XP install loop while in Safe Mode

[Guest BatFrog]

I had my computer in Safe Mode (won't go into lengthly reasons for

that), and decided to run the xp install disk for repairs. So I boot

from the xp install cdrom and all goes normally and I choose the

repair option. It takes a few minutes loading a bunch of files and

then says, " must reboot now to finish". So the computer re-boots

automatically, but now it comes up with a screen ""Windows xp setup

cannot run under Safemode. Setup will restart now"

 

At this point the machine re-boots and it goes straight to the "cannot

run under Safemode" error message again. This repeats endlessly.

 

I need to get out of safemode or get the XP Setup program to stop

running. But no sucess.

I ran NTFS4DOS and can see that my boot.ini has the safemode flag

set, but I can't see how to edit the file, since every time I run edit

and try to save the file, the computer crashes.

Guess the old "edit" program is not compatable with NTSF??

 

This is a bad bug with XP Setup. It should detect that you are in

safemode in the first place and not allow this to happen.

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

Tom W.

[Guest Brian A.]

Re: XP install loop while in Safe Mode

 

"BatFrog" <t.whicker@mindspring.com> wrote in message

news:c85f15cc-e67f-405b-8389-33f64b79bcee@28g2000hsw.googlegroups.com...

>I had my computer in Safe Mode (won't go into lengthly reasons for

> that), and decided to run the xp install disk for repairs. So I boot

> from the xp install cdrom and all goes normally and I choose the

> repair option. It takes a few minutes loading a bunch of files and

> then says, " must reboot now to finish". So the computer re-boots

> automatically, but now it comes up with a screen ""Windows xp setup

> cannot run under Safemode. Setup will restart now"

>

> At this point the machine re-boots and it goes straight to the "cannot

> run under Safemode" error message again. This repeats endlessly.

>

> I need to get out of safemode or get the XP Setup program to stop

> running. But no sucess.

> I ran NTFS4DOS and can see that my boot.ini has the safemode flag

> set, but I can't see how to edit the file, since every time I run edit

> and try to save the file, the computer crashes.

> Guess the old "edit" program is not compatable with NTSF??

>

> This is a bad bug with XP Setup. It should detect that you are in

> safemode in the first place and not allow this to happen.

>

> Any help will be greatly appreciated.

>

> Tom W.

 

You can't repartition or reformat a disk (drive/volume/partition), or install to a

disk (drive/volume/partition) that's in use, hence the reason you can not run the

repair install from Safe Mode.

 

Boot up with the XP disk in the drive.

When you see the prompt "Press Any Key To Boot From Disk", Press any key immediately.

You should now be able to run the Repair Install:

How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315341

 

How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

 

I don't know if System Restoring will help to get back to square one, but worth a

shot:

How to start the System Restore tool at a command prompt in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304449/

 

If you still have problems then run the Recovery Console to edit the boot.ini:

Description of the Windows XP Recovery Console

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314058

 

How to enable an administrator to log on automatically in Recovery Console

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;312149

 

How to install the Windows Recovery Console

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;216417

 

How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307654

 

How to remove Windows Recovery Console

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;555032

 

 

--

 

 

Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Windows Desktop User Experience }

Conflicts start where information lacks.

http://basconotw.mvps.org/

 

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

[Guest BatFrog]

Re: XP install loop while in Safe Mode

 

 

Brian,

 

Thanks for the help. I was able to get out of the endless loop by

running the Repair Console and

using "bootcfg /rebuild" to write a new boot.ini that excluded the

safemode option.

 

Once that was done, the machine came up and immediately proceeded to

complete the

original Repair Install which had starrted all the trouble.

 

Again, XP Setup has no warning and fully allows you to *start* an

install or repair install while

in safemode. The trouble happens when the install attempts to re-boot

to finish the install. At that

point you get the error "XP setup cannot run under safemode, and will

re-start now".

 

Once you are in this loop, you can't turn off safemode, and you cannot

exit the XP install program.

 

You can , in fact, boot from the set-up disk again and run the

install or repair from scratch, but it will

again fall into the same loop. Also, you can boot the set-up disk and

start the install and then request

to abort the install with F3, but the machine still re-boots and trys

to finish the original install sequence.

 

So the only way out that I could see was to go in from the repair

console (or something like NTFS4DOS) and

edit boot.ini.

 

In researching this, I see a good number of folks over the past few

years have fallen into this rabbit hole, and

looks like most of them have given up and reformatted the hard drive

as the only way out!

 

Thanks again and best regards,

Tom W.

[Guest Brian A.]

Re: XP install loop while in Safe Mode

 

Glad to hear you have resolved the loop, fortunately for me I've never been in that

situation yet.

 

--

 

 

Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Windows Desktop User Experience }

Conflicts start where information lacks.

http://basconotw.mvps.org/

 

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

 

 

"BatFrog" <t.whicker@mindspring.com> wrote in message

news:4108aeae-a11f-4b59-894e-90e0e42f6504@s37g2000prg.googlegroups.com...

>

> Brian,

>

> Thanks for the help. I was able to get out of the endless loop by

> running the Repair Console and

> using "bootcfg /rebuild" to write a new boot.ini that excluded the

> safemode option.

>

> Once that was done, the machine came up and immediately proceeded to

> complete the

> original Repair Install which had starrted all the trouble.

>

> Again, XP Setup has no warning and fully allows you to *start* an

> install or repair install while

> in safemode. The trouble happens when the install attempts to re-boot

> to finish the install. At that

> point you get the error "XP setup cannot run under safemode, and will

> re-start now".

>

> Once you are in this loop, you can't turn off safemode, and you cannot

> exit the XP install program.

>

> You can , in fact, boot from the set-up disk again and run the

> install or repair from scratch, but it will

> again fall into the same loop. Also, you can boot the set-up disk and

> start the install and then request

> to abort the install with F3, but the machine still re-boots and trys

> to finish the original install sequence.

>

> So the only way out that I could see was to go in from the repair

> console (or something like NTFS4DOS) and

> edit boot.ini.

>

> In researching this, I see a good number of folks over the past few

> years have fallen into this rabbit hole, and

> looks like most of them have given up and reformatted the hard drive

> as the only way out!

>

> Thanks again and best regards,

> Tom W.

>