for some reason start up became very slow so i read about how to try & fix this. all i did was remove the following programs/files(?) which i had rarely used, i also read what each thing did on the net before removing:JAVA (TM) UPDATE 20REMOTE COMMS DRIVERRUNTIME 80 LIBRARIESSEARCH GUARD PLUS (MY TATTOONS)SEARCH GUARD PLUSINSTALL (MY TATTOONS)NERO 7 ESSENTIALSGOOGLE EARTH so now when i turn it on i get the message that windows failed to open & it gives me several choices to try & start (with 30 seond countdown) ie:safe modestart normaly etc etc... i tried the recommended one but it went back to same instructions, so i tried them all still no luck.just keeps coming back to same page. when trying to start sometimes a blue command screen appears for 1 second, on other tries a load of code appears .sys kind of stuff & it says tryinfg to install but then after a few seconds- back to start up instrucion screen if you can please help!many thanks1 person needs an answerI do too

What is your system make and model?What is your XP Version and Service Pack?Describe your current antivirus and anti malware situation: McAfee, Norton, Spybot, AVG, Avira!, MSE, Defender, ZoneAlarm, PC Tools, Comodo, etc.Does the afflicted system have a working CD/DVD drive?Do you have a genuine bootable XP installation CD (this is not the same as any Recovery CDs that came with your system)?Fill in the blank: My system was working fine until: _________________________________________.If there is a problem booting, XP is configured to automatically try to boot again and you can get stuck in a loop of just being unable to get past the boot options screen or none of the boot options you choose will work.Sometimes when XP has a problem starting or crashes and tries to start again, it will give you a "short" menu of boot options and none of them will seem to be the right ones to get your system going again. You've tried them all!The options resemble the XP Advanced Boot Options menu, but the one option you need (Disable automatic restart on system failure) is not offered because XP has gone too far along in the boot process and offers you a limited number of boot options.If that is the case, you must invoke the Advanced Boot Options menu yourself until you do see the option:Disable automatic restart on system failureWhen you do get to the correct XP Advanced Options Boot menu you want to see, it has options on it like these:Safe ModeSafe Mode with NetworkingSafe Mode with Command PromptEnable Boot LoggingEnable VGA modeLast Known Good Configuration (your most recent settings that worked)Directory Services Restore Mode (Windows domain controllers only)Debugging ModeDisable automatic restart on system failure Start Windows NormallyRebootReturn to OS Choices MenuWhat you need to choose from that menu is the option:Disable automatic restart on system failureThen if XP fails to boot normally, you will see an error screen with information and clues regarding the problem and then you can decide what to do next.If you do not see the Disable automatic restart on system failure option, you need to reset your system and start tapping the F8 key on the keyboard until you do see the Disable automatic restart on system failure option. If you miss the F8 window of opportunity, you need to try again and start tapping the F8 key with more urgency (sooner and more frequently) until you do see Disable automatic restart on system failure, then choose it.You need to keep trying the F8 menu until you do see Disable automatic restart on system failure option, and select it.Respond to the queries and report back the results from the Disable automatic restart on system failure screen and you can decide what to do next.Don't guess what the problem might be - figure it out and fix it. I need YOUR votes and points for helpful replies and Propose as Answers. I am saving up for a pony!

thanks jose!i got to the advanced options boot menu page by tapping urgently as you suggested-it took 4 attempts as that blue sceen appears for just half a second.then i clicked on Disable automatic restart on system failurethen got this sceen message:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------a problem has been detected and windows been shut down to prevent damage to your computerunmountable_boot_volumeif this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, restart your computer. if tis screen appears again, follow these steps:check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed, if this is a new installation, ask your hardware or software manafacturer for any windows update you might need. if problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or software.disable bios memory options such as caching or shadowing. if you need to use safe mode to remove or disable components, restart your computer, press f8 to select advanced start up options, and then select safe mode.technical information: ***STOP:0x000000ED (0x8A7E4E30,0xC000009C,0x00000000,0x00000000)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------i havent installed any new softwear or hardware - probably need some computer engineer to at look at this?

That's good. I could not decide to say "urgently" or "feverishly".There are still a few questions in my first reply that you should answer if you can...Then, let's start with this:Was the issue preceded by a power interruption, aborted restart, or improper shutdown? (this includes plug pulling and power buttons)These can cause corruption in the file system which must be fixed before you do anything else.If any of those events have occurred (or even if they have not occurred), you should verify the integrity of your file system before doing anything else (especially "trying" things).Use the XP Recovery Console to verify the file system on your HDD and correct any problems and then try to boot your system - this may be all you need to do. Or, you are welcome to just start trying things that might work.Boot into the Windows Recovery Console using a bootable XP installation CD.If you have no bootable XP media (or are not sure what you have) create a bootable XP Recovery Console CD and be sure.This is not the same as any recovery disks that might have come a store bought system. You can make a bootable Recovery Console CD by downloading an ISO file and burning it to a CD.The bootable ISO image file you need to download is called:xp_rec_con.iso Download the ISO file from here:http://www.mediafire.com/?ueyyzfymmigUse a new CD and this free and easy program to burn your ISO file and create your bootable CD:http://www.imgburn.com/Here are some instructions for ImgBurn:http://forum.imgburn.com/index.php?showtopic=61It would be a good idea to test your bootable CD on a computer that is working.You may need to adjust the computer BIOS settings to use the CD ROM drive as the first boot device instead of the hard disk. These adjustments are made before Windows tries to load. If you miss it, you will have to reboot the system again.When you boot on the CD, follow the prompts:Press any key to boot from CD...The Windows Setup... will proceed.Press 'R' to enter the Recovery Console.Select the installation you want to access (usually 1: C:\WINDOWS)You may be asked to enter the Administrator password (usually empty).You should be in the C:\WINDOWS folder. This is the same as the C:\WINDOWS folder you see in explorer.The Recovery Console allows basic file commands like: copy, rename, replace, delete, cd, chkdsk, fixboot, fixmbr, etc.For a list of Recovery Console commands, enter help at the prompt.First verify the integrity of your file system using the chkdsk command.From the command prompt window run the chkdsk command on the drive where Windows is installed to try to repair any problems on the afflicted drive.Running chkdsk is fine even if it doesn't find any problems. It will not hurt anything to run it.Assuming your boot drive is C, run the following command:chkdsk C: /rLet chkdsk finish and correct any problems it might find. It may take a long time for chkdsk to complete or it may appear to be 'stuck'. Be patient. If the HDD light is still flashing, chkdsk is doing something. Keep an eye on the percentage amount to be sure it is still making progress. It may even appear to go backwards sometimes.You should run chkdsk /r again until it finds no errors to correct.Remove the CD and type 'exit' to leave the RC and restart the computer.You do not have to adjust the BIOS again to boot on the HDD since the CD will not be present.Don't guess what the problem might be - figure it out and fix it. I need YOUR votes and points for helpful replies and Propose as Answers. I am saving up for a pony!