Re: Restart vs. Shut-down-and-then-start

From: Joshua Smith [MSFT] (joshsm_at_online.microsoft.com)
Date: 07/14/04 

Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 08:18:58 -0700

Have you changed any BIOS settings or flashed to a new BIOS on anything
(Motherboard, Controller cards, ect)? When you are re-booting can you press
F8 and get the boot menu? If you are getting to the point when XP is trying
to load you can open your c:\boot.ini file and add "/sos /noguiboot" to your
entry. This will disable the WinXP progress bar for startup and display the
name of each driver as it loads. If it gets stuck on a particular driver
then you can start looking for update on that driver. If you never get to
the OS loading stage it is probably something at the hardware or BIOS level.
Here is an example of how to change your boot.ini:

[boot loader]
timeout=3
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /sos /noguiboot

Hope that helps.

Joshua Smith
DirectInput and OpenGL Test Labs
Microsoft
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"Chris Swoyer" <fswoyer@cox.net> wrote in message
news:fP_Ic.260$gQ2.119@okepread03...
>I installed XP Pro about two years ago and the problems only began a week
> ago, so whatever the source, it's recent.
>
> CS
>
>
>> when using the partitions that the dell came with, you need to leave the
> partition for the page to file alone.
>> just format the c: drive and install whatever os you wish and the dell
> will work fine.
>>
>>
>> also .....
>> i have re-done several dell models, some lattitudes and a lot of
> dimensions from XPS 400 on up to current p4 models. in all cases a
> re-partitioning with win xp to whatever desired and format will work fine.
> the utilities on the dell partition are for certain laptop models and most
> all servers. even with the servers though you can get away with destroying
> the dell partition it's just that you won't get the extra remote
> management
> or pre-os setup enviornment to do the raid setup etc... and on laptops you
> may be missing the button functions without the dell partition on some
> laptops.
>>
>> however the operating system will function normally without the dell
> partition on most models. (being that this is based on my experiences with
> a
> wide sampling of dell models and i do concede that there may be a few that
> this isn't the case so experiment at your own risk)
>>
>> however if you want the buttons on your laptop to work or the dell server
> you purchased to have remote management and the raid done before os
> install
> without resorting to using a boot floppy from the raid card manufacturer
> first and then building the array that way then my suggestion would be use
> the dell recovery disk then after the partitioning phase of the install
> destroy the large partition and repartition that to whatever you want and
> go
> to town
>>
>> "Nathan McNulty" wrote:
>>
>> > Dell :( Ok, here is the deal with Dell computers. They often use these
>> > utility partitions (called page to disk file on my Inspiron 7000).
>> > This
>> > is something that has to be loaded with the Dell CD's the computer came
>> > with and will cause problems if it is not installed. Well, I have a
>> > license to Windows XP Pro, but Windows ME came on the computer
>> > originally. That means I can't just install the XP Pro. I have to
>> > install ME to get that stupid page to disk file on there and then
>> > upgrade from there. You may be seeing something similar to this.
>> >
>> > Nathan McNulty
>> >
>> > Chris Swoyer wrote:
>> >
>> > > I am using Windows XP-Pro (with the latest updates) on a Dell
>> > > Dimension XPS Y550. I am getting the following behavior:
>> > >
>> > > When I restart it (without shutting things completely down) it gets
>> > > a few seconds into the startup, then hangs for several minutes (on
>> > > a screen that says www.dell.com in big blue letters). But if I shut
>> > > the computer down completely and then turn it on, things work fine.
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > This is a follow-up to an earlier post, where several people
>> > > advised me to get rid of the Norton stuff. Doing so has made things
>> > > run much faster one the computer is up and going (so many thanks),
>> > > but hasn't solved this problem.
>> > >
>> > > Thanks,
>> > > CS
>> > >
>> > >
>> >
>
>