bubble 
Member 
 
Registered: 24th Jan 04
 Location: Darwin, NT Australia. 
User status: Offline 
 
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Hi! I have a lappy with xp on, it won't boot up keeps goin back to screen offerin safe mode but nothin will load. Anyway of forcing a re-install?
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Sam 
Moderator Premium Member 
 
Registered: 24th Dec 99
 Location: West Midlands 
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Does it let you get into safe mode?
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bubble 
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Registered: 24th Jan 04
 Location: Darwin, NT Australia. 
User status: Offline 
 
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No dude, I see windows xp screen for a split second then it restarts. Won't start up at all
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Sam 
Moderator Premium Member 
 
Registered: 24th Dec 99
 Location: West Midlands 
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Just after the BIOS screen shows up (i.e. where it says Dell/HP/Compaq/whatever logo) keep pressing the F8 key until the Windows boot menu comes up, choose Safe Mode from that list and see if it lets you in that way.
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nathy_87 
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Registered: 14th Aug 08
 Location: West Mids.  Drives: Škoda Fabia VRS 5J 
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Or if you can think it's F12 or DEL to enter the 'setup' (not sure if thats the correct name), insert a copy of xp then make it so that the CD/DVD drive is 1st priority on the lsit of things to boot.  Save and Exit then the cd should load instantly allowing you to make a new install of XP.  
 
Hope this helps, if not give us a shout and I'll see where I went wrong?
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bubble 
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Registered: 24th Jan 04
 Location: Darwin, NT Australia. 
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quote: Originally posted by Sam 
Just after the BIOS screen shows up (i.e. where it says Dell/HP/Compaq/whatever logo) keep pressing the F8 key until the Windows boot menu comes up, choose Safe Mode from that list and see if it lets you in that way. 
   
 
no it comes back around to askin me what mode to start in, ie safe mode, networking etc. 
 
i dont have an xp cd  
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Rab 
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Registered: 10th Jun 07
 Location: Alloa, Scotland   Drives: Subaru Hawkeye STi 
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Normally when this sort of thing happens it's just quicker and easier to reinstall it. 
 
If you want to get files off it, the best way (and free way) is to download Ubuntu or another linux based OS and you can boot from that. Select the option to load from CD, rather than installing it to your hard drive. Once it loads, you can browse your files from the broken install of Windows and save them off to a USB device. Assuming the section of the disk where your files were on isn't broken - or something else is broken. Often though, it should work. 
 
There is a few ways to do it, but that's what I would do. 
 
Good luck!
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nathy_87 
Member 
 
Registered: 14th Aug 08
 Location: West Mids.  Drives: Škoda Fabia VRS 5J 
User status: Offline 
 
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If the above don't work for any reason (i wouldn't know why I've never done that), let me know and i'll see if I can source you a copy of Xp.  
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Fro 
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Registered: 20th Jun 06
 Location: Rainham, Essex      Drives: A3 2.0TDi Sport 
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Mine did this, i took the RAM out and cleaned it and it was ok again after that.
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