jpg

http://www.heypresto.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/warning.jpg

Does not look good but where do I go from here?

Also TimW how do I do a diagnostic start up thru msconfig? And is this advisable to try and do the next time it wont boot?

Thanks again

 

Also TxTazDad, I have the very latest BIOS updates (only upgraded a couple of weeks ago) and unfortunately this didn't solve my problem.

 

Also TimW how do I do a diagnostic start up thru msconfig? Go to Start/Run/Type "msconfig"(no qoute marks) in box/Enter check Diagnostic Sart-up/Ok then computer will reboot in the Diagnostic Mode

Sorry cannot read your screen shot eyes just a little to blurry, suggest that you follow the links provided on your error messages, this will give you some more insight, just a shot in the dark are you running two antivirus's by any chance

 

Ok thanks I'll try that!

I am only running AVG Virus software

 

Post back okay MZPRESTO as your solution will help others that might have the same problem Good Luck

 

HAD AN ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE!!!!!

Yesterday morning I swithced the computer on as normal and ALL was ok, all I did was check my e-mail and burned some images from my digital camera to a CD. I then switched it off and went to work.

When I returned I switched it back on it got to the XP boot screen but then reset and gave me the windows could not start normally screen. I chose to go into safe mode with networking support and then checked this forum for help.

I tried to restart in diagnostic mode by enabling it in msconfig, but it wouldn't boot in diagnostic mode.

I then went back into safemode with networking support and the internet was no longer working

I tried to go back to restore point as this is what I usually do and it ALWAYS works, however this time for some bizarre reason there were NO restore points they had ALL been erased.

I was panicking as we urgently needed to print some wedding invites off the computer, so I thought I'd try to do a XP repair from the CD in safemode, instead it started to try and upgrade XP and when it rebooted to finalise the installation it would not finish. It was showing the boot splash screen and straight after I'd get a BSOD and the machine would reset.

I tried to go back into safe mode but it would now not let me, kept saying XP setup will not run in safemode so I was stuck in a loop!!!! I couldn't get a dos prompt. No menu option would start windows and the re-install could not finish the job.

I tried a windows start disk (floppy) but the bios is so modern it wouldn't boot from it.

I went round to my mates and downloaded the ultimate boot CD and his copy of Windows XP and could now get a dos prompt. I tried to run setup on the XP disc but it said "unable to run in dos mode" HAHA

My windows XP was not booting and his did so I booted from the CD and tried again to do a repair installation but it failed.

The only option I had left was to do a complete re-install, my friend said I would have to do this on a seperate partition, buy my dad said it would be OK to install it over the top of my existing windows. It was crucial that I didn't lose anything on the hard drive so I was taking a major risk.

I re-installed over the top and it worked. Everything on my hard drive was intact just had dead links, so had to re-install stuff which was ok.

I then ran a virus scan and found a virus in my system restore which I deleted. It is now working like a dream again!

Think I either had a virus that had corrupted windows or it never installed properly in the first place. I have an original copy but the disc is quite scratched, this could have been why it wouldn't boot.

Think this should now fix my random strange boot up issue, but I'll keep you posted