Crash; loading screen; restart. Screwed?

[Vanguard3000]

So I have no idea what happened, but my computer doesn't work in a way I can't even accurately diagnose.

Windows XP Essential 2

Dual-Core Athlon

Awesome

I left the computer on while I went to a friend's place (it was working perfectly when I left).  When I got back, I shook the mouse to get out of sleep mode, and accidentally hit the right mouse button.  When the screen came on, the computer had crashed, to the point that I couldn't even ctrl+alt+del to the task menu.  Resetting the computer, I got to the windows loading screen, where it sat there, apparently loading, for about five minutes, then restarted again.

I can't get any further than this loading screen.  My BIOS setup seems fine still, and I'm not getting any hardware errors or anything.  So, now I'm stuck on my old PC with a barely-working version of Windows XP, and a monitor that tives me a headache after ten minutes.  And I have a real hankering to play Devil May Cry 3, which is on my new PC.  Please help.  Etc.  Etc.

[Dragoon Knight]

Try starting up in Safe Mode by tapping the F8 key repeatedly while your PC is booting up.  You could even try the "last known good configuration" option, but Safe Mode is always the, er... safest. :P

Do a couple of scans of thine PC for viruses, adware, and whatnot.  Then try running ScanDisk, see if there's anything wrong with the HDD or Windows itself.

It's also possible that the PC may have overheated.  Check inside your case for any small colonies of fluff and dust, and make sure you don't see anything overtly wrong with the wiring (loose / been chopped to death by fans).

Sorry if this doesn't sound like the greatest tech help in the world, but I've had this problem before.  Turned out to be a buggered Page File, which Windows managed to correct for me in Safe Mode.  Might work for you as well. :)

[Andrew]

You could always try popping in a linux live cd to see if it loads normally (to maybe see if hardware is a problem).

With a live cd you should be able to access the windows files in case you need to back any data to a usb stick.

Definitely try the safe mode option dragoon suggested. If you cant get to safe mode options then something is really messed up with your windows.

[gryphon]

Safe mode or start taking out PCI cards and whatever else you have in it. See if it boots then. Start with safe mode though.

[Vanguard3000]

When I try any sort of Safe Mode, I get a stream of

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWSsystem32drivers*.*

(*.* = different filenames)

Followed eventually by "press ESC to cancel loading SPTD.sys".

There's a bit of dust hanging around, but not enough to overheat the computer, i think.  And if that were the problem, I would be able to let it cool off, and have it work again (at least until it overheated again).  I'll get some canned air next chane I get, though.

Andrew, where can I get a Linux CD?  I've never used that OS, but if it'll help me disgnose/fix the problem, then I'm in.

[Dragoon Knight]

I know from experience that SPTD.sys has been linked with problems with DAEMON Tools - did you happen to have that installed?  If so, this thread (and possibly the associated forums) may be of some help.

Otherwise, you would definitely be wise considering using a Linux Live CD.  You can download one from here (just choose the location nearest you and click Start Download, leave everything else as it is).  You should get a .iso file, which you can burn to CD using another PC.

You might also try doing a repair of Windows XP using the XP CD.  Booting from that usually gives the option of repairing Windows, which re-installs all of the system32 files.  Definitely try the Live CD first, though, and see if there's anything overtly wrong.

[Andrew]

You can check this thread for a popular distro: ubuntu 8.10.

There are some rescue linux distros as well which might be more helpful (I'd try ubuntu first).

One of them is System Rescue CD

Might be best to use rewritable cds when burning these discs if you have any. Then you can overwrite them with newer versions or put something else on after.

When using the ubuntu live cd I'd do a memtest (it is an option you see when you insert the cd) to see if your memory is broken. I think with memtest, you tell it to test the memory, then it tests the memory forever until you decide (it says no errors) there are no errors and tell it to stop. 1 hour should be more than enough, depending on the speed of your computer.

[gryphon]

rename the file and boot again. :)

[Vanguard3000]

None of these things seem to be working...

I've tried Ubuntu as well as a Windows live CD, and I can't even access the HD for the most part with them.  Ubuntu doesn't have a registry editor for Windows, and the Live CD will only edit the Windows Live registry.

It seems like I can't even access the HD in any way, even to back my stuff up to format... My last hope is to take out the HD and connect it as a secondary HD on another PC.  Maybe then I'll be able to view the contents.