URGENT HELP please comp keeps rebooting

Dopey_Dora_42

Hi,
I was just going to continue with the previous help and opened my desktop but it keeps rebooting. It wont allow me to go into safe mode or last known config or anything just turns itself off/on. Can anyone advise me please or is this the end of its life?? and can I save the work as its got my sons coursework etc on it.
many thanks again
Dora xx

[Deleted User]

At what point does it reboot - as soon as the desktop is displayed, half-way through the boot process, or as soon as Windows starts to boot?
Which version of Windows?

Do you still have the restore disks that came with your computer?

It should almost certainly be possible to recover the coursework.

bingo_bango

Could be an MBR error or it may just be old age and a failed / failing PSU.

If the former then it takes a bit of messsing about to repair, but it's not impossible.

If the latter, then a new PSU is required. They're not too dear and very easy to fit.

Answers to tentoine's questions will help identify the issue.

Dopey_Dora_42

It starts with the screen that windows could not open properley and gives you an option to put it in safe mode, with networking, with command prompt or open windows normally then whatever one you select it then reboots. I think the operating system is windows xp professional and no we do not have the original discs as it was built for us by someoone who has since passed away (we have had it about 6-7 years)

[Deleted User]

Do you have the restore disks from any other computer? If not, do you have some blank CDs and another computer with a CD writer?

Do you have a USB pen drive and/or a card reader and memory card?

Do you have a reasonably fast internet connection with a high data allowance (so that I can ask you to download files of a few hundred MB to help to fix the problem)?

Finally, is recovery of the coursework an immediate prority or do you just need to know that it is safe for the future?

It sounds like it is just a software problem, but it could be a sign of a hard drive that is about to fail.

bingo_bango

There are Linux distros available that you can use to inspect the HDD in many cases like this. They can generally scan for errors, and in lots of cases can also repair them.

I have Fire Linux which I used to use on my XP machine from time to time. It runs from a CD so no install, and includes networking support and has Firefox built in. Possibly the best piece of kit I ever downloaded.

To give you a little hope, I had something similar on a HDD on my XP machine. I got it sorted using Fire (about 3 years ago) and it still works fine to this day!

Dopey_Dora_42

I have a laptop that runs vista so must have some discs somewhere for that.I have a potable hard drive that plugs into a usb and also have a pen drive but not a card reader. In the laptop is a drive that has dvd rom written on it, can I write to that? Sorry not too technically minded. The coursework is quite a priority but as its half term next week I think I have a bit of leeway but I know son needs it.
Thank you for your help
Dora x

Lincoln_Imp

Would guess its rebooting on finding an error
Hit F8 key when booting up ,you get a menu screen with various options
select Disable automatic restart on system failure

If it is rebooting on an error you will see a blue screen with an error code ,something like 0x0000008e then some writing explaining the code

If it is that post the code back then someone might be able to help from there

[Deleted User]

If you look in "computer" on the laptop's start menu, does it just say DVD-ROM Drive or does it say DVD-RW drive or even DVD/CD-RW drive? If it just says DVD-ROM, then you can't write to it. In that case, we can hopefully proceed just with the pen drive, but it would be easier if you can write to CDs and so I'll wait for your reply before offering further advice.

Dopey_Dora_42

0x00000050 (0x80097004,0x00000001,0x80515103,0x00000000

thank you

Dopey_Dora_42

on my laptop it isays
DVD/CD-RW Drive(E)