Windows XP won't boot up on startup

My PC is on its deathbed, but maybe you guys can perform some CPR.
The video was too massive to upload, so I just grabbed screenshots of the important parts.



Doesn't matter which mode I pick, the result is always the same. The Windows logo pops up, a blue screen flashes for a fraction of a second, and then it's right back to the initial image. Just a continuous loop.

Have you tried booting into Safe Mode yet? You know, by tapping F8 while the computer is starting up?

mistyhawk29 said:My PC is on its deathbed, but maybe you guys can perform some CPR.
The video was too massive to upload, so I just grabbed screenshots of the important parts.



Doesn't matter which mode I pick, the result is always the same. The Windows logo pops up, a blue screen flashes for a fraction of a second, and then it's right back to the initial image. Just a continuous loop.

Try booting into Safe Mode to see if you can identify which specific driver is causing the hang (assuming it actually lets you in). I ran into a nearly identical issue on two old desktop builds a while back; turns out Avast was the culprit preventing Windows from loading properly. Once I wiped those problematic drivers—I think it was aswrvrt.sys—Windows booted up without any issues at all.

Booted into Safe Mode and this popped up. How do I wipe these drivers out?

View on imgur

Don't go deleting everything just yet! ... It’s actually helpful that you can see exactly where it hangs, because that list shows you every single process fighting for control until the OS finally hits "Safe Mode." If I remember correctly from my old Windows XP days, waiting for the Super.* services to finish usually takes about a minute or two.

It doesn't hurt to try booting into "Safe Mode with Command Prompt" instead. Once you're at the C: prompt, just type chkdsk -p... honestly, more often than not, that's all it takes to fix my issues.

Fine. Tried booting into Safe Mode with Command Prompt, but I can't even get to the C: drive.
It just spits out a list of drivers and kicks me right back to the boot options menu.

mistyhawk29 said:Fine. Tried booting into Safe Mode with Command Prompt, but I can't even get to the C: drive.
It just spits out a list of drivers and kicks me right back to the boot options menu.

You’re going to need an installation disc to fix this, assuming it isn't a hardware failure. Might be a silly question, but do you have any USB drives plugged into the PC while it's booting? If so, try pulling them out first.

goldenviper13 said:You’re going to need an installation disc to fix this, assuming it isn't a hardware failure. Might be a silly question, but do you have any USB drives plugged into the PC while it's booting? If so, try pulling them out first.

No USB drives. I've got the installation CD.

mistyhawk29 said:No USB drives. I've got the installation CD.

In that case, just boot from the disc and select the Windows repair option. Of course, that assumes your graphics card isn't actually fried.👍