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Author Topic: XP start-up issues... Nate Lehrke Master Film Handler Posts: 396 From: Denver, CO Registered: Oct 2002 posted 07-06-2003 03:53 PM                     I start my laptop with Windows XP: Home Edition I get to the "User Log In" I log in NOTHING HAPPENS The screen remains dark. I hit "C ALT DEL" and I have all the normal jazz appears. No applications are running but PLENTY of processes are. (24) Any Ideas or questions?  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-06-2003 05:22 PM                     What software do you have installed on your laptop? I'm not really a big fan of Win XP Home. If someone is buying a PC and wants my opinion, I recommend they get WinXP Professional or Win2000 Professional. I really need to proofread my posts better [ 07-06-2003, 08:44 PM: Message edited by: Bobby Henderson ]  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 07-06-2003 06:24 PM                        But Bobby, why would you recommend those OS's then you say you are a BIG FAN of WinXP Home Eition? (Yes I know it is probably a typo but I MUST give you hell about t). Who knows what all software the laptop manufacturer installed that runs at startup. If it were a Mac, I say go to the System folder-Startup Items folder and remove everything. Also, is there a way to remove WinXP from a laptop like a Dell and install Windows 2000 Professional?  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 07-06-2003 06:39 PM                        On a PC, you can run msconfig and disable the applications you don`t want to autostart. Since Nate`s notebook doesn`t make it that far, I would recommend to hit F8 after the PC has woken up before the boot sequence commences (you might want to hit F8 repeatedly to catch the right moment, but not frantically, or you will overload the keyboard controller). Then select safe mode, open the start menu, select run, type in msconfig. The interface is self-explanatory, you will see the start options on the tab on the right.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-06-2003 08:48 PM                     Yep Joe, that was a typo. Depending on the OS originally installed, Dell may or may not charge you something extra to send a different Windows CD to run on a laptop. Just call their technical support line and have the service tag number ready. They'll need that to send the appropriate CD. Like most large PC companies, Dell doesn't supply plain vanilla Windows installation disks but rather has their own specialized system restoration discs with the OS included. I don't really mind that since it makes a complete format c: and clean software reinstall go a lot faster. Dell still offers Windows 2000 Professional as an option on a good number of their machines. Some models may only offer XP Home and XP Pro for OS options.  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 07-06-2003 09:33 PM                    Did you change anything before this started happening or did it just start happening for no reason? Did you change any video settings? It sounds like there could be a video driver issue when it gets past the login menu. If you run at a different resolution than the login menue runs at the driver that runs the resolution could be malfunctioning. That is something to look at. if you can get into safe mode without any problems it runs at the basic resolution. Check your video settings.  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 07-06-2003 11:05 PM                  ***THE*** only OS for a PC system worth a sh!t is XP Pro OR 2nd choice is Widows 98. The rest is CRAP including Red Hat! I guess Win2000 is OK for a server...???? Or so the Grand Poo-Poo Bah tells me. Right Brad? (I'm SURE my ex-friend Daryl will give me a time about this!) >>> Phil  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 07-07-2003 12:00 AM                        Phil, Windows 98 is just like you: It's alright, but you really should get rid of it. Win2K Pro is great, and I have never had any memorable problems with it. WinXP is the childrens version of Win2K Pro, with the colorful buttons and happy schemes and whatnot.  |  IP: Logged Nate Lehrke Master Film Handler Posts: 396 From: Denver, CO Registered: Oct 2002 posted 07-07-2003 12:59 AM                     Have a Dell Inspiron 2600 I haven't changed anything lately. Just shut it down one day & the next this happened. Tried the 'F8' for Safe Mode & no help. It logged through and went to the same 'blankness' as before except all the corners say 'Safe Mode' Did 'C ALT DEL' again and no applications running (The Processes are: TASKMGR.EXE - unwise.exe - RUNDLL32.EXE - EXPLORER.EXE - SVCHOST.EXE - SVCHOST.EXE - LSASS.EXE - SERVICES.EXE - winlogin.exe - CSRSS.EXE - SMSS.EXE - System - System Idle Process) I download ALOT of music from KAZAA. Anyway I got a virus or anything? There is an option for "New Task". Can i type anything there to get something to help me??  