Troubleshooting when Windows Xp Won’t Boot.

Troubleshooting when Windows Xp Won’t Boot.

When your computer hardware appears to power up okay, but the Windows XP operating system won't boot properly, you have to begin a troubleshooting. To help you get started on this expedition, here are few things you can do when Windows XP won't boot.


1.Use Last Known Good Configuration


You can also try to boot the operating system with the Last Known Good Configuration feature. This feature will allow you to undo any changes that caused problems in the CurrentControlSet registry key, which defines hardware and driver settings. The Last Known Good Configuration feature replaces the contents of the CurrentControlSet registry key with a backup copy that was last used to successfully start up the operating system.

Steps to use “Last Known Good Configuration”

Restart your computer.
After POST Screen continuously press F8 button. If you have two OS then press F8 at the time when it ask to choose OS. Or when you here the single beep sound.
Windows Advance menu will open.
Select the “Last Known good configuration” item and press Enter.

Note:
Keep in mind that you get only one shot with the Last Known Good Configuration feature. In other words, if it fails to revive your Windows XP on the first attempt, the backup copy is also corrupt.



2. Use System Restore


Another tool that might be helpful when Windows XP won't boot is System Restore. System Restore runs in the background as a service and continually monitors system-critical components for changes. When it detects an impending change, System Restore immediately makes backup copies, called restore points, of these critical components before the change occurs. In addition, System Restore is configured by default to create restore points every 24 hours.

Steps to Use System Restore

First of all, Restart your system.
After POST screen or when you here the single beep sound press F8.
Windows Advance menu will open.
From the menu select “safe mode” option and press enter.
Once system boots in safe mode, go to Start --> Accessaries --> System tools menu and in that select System Restore.
System Restore Wizard will open press next and fallow the steps in that.


3. Use Recovery Console


When a Windows XP boot problem is severe, you'll need to use a more drastic approach. The Windows XP CD is bootable and will provide you with access to a tool called Recovery Console.

Steps to Recovery Console

Set the First Boot Divec is CD-Rom , insert the XP bootable CD in the CD rom and restart the computer.
When system start booting from cd-rom the fallowing prompt will come which is shown in figure A


Figure A

Press R to get into Recovery console. We will get the another screen which show in the next figure B.



Figure B

You’ll then see a Recovery Console menu, like the one shown in Figure B. It displays the folder containing the operating system’s files and prompts you to choose the operating system you want to log on to. Just press the menu number on the keyboard, and you'll be prompted to enter the Administrator’s password. You’ll then find yourself at the main Recovery Console prompt.



5. Fix a corrupt Boot.ini

As the Windows XP operating system begins to load, the Ntldr program refers to the Boot.ini file to determine where the operating system files reside and which options to enable as the operating system continues to load. So if there's a problem rooted in the Boot.ini file, it can render Windows XP incapable of booting correctly.
If you suspect that Windows XP won't boot because Boot.ini has been corrupted, you can use the special Recovery Console version of the Bootcfg tool to fix it. Of course, you must first boot the system with the Windows XP CD and access the Recovery Console as described in #4.
To use the Bootcfg tool, from the Recovery Console command prompt, type
Bootcfg /parameter
Where /parameter is one of the required parameters listed in the table below.
Parameter Description
/Add Scans the disk for all Windows installations and allows you to add
any new ones to the Boot.ini file.

/Scan Scans the disk for all Windows installations.

/List Lists each entry in the Boot.ini file.

/Default Sets the default operating system as the main boot entry.

/Rebuild Completely re-creates the Boot.ini file. The user must confirm each
step.

/Redirect Allows the boot operation to be redirected to a specific port when
using the Headless Administration feature. The Redirect
parameter takes two parameters of its own:
[Port Baudrate ] [UseBiosSettings].

/Disableredirect Disables the redirection.