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Topic: Windows ME keeps reboothing.

Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-14-2002 02:52 PM

Windows ME tries to load. It loads as far as the Desktop window, then promptly reboots itself and comes up in the "safe mode". A "restore to a previous date" does not cure the problem.

I think there is a registry problem or a damaged/missing file. This is happening on Josh's computer, and I remember it happening on one of my machines several months ago. I don't remember what I did to fix it.

Any suggestions?

Thanks - Paul

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 08-14-2002 04:30 PM

This might help with troubleshooting it:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];Q267288

They don't say it explicitly, but you would probably have to use Safe Mode to switch the system to "clean boot mode" in the article above.

Does the reboot happen at the instant the display switches from the Windows ME "splash screen" to the Windows desktop? Or does the desktop stay up for some time while other things are still starting? Is there any sign of an error msg on the screen at the instant the reboot happens?

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 08-14-2002 05:07 PM

Have any display settings been changed?

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-14-2002 05:41 PM

Thanks, gentlemen.

I talked with another computer "expert", and he indicated there could be a hardware issue. This person suggested letting it come up in the "Safe Mode" (which it will do) and unload the drivers for the plug-in cards and re-start. If it comes up like it is supposed to, it'll find new hardware and re-install the drivers. Probably fresh drivers would be in order.

I would also think that if it is a hardware issue, Josh can unload all the drivers for the cards, (including the video card) and remove all cards with the exception of the graphics card itself. Then re-install them one by one and load the drivers from the disks provided by the device manufacturer. He should also make sure the computer is physically unplugged from the power receptical while removing or installing the cards. If not, the contact potential could fry a card.

Josh, DON'T format the drive...yet. You may not need to do that. I'll help you through the troubleshooting tonight if you would like. I am confident we can solve the problem without formating the drive.

Darryl, as far as I know, he did not change any of those settings.

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks - Paul

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Dustin Mitchell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1865
From: Mondovi, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 08-14-2002 06:28 PM

Get XP.

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-14-2002 06:47 PM

XP has so damn many security holes that I would not touch it with a 10 foot pole.

Windows 2000 Professional is the way to go.

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Jason Black
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1723
From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-14-2002 07:17 PM

I'll 2nd that about WK2 Pro. Solid as a rock, like a Chevy.

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 08-14-2002 08:55 PM

It could be a video driver since windows can run in safe mode with the lowest resolution driver on the system. Sometimes a video setting can be changed to a driver that may not perform correctly with the monitor on his computer. A sort of hicup in the system. Those XP security holes are getting found and fixed. Unfortunatly you get stiuck with XP when you purchase off the shelf bundles.

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-15-2002 12:32 AM

Darryl:

Yes....seems as I now recall that this same problem Josh is having was a driver issue when it happened to me. I stated earlier that I could not recall what I did to fix it. Well, it was a driver problem.

Removing the drivers and re-installing fresh drivers from the the disks was the cure. Apparently, a driver got corrupted, and there was a hardware collision.

I think we are on the right path now. I am confident that if Josh removes the drivers, and then pulls the cards and re-installs them one by one, he'll have the computer back on its feet in short order. However, it does not look like he will be able to do that until tomorrow.

Thanks for the help, gentlemen. It is very much appreciated.

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William Hooper
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1879
From: Mobile, AL USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-15-2002 01:37 AM

EXCELLENT slip on that topic, Paul.

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-15-2002 01:45 AM

William, sometimes people say something that jogs my memory back into shape. I wish I could remember everything that I experienced, but it is just not possible.

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 08-15-2002 02:04 AM

I would 'third' going for W2K pro and avoiding XP like the plague because of security issues. Two caveats, though: (i) be sure to install service pack 2 and the security rollout package, and (ii) although W2K does not need significantly more hard disc space than a typical 9x installation, it does need a lot more RAM. 64mb really is a bare minimum and even then it'll be using the pagefile all the time. I have a gigabyte of RAM and even then, it's used up 150mb by the time everything in the sytsem tray has loaded (and apart from the usual crap, the only background tasks I keep running are Norton Antivirus and Zone Alarm).

W2K, IMHO, is far more reliable than 9x in dealing with hardware wobbles such as Paul's: in such a situation it would just put an 'X' against the problem device in the device manager screen and would not let this issue pull the whole OS down.

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-15-2002 02:17 AM

Leo, I think W2K Professional is an excellent platform. I have it installed in this computer I am using, and it has not crashed or locked up yet. Lock-ups and crashes seem to be the normal with 95. Win 98 was a little more reliable than 95, and ME was better than 98. XP is more stable that 98, but I have experienced crashes and lockups with it at a much lesser degree. W2K Pro is by far the best of Microsoft's Operating Systems. Driver compatibility no longer seems to be a critical issue with this platform. Drivers are available through the hardware vendor as well as Microsoft themselves for the most part. All of my crap in this machine dates back a couple of years now. I was able to obtain current drivers for everything except that cheap scanner of mine. Visioneer did not offer updated drivers for the model I had. But that's OK, I can still use it in my Windows ME machine.

Let it be said that any computer I build from the ground up will have the W2K Prof platform using the NTFS drive format. I am sold on it.

Finally, Microsoft came out with something that actually works since MSDOS 6.22 on the old XT's.

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-15-2002 04:54 AM

Service Pack 3 for Windows 2000 is out now, but think carefully: by installing it you would be agreeing to a change in the license agreement which would allow M$ to obtain significant amounts of information about your machine. Isn't abuse of monopoly power a wonderful thing?

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 08-15-2002 06:06 AM

Hmm... sounds like they've cottoned on to the fact that lots of people are sticking to W2K due to security issues with XP, and are now trying to introduce those security issues into W2K.

At the moment my machine, together with all the hardware and software on it, works fine under W2KSP2. So as it ain't broke, I don't intend to fix it.

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