Computer keeps restarting

John_Doe.

It would help, if you posted some details, such as, computer model, version of windows, any error messages and the reading of the diagnostic LEDs.

Bev.

If u want to read the error messages then click...

Press windows button + Pause/break                This would pop up a window .....

Click "ADVANCED" tab   and  .....  click  ...  "STARTUP AND RECOVERY"

Uncheck the option "automaticaly reboot"

Now onwards you will get enough time to read any error message u get on ur screen.

The blue screen could imply that there could be virus on ur system. U need to run Anitvirus n check for it.

if it is not virus u can try clearing NVRAM from bios.

I have Windows XP and I tried hitting the Pause/Break button when the blue error message appears but nothing happens it just reboots again. Any more suggestions on how to fix the problem?

Thanks!

John_Doe.

The following is the best XP Shutdown troubleshooter.

 http://aumha.org/win5/a/shtdwnxp.htm

Bev.

It doesn't even boot to Windows so I can't change any of these settings in Windows XP.

How do I clear the NVRAM in the BIOS? I tried looking for it in the BIOS but I couldn't find it. I also tried entering safe mode but the same blue error screen came on for half a second and rebooted automatically again. Is there any other way I can view this error screen becuase the pause/break button didn't work?

Thanks

Message Edited by John_Doe on 10-23-2003 10:52 AM

After rebooting the computer several times I finally got a some words out of the blue error screen that pops up for a second. It says something about the regsitry cannot....load the.....physical memory....

Is that any help?

When u boot ur system do u see something on ur screen like dell logo then flashing of a few lines n then screen changing n then if u see the blue screen this might imply ur bios has successfully performed it tests n something is wrong with the OS. If u do not see anything when u boot except the blue screen then there might be a problem with the hardware or there could be the cables r gone bad for ur hardware.  

U can try out only two things now...   One is clearing the NVRAM  from teh bios and second  is booting from a Dell CD and running the Dell diagnostic test to check if the hardware on ur system is functionally properly. 

To perform these actions it is necessary to know what type of a system do u have becoz every system has their own settings n ways of doin it. Alternatively, u can open up http://support.us.dell.com and select ur system and look out for the above 2 options as to how they r done. If u can give ur sysetm trype I can do that for u    no probs.....

It boots up all the way up to where the Windows XP logo appears with a black background and the status bar is moving left to right. When it's done the blue error screen suddenly appears and it reboots again. So I'm guessing there is something wrong with the OS? I think I'll try reinstalling XP.

I doubt it's an OS problem - more likely hardware.

I would suggest disconnecting everything from your PC except the keyboard, mouse and monitor. Remove all usb devices, add-in cards etc. Reboot. If it boots OK, power down & add in components one at a time, rebooting each time until the suspect component is found. If it still won't boot successfully, run Dell Diagnostics. I don't think you've told us yet what PC you've got but on my Dell 4550 you can run diagnostics by hitting F12 on boot and choosing from menu. Otherwise, insert your Dell Drivers & Utilities disk and boot from that. Dell diagnostics may help you if the problem is due to defective hardware.

You've still not told us what PC it is! What I mean is any plug-in PC cards, like PCI sound cards. It's hard to advise without knowing what PC you've got. Definitely remove printer, scanner, hubs, anything apart from the basics I mentioned in my post.

Why I think it's hardware is that it sounds as if the problem is occuring before Windows is loaded - although I could be wrong. It might be a driver. I would definitely run Dell Diagnostics.

So it's not an O/S problem? I still haven't found my XP cd to do a repair so I'll guess I'll try that first. When you say remove all add-in cards what do you mean by this? Pretty much all the components are integrated on the PC.

Why is it that you this it's more likely a hardware problem rather than a O/S problem?

Thanks!