Computer Won't Boot After Windows Update

If you won an AMD-based computer running WinXP, you may have a problem installing Service Pack 3 (SP3) on it. I've run into this problem a couple of times now (mostly on HP computers). Most people experience the problem (i.e., the computer won't boot) after doing a Windows Update.

Here's the problem. SP3 tries to load an Intel driver on your computer during startup following the installation of SP3. The problem is that this driver is not compatible with AMD computers. To fix the problem, you have to disable this driver (which is very easy).

Here's how to fix the problem:

1. First make sure your computer is an AMD-based PC (not Intel). This is VERY IMPORTANT. In most cases, you can look at the front of the tower and there will be a sticker telling you if it's AMD or Intel based (this is assuming you've never replaced the motherboard).
2. If the computer is AMD based, start the computer to SAFE MODE (when you push the button to start the computer, you should see the SAFE MODE option; if you don't start the computer again and keep hitting the F8 key on the keyboard til you see a menu offering you the choice to boot in Safe Mode.
3. Once you're in Safe Mode follow the steps below:
   

• Click the START button and then RUN
  
• In the window type: sc config intelppm start= disabled
  (note there is a space between each word and before the word, "disabled")
  
• Hit "enter" on the keyboard
  
• Reboot the computer normally (it should work)
  

Hopefully this solved your booting problems. If not, then you may have something else wrong with the computer which requires professional technical support. If the steps above did fix your problem, I'd suggest creating a new "restore point"

Running Windows Update and installing SP3 is a good thing. This is just one of those rare flukes that caused a problem. So please don't let this little problem keep you from updating Windows.

Dell Computer Keeps Booting to Diagnostic Screen

Today, I encountered a unique problem with a brand new Dell computer. One of my clients had bought a new computer from Dell and asked me to come by and set it all up for him. Oddly enough, as soon as we plugged everything in and booted up the computer, we encountered the diagnostic screen.

Although there was an option to exit the diagnostic screen, doing so, only brought you right back to it. Running the tests worked great, but again, you were back to the diagnostic screen (which you still couldn't exit out of) when finished.

I even tried rebooting the computer and pressing F8 to bypass the normal start up process, but that did nothing. After every trick I knew failed, my next instinct was to reload Windows XP using the System Restore disk and start over.

But before doing that, I called Dell support and decided to talk to them about it. Dell suggested I ship the computer back to them and they would reload everything (also suspecting a software problem at the time the computer was first set up). I suggested using the System Restore disk first and if it failed to correct the problem, I would then be willing to ship the computer back.

Starting the restore process, gave me the opportunity to look at the partitions that Dell had set up at the factory. As it turns out, they were wrong. Somebody had loaded the "C" partition with the Dell Diagnostic program, and loaded the operating system (WinXP) on the "D" partition.

Because of this arrangement, the computer had no choice but to keep booting the Diagnostic program (wasting my time and causing frustration).

To fix the problem, I had to delete both partitions, create a new single partition and reload the Operating System from disk. Then of course, once Windows was restored, I had to reinstall all of the drivers and software that came with the computer. But the problem was solved and I didn't have to ship the computer back to Dell!