<Semi-Emergency> Windows hangs before login screen

This is a semi emergency, because Windows XP boots, but hangs before the login screen.

Any ideas? I logged the boot, but the file is huge. It is attached as a zip. Please help.

<edit> ...replaced by information in edit 5

<edit 2> Let me know if there is any other information you guys need to know. I believe I installed new nVidia audio drivers on the boot before the first freeze boot, but I tried removing the hardware from the device manager and rebooting and now it hangs on booting into safe mode, too.

<edit 3> A Windows 2000 install which is on a separate hard disk boots just fine, so I am lead to believe it is not a hardware problem. I can access files from the Windows XP disk fine, so I don't think it's a HD issue either.

<edit 4> Maybe I should restate...yes, I worded it poorly. Windows FREEZES at a black screen right after the black Windows XP screen, and right before the blue WIndows XP login screen.

<edit 5> Windows XP safe mode now works.

<edit 6> Safe mode AND VGA mode work. I switched video cards from a PCI ATI All-In-Wonder to my AGP Radeon 8500LE, and the screen still freezes in the same place, only this time with blue pixels everywhere. The video card works fine, as I am in Windows 2k right now at 1280x1024.

<edit 7> I fixed it. I had to boot into Safe Mode, remove everything I could in Device Mnager, reboot, and I was golden. Of course, then I had to reinstall like 30 drivers, but all is good now.

Defrag and see what that does

Defrag? When I can get into Windows in Safe Mode but not regular startup? I'll do it if you can support your statement.

or you can do the alternative and go to www.bootdisk.com and get the prog to make the winXP boot disk and reformat

Sophisticated said:

or you can do the alternative and go to www.bootdisk.com and get the prog to make the winXP boot disk and reformat

Click to expand...

No, you don't understand....something is wrong in the setup of my system. It's not a matter of my hard disk being fragmented...something, some driver or something, is causing windows xp to hang on startup.

like i said soundz like you need to reinstall you XP

Sophisticated said:

like i said soundz like you need to reinstall you XP

Click to expand...

No. It was fine the time before I started, in fact I was booting in under 40 seconds.

well you either do that or just deal with the hang....im not to fond with driver making your boot up hang BUT you can try this...go to start and select RUN...then type in "Msconfig" without the ""...then go to the start up tab when the screen pops up...deselect all then restart in normal mode see what that does...im not really fond of drivers hanging the bootup...

Sophisticated said:

well you either do that or just deal with the hang....im not to fond with driver making your boot up hang BUT you can try this...go to start and select RUN...then type in "Msconfig" without the ""...then go to the start up tab when the screen pops up...deselect all then restart in normal mode see what that does...im not really fond of drivers hanging the bootup...

Click to expand...

Maybe I should restate...yes, I worded it poorly. Windows FREEZES at a black screen right after the black Windows XP screen, and right before the blue Windows XP login screen.

you can do what i just suggested in Safe Mode also unless you can get there either

well whatever computer your on now go to www.bootdisk.com and make a boot disk for your windows and reinstall...the only thing i can suggest bro

I had the same thing happen to my system way back, except mine would freeze, then restart, and keep looping over and over, it wasn't a hardware prob, some windows glitch (it happened right after I had finished installing logitech mouseware for my new mouse) right on the restart it asked me to do once it was installed. Needless to say, never got it working, I reformatted and reinstalled. Same thing happened to a friend's pc, freeze at boot, couldn't get that one to work either, yet again, a format and reinstall.

I had a similar situation a few weeks back,,,,,,,bare with me on my rambling.

I had a tv card that went bad, lost audio, I had video. I pulled the card and rma'd it. I left the software and drivers installed. I received my new card (thank you newegg) but it was a bit different, they were out of stock on the one I sent back. I put it in, figuring the drivers and software for the apps would be the same, then my problems started. I locked up in explorer. Had to reset, then on reboot, it would freeze on the blue slider bar. I had to reset, F8 to safe mode, uninstall the drivers/sw, reboot. Still would freeze up on the blue slider. Numerous resets, F8 safe modes, power off/power on and 1 1/2 hours later I was finally able to boot normally. I then installed the drivers/sw and it has been fine ever since.I was sooo close to re-installing, but it finally took.

You might try a system restore, if you haven't disabled system restore. That is if you can F8 to safe mode and go from there.

Sorry if I rambled,,,,,,,kinda normal for me on a Friday nite (happy hour)

I fixed it. I had to boot into Safe Mode, remove everything I could in Device Mnager, reboot, and I was golden. Of course, then I had to reinstall like 30 drivers, but all is good now.

greenman100 said:

I fixed it. I had to boot into Safe Mode, remove everything I could in Device Mnager, reboot, and I was golden. Of course, then I had to reinstall like 30 drivers, but all is good now.

Click to expand...

good for you. I'm glad you got it squared away. My situation was getting me frustrated as well. I have all of my work s/w loaded on here, vpn, and other s/w that I use for work and was dreading to have to re-install, as I am 'on-call' every other week, but I am back-up to being on-call, which means if the 'on-call' person doesn't respond in a given time frame, I get paged to fix things. I live 22 miles from work, and if my puter is mucked up, and can't vpn, I have to drive in,,,,,,,,,,,,,,<sigh>