Help: Windows suddenly won't boot.

[Shamrock]

Built my new pc just over a week ago now. Has been working fine until this morning when it just wouldn't boot! It gets to the windows logo with the loading bar and just sits there indefinitely. It manages to boot in safe mode w/networking, however.

I don't believe this would happen randomly, but I doubt the stuff I installed last night (CoH demo and 3dmark06) would have caused it. There have been no hardware changes so why would stuff that has been working together for a week suddenly mess up?

Specs: e6300, DS3, 2gb geil pc5300, x1800xt.

Any ideas? Reinstalling windows would be my last resort. I'll post more info if I can, but I'm afraid to reboot again incase I can't get back in!

 

[t31os]

Well if it works in safe mode, you need to look at what loads in windows that doesnt in safe mode, sounds like a software issue.

Check MSCONFIG and startup folder.

 

[Nazbit]

I doubt the stuff I installed last night (CoH demo and 3dmark06) would have caused it. There have been no hardware changes so why would stuff that has been working together for a week suddenly mess up?

Are these the only things that you installed last night? No driver changes or anything like that?

It does sound like it could be a software issue if you can boot in safe mode but not in windows.

I would look at the processes that are running when you load windows normally and disable all but the most important ones. (Do this in safe mode)

Reinstalling windows would be my last resort. I'll post more info if I can, but I'm afraid to reboot again incase I can't get back in!

If you can boot in safe mode then its likley that the problem preventing you booting normally can be solved without a fresh install, its just a case of finding out what the cause is.


Have you tried the basic stuff like reset the cmos and messed about with restore points?

 

[killer_uk]

Did you install any windows updates?

The same thing happened to me yesterday......I tried booting and it either froze or blue screened. I tried booting several times before giving up. I came back to it later and it booted?

Been fine since.

 

[Shamrock]

Thanks guys.

I installed some 60 windows updates just now, thinking they might help the problem, but I still couldn't boot normally.

I reset all the bios stuff to no avail. I think I'll try system restoring to last night.

 

[Shamrock]

System restore did the trick! However, since I don't know why this happened it could easily happen again.