Computer restarting at windows XP loading screen

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Emper0r

Member
Hey guys, I have a problem where I start up my computer, gets to the windows loading screen, loads for about 7 seconds then restarts and repeats the cycle. I can't even start it up in safe mode.

Now when I've made it boot up only from the cd-rom with the windows disc in it to re-install windows, I hit enter to install on C: Partition1 [Unknown] 114432 MB ( 114431 MB free ). This threw me off right off the bat because I know I didn't have more than 30 GB free before this problem started happening.

When I hit enter to install on that partition, the following message appears:

"The partition is either too full, damaged, not formatted, or formatted with an incompatible file system. To continue installing Windows, Setup must format this partition.

Yet as we all know, 114 GB is more than enough for Windows to install. So now I'm thinking the hard drive died or messed up somehow, thing is, I had a lot of important things that I didn't back up yet on the hard drive. So I have a couple questions:

1. Is there a way I can go into console and check the status of the HD?
2. Is there anything in the BIOS that would tell me if the HD is damaged/dead or not?
3. Is there anything I can do manually via removing the hard drive to see if it's still working?

Thanks to anyone that helps!
 
No and no and no again unless somone got an idea.

Intersting problem though. Sounds like your HD took a hit. Try using another HD as a master and set that one up as slave and when you get into windows, see if windows reads the "broken" drive..
 
I don't have another drive to be able to do that with.. there must be a way to tell besides doing that if the HD is dead or not..
 
take the hdd out and put it into a diffrent pc if its a pata hdd set jumper to slave when its connected it will show up as second drive under my computer,
then you can run some hdd test program on it like hd workbench you will also be able to get your work of it so you dont lose it all
 
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