[jimmie123]

Installed SP3 today. The install seemed to go fine. Restarted the comp, now I'm stuck in a boot loop.......comp starts, goes to the "We apologise........etc." page. None of the load options work, comp simply shuts down and goes back to the same page. Since this comp was a Vista-ready comp, but I ordered it with Win XP Pro, I don't have the OEM Win XP Pro CD. Therefore, can't do a chkdsk.
Any ideas??

[wtxcowboy]

have u tried safe mode then uninstalling sp3? i have xp pro & dl'd sp3 now windows updates doesn't work at all lol. i'm afraid 2 try 2 uninstall tho cuz of all the probs i read on microsoft's msdn pages about that. good luck if u do try

[jimmie123]

I've tried all available options, Safe mode, safe with command, last known good configuration, start normally, etc. Nothing works. Without an original OEM Win XP Pro (including SP2) CD, I think I'm screwed. I'm going to call the comp manufacturer tomorrow and order an OEM CD, the cost is about $24.00. I may need it again anyway.

[frobro]

Had same problem...Installed, restarted, got BSOD -->Uninstalled SP3 through safe mode and unit boots back normally.

Good Luck.

[jimmie123]

Your situation is a little different. I'm not getting a BSOD. I get the "We apologise but Windows was unable to load" screen, which has the different loading options (safe mode, last known good config,etc. etc.). I've tried each one of the loading options, nothing works. I did press F11 to get to the advanced options and pressed disable restart upon system failure. The next screen that came up was "Problem detected, windows has been shut down to prevent damage to the computer". Then there is a "stop" message which says the following:
STOP: 0X0000007E (0XC0000005, 0XBA421756, 0XBACE342C, 0XBACE3128)
This may as well be Chinese for all it means to me, however, I guess it could mean something to someone. The reason I didn't get an OEM Win XP Pro install CD was that this comp was VISTA ready, but I ordered it with a Win XP Pro o/s, therefore (as I now learn) that CD was an option, trouble is,no one told me this when I ordered it. I'll call and order the CD today because it seems that this is the only way out of this.

[Davec]

If you have an AMD processor try this:

In the registry, change HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Intelppm
Start to have a value of 4. May need to go into safe mode first to do so. Standard warnings about backing up one's machine and registry beforehand apply.

[jimmie123]

I would LOVE to be able to access the registry, but I can't. Again, what is happening is that when the comp starts, I'm immediately taken to the "We apologise" screen. There are several different boot options given (safe, safe with command, safe with networking, last known good configuration and start windows normally). Regardless of which one I select, the comp shuts down and takes me right back to the "We apologise" screen. I found out that I in fact did have the Win XP Pro install CD, the problem is, there is no "repair" feature for me to use. I'm in touch with Microsoft, I'm supposed to contact them for a call-back from a level 2 tech.....the level 1 tech was useless. Unless Microsoft has some kind of magic bullet, my comp.manufacturer said that in likelihood I'd have to do a total reinstall of Win XP Pro which would wipe all my files etc. This is what I'm trying to prevent. BTW, I do have an Athlon AMD 64 processor.

[Doug Vitale]

See if you can dig up a solution to your problem here, Jimmie:

http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/...PostID=3227892

[simpswr]

If push comes to shove, you can take the drive out and attach it to a working pc to salvage your data. It works best if you attach it to the secondary channel . . the one with CD/DVD drives

[Rich-M]

You can run checkdisk from the Ultimate Boot cd.
http://www.ubcd4win.com/downloads.htm

[oshwyn5]

Is this an HP with an AMD ?
http://www.computerworld.com/action/...intsrc=hm_list

[jimmie123]

Doug, I went to that link.....sounds like there are a BUNCH of unhappy people there, lol.
Oshwyn5, I do run an AMD, however not on an HP comp.
It's about 12:15 as I write this on 5/11. Microsoft has scheduled a call-back regarding this issue at 1:00 pm today. If they come up with a work-around for it, I'll post the work-around in here.
My system specifications are: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ 2.1 GHz Dual Core processor, 2GB PC5400 667MHz DDR2 Dual Channel Memory (1 GB x 2), K9N6SGM-V MCP61 mATX Motherboard
Once I get this fixed, it'll be quite awhile before SP3 ever sees the inside of my comp again.

[ahlaptop]

The reboot loop with SP3 is a common problem. I saw someone on another forum with it and remember seeing a solution. Just do some googling for it. It involved re-copying a certain driver file, maybe a DLL file, into the Windows\system folder.

[jimmie123]

I waited yesterday until about 3 pm for the Microsoft "call-back" which never came. I finally called them, and got the same useless garbage. Apparently, Microsoft is like attorney's, who simply wait you out until you get tired of dealing with a problem. I took the radical approach and wiped the C: partition and reinstalled XP Pro. The system was only 4 months old, so I didn't lose anything all that crucial. The hardware reinstalls (wireless network, etc.) did take a little time, but at least I'm back "up" again. I've emailed Systemax (my comp manufacturer) and have asked them what came pre-loaded so that I can restore things completely as they were. In addition, I've asked them why the CD (Win XP Pro) that came with the comp offered no "repair" option, nor was I able to access the recovery console from it. The only available options when booting off the CD was to reformat/reinstall the partition, or do an XP Pro install over the top of the existing one. I've also emailed Iolo (System Mechanic). When I first got the comp, I burned a "disaster" CD which was supposed to be boot-able in case of a non-booting PC, This was available in the System Mechanic software. I verified that there was a file on the CD I made, however, it didn't work and the comp would not boot from it. I still have not heard from Iolo regarding this issue. Thanks to all who attempted to help, but as "locked" as this boot loop was, and with no other options, I took the drastic way out. Ironic....Bill Gates makes billions and we get shafted....corporate America at it's finest.

[brillser]

Ubuntu.