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-07-2003 01:17 AM                     Sheesh, there's no telling when it comes to KaZaa. Lots of P2P file sharing software will throw in some spyware. KaZaa Lite supposedly doesn't have any spyware. Participants can deliver malicious code through P2P apps, so a virus infection could be a possibility. I think you either have some device going on the fritz or maybe you removed an application that has some kind of launch thingie still resident in the startup routine. Is your Inspiron laptop still under warranty? I would give Dell's tech support a call about it. Usually their customer service is very good. I had a hard disc fail in my now-aging 1GHz machine and they sent a tech guy to my house to replace it free of charge.  |  IP: Logged Sean M. Grimes Expert Film Handler Posts: 247 From: Lunenburg, MA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 07-07-2003 01:28 AM                        I personally notice one very key program missing from your task manager, system.exe is missing! you would have no sort of interface without it running in the shell. I highly doubt that you would have recieved a virus from a mp3, (tis not executable) but either way, your system may have taken a piss or possibly a virus (which I do not know of a virus that can f off your system like "that") but a system restore would probably be in order. Good luck!  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 07-07-2003 03:00 AM                     We had Windows EXPlicit Home in one of the computers in the theatre. It crashed in about 2 months. We said, "Poop on it" and installed Winblows 98 Sucks Enormously. I have heard Windows EXPlicit Pro is good, and I know Windows 2000 Pro is good. It still has not crashed in my machine at home. Been well over two years now...  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 07-07-2003 06:03 AM                        I am not at all sure if XP also allows you to do this, but for older Windows versions this worked miracles: In the same F8 menu at startup, select "prompt only" (or however that is called in the English Windows version), then at the prompt type C:>scanreg /restore Scanreg scans the registry and makes backups of it when startup was successful (scanreg ususally runs at the start of the graphic user interface). It allows you to restore the registry to the state it was in at a former date. When you log in, do you have several identities to choose from? Like "Nate" and "Administrator"? Maybe the config file where your "Nate" preferences are stored is messed up. One ore idea to try: Since you can actually run the taskmanager, you can select "new task" from the first page (on the right bottom of the taskmanager window) and then see if you can select and run any applications manually.  |  IP: Logged Dave Macaulay Film God Posts: 2321 From: Toronto, Canada Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-07-2003 09:50 AM                     The first thing to try is system restore to a date before you started with the problem. It should be in start/help & support. If you can't do that for any number of reasons... or it doesn't resolve the problem: Try logging in as "Administrator" (ctrl-alt-del in the normal login screen brings up the master login window) and if that looks fairly normal then your user preferences are apparently scrambled. (You do know the admin password, right? Try it blank if you don't, that's the default. XP will allow an admin account (usually user accounts have admin privileges - rarely does anyone restrict themselves) to recover the admin account by using start/run and enter "control userpasswords2" then you can reset the administrator password) If the admin account looks OK and you can't get your account to work - and all else fails - you can delete your own account (NOT "Administrator"!) then recreate it. You'll have to add any program shortcuts you use but you shouldn't have any major problems. That user's email archives will be gone, gone, gone - if you have emails you must not lose then you have to find a way to save them before deleting an account. (like emailed license numbers for downloaded software...) It's actually an excellent idea to use an account that does not have admin privileges as your usual login. Most viruses will be unable to do permanent damage with a "user" level account. The final solution - pretty desperate measure - is to reload your OS from the CD that came with the laptop. This will bring you back to as if you just unpacked it brand new, and any programs you installed will be gone and you'll have some re-installing to do. If, like me, you haven't kept perfect records of all the license numbers for software bought or downloaded you're somewhat screwed. You will also need the license number for XP which could be anywhere in your laptop documentation or else you're royally screwed.  |  IP: Logged Nate Lehrke Master Film Handler Posts: 396 From: Denver, CO Registered: Oct 2002 posted 07-10-2003 12:41 AM                     I have tried all the options that start-up "F8" will allow me. No luck on any. How do re-install XP on the PC without accessing Windows?? I still have all the disks that came along with the Laptop so I am hoping that something will help. HELP  |  IP: Logged

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