Serious Help Needed!

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general (More info?)

"davec271" <davec271.1qalpo@pcbanter.net> wrote in message
newsavec271.1qalpo@pcbanter.net...
>
> I am reasonably compitent with computers, but this is stumping me.
>
> My PC is custom built with AMD Athlon XP2400+ and set up with a dual
> boot configuration which has been running fine for over a year without
> a glitch, until now.
>
> Now it won't boot either configuration, even in safe mode nor debugging
> mode. Everytime it I boot in safe mode it resets itself after the
> loading of Mup.sys and hangs in debug mode. I have tried to reinstall
> XP but mid way through loading the initial files it resets itself.
>
> I have monitored the hardware in the BIOS for 5 mins and there is no
> spike or heat problems with the motherboard or processor, could this be
> a hardware problem or is there a way for me to solve this.
>
> Dave

Start by testing RAM with memtest86 http://www.memtest86.com/
D/L HDD diagnostics from the manufacture

rgds
Li'l Roberto

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general (More info?)

davec271 wrote:

> I am reasonably compitent with computers, but this is stumping me.
>
> My PC is custom built with AMD Athlon XP2400+ and set up with a dual
> boot configuration which has been running fine for over a year without
> a glitch, until now.
>
> Now it won't boot either configuration, even in safe mode nor debugging
> mode. Everytime it I boot in safe mode it resets itself after the
> loading of Mup.sys and hangs in debug mode. I have tried to reinstall
> XP but mid way through loading the initial files it resets itself.
>
> I have monitored the hardware in the BIOS for 5 mins and there is no
> spike or heat problems with the motherboard or processor, could this be
> a hardware problem or is there a way for me to solve this.
>
> Dave
>
>

Could be a number of things. This is what I'd do...

Boot from XP CD into recovery console, run CHKDSK /P.

Test the hard drive with manufacturer's utility.

Test the RAM using memtest and the MS memory test (use both, do several
passes):

www.memtest.com

http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

Steve

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general (More info?)

On Wed, 8 Jun 2005 00:25:30 +0000, davec271

>I am reasonably compitent with computers, but this is stumping me.

>My PC is custom built with AMD Athlon XP2400+ and set up with a dual
>boot configuration which has been running fine for over a year without
>a glitch, until now.

>Now it won't boot either configuration, even in safe mode nor debugging
>mode. Everytime it I boot in safe mode it resets itself after the
>loading of Mup.sys and hangs in debug mode. I have tried to reinstall
>XP but mid way through loading the initial files it resets itself.

On many systems, mups.sys is the last listed driver to appear; on some
others, it's agp440.sys - so anything that fails between this and the
next visible thing, gets blamed on mups.sys or agp440.sys instead.

>I have monitored the hardware in the BIOS for 5 mins and there is no
>spike or heat problems with the motherboard or processor, could this be
>a hardware problem

Yes, of course. I'd look at:
- motherboard capacitors (eyeball; may have to remove PSU to see)
- disconnected PSU to motherboard leads, e.g. AGP 4-lead +12V
- bad RAM, using MemTest86 or SIMMtester (free downloads)
- HD file system and disk surfaces, using HD vendor's tools



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