Windows XP won't boot. Repair unavailable.

Windows XP Pro, legit, auto-update on.
I was transferring a 3GB file from one hdd to another. Then the power strip got jiggled and the computer turned off instantly. I turned it back on, it started to boot, post fine, but just as windows started to load it auto-restarted. It gets stuck in this loop.
I opened up the case and unplugged/replugged all cables, but no luck.
Tried to repair from Windows CD, but it doesn't detect a current install to repair!
Is there anything I can do?
Thank you in advance!

 

Did you try booting into safe mode and then use "Last Known Good Configuration"?

 

Yes, I tried all those options but it always just restarts right away.

 

If you can, start up in safe mode. Then disable automatic restart. Reboot. Is an error listed on the screen?

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/tipstricks/ht/disautorestart.htm

 

I tried booting in Safe Mode, but the restart happens before it boots. Each time it restarts it seems to flash three quick frames in a row- one frame seems to be the BSOD- but they're each blindingly fast.

 

Hi,

I think tgell means go to the Safe Mode options (F8) and on the list should be disable automatic restart on error. You want to select that option and see if it will stay on the blue screen so you can read the information.

 

F8 brings up a list of boot devices (harddrives, cdrom etc), but no options for Safe Mode.
I waited for the screen displaying "press F8 to enter boot menu" to pass before pressing F8 again, but the next thing it says is:
DISK BOOT FAILURE- INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER
Is there any other way to prompt safe mode options to disable auto-restart?

 

I think you are pressing the F8 key too soon. Try tapping it after the computer posts but just before you see the Windows splash screen.

I reread your post and it seems you are doing it correctly. If this does not work, we can try another way but I have a feeling the Windows install is corrupted. We can still recover any personal files first.

 

Okay! I got the F8 safe mode options to work (I guess it wasn't working since I set the boot priority to CD first. Sorry.)
Here's the BSOD gist:

Run CHKDSK /F to check for harddrive corruption. (How do I do that?)
Technical information
*** STOP: 0x00000024 (0x00190203, 0x8A38E848, 0xC0000102, 0x00000000)

 

Because your machine does not boot, you are going to have to use the recovery console of your install CD. Chkdsk /f means that it wants to fix errors on the hard drive.

 

I started the recovery console and typed
CHKDSK /F
and it says:
The parameter is not valid. Type /? for help.

I typed simply CHKDSK and it said something like- volume MAXTOR appears fine and does not need to be checked.
I forced it to run away with /R and after a long time it reported having fixed one error. But still no boot.

I'm pretty sure the Windows install is on a Seagate SATA drive though. The two other hdds are IDE- Maxtor and Western Digital if I recall (it's my dad's computer, and no one is sure which disk is which).

Is there a command in the recovery console to display all installed hdds and their drive letters, including the one that windows is installed on?
And why does it ask me to run CHKDSK /F and then not work?

Thank you for all your help so far! I feel there's hope!

 

You can use the diskpart command. Assuming your system is on disk 0
When you go to recovery console, does if find any Windows installation now?

at the prompt type diskpart then:
diskpart<space>list<space>disk
diskpart<space>select<space>disk<space>0
diskpart<space>detail<space>disk

http://sinkingducks.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/diskpart1.jpg

 

tgell, this did it! I found the right disk and ran chkdsk /r on it, and it works perfectly again!
You're a genius. Thank you so much!

 

Glad you got it to work. Thanks for the feedback.