Computer Won't restart
 

After getting updates from microsoft my computer won't restart. I have XP Home Edition and am using Embarq Online Security. I have tried deleting some of the updates but my computer still won't restart. It tries but stops. Anyone have any suggestions???

when you say won't restart, do you mean that when you hit Start>turn off computer>restart it just hangs there?

I've had this happen a few times, though I don't think I related it to an update...

try the following at your own risk...first, make sure all programs are shut down and no folders are open...then simply hit the power button on the front of your case...I have found windows XP to be the most robust OS I've ever used...I've had power outages, manually turned the sucker off, etc, and haven't lost a thing...in fact when I restart FireFox after such an event I am even asked if I want to restore the previous session (i.e. no data was lost in any fashion)...

if you choose the above path, the machine should not power off rather it should restart from the boot process and re-enter the OS...if you have to do this two times in a row something is afoot....a good defragmentation of your drive might be necessary...and it may be that your drive is sooooo fragmented that the updates ended up spread all over your machine and its having issues properly running at this point...

Not exactly a rare event. HOW are you accessing your Operating System files in order to attempt to do the deletes?
With another computer and just accessing your drive as a slave?In addition to the above basic truths-
Some crazy but proven tricks, but it may now be far too late if you have been doing anything to your OS files.
Deleting MS update files is normally a very unhealthy thing to do because the update process normally removes numerous files that are required to be available after removing an update.
I wonder if you did a proper restart immediately after finishing the MS update sequence. Also wonder if you have any 'washer' programs running at startup.
= Death.

One old and still effective trick is to simply disconnect the power cable from your computer and press the power/on switch 5 or 6 times. The first time you do this you may notice that the power/on led comes on for a very brief moment. I believe that what is happening is a dumb but safe way to do a capacitor charge dump. This works very often.
Other way is obviously using Safe Mode, but I am guessing that you have already tried this. If not, using F8 at that magical moment in the post POST boot sequence will give you the option to either try the 'last good... blah blah' or go straight into the restore function. You have been creating (and suitably deleting) restore points, right?

Other things to consider are basic and not crazy coincidental- You may have had coincidental a memory or hard disc or motherboard or simple cable failure.
This is not a stupid thing to mention. These things happen all the time and you can go crazy trying to 'fix' something that is OK because your diagnosis is wrong. This is as common as it gets!

A few other tricks can be done with the sfc command (even when the drive is running as a slave!).

Or, a partial reinstall that will preserve your personal data but probably give you a delightful multitude of default folders that you will go nuts trying to delete!

Last, just say f-it and copy all of your personal data to another disc when running the corrupted OS drive as a slave.

Loads more but who knows how far you want to go?

well methinks this user doesn't have the wherewithal to 'delete' update materials....there is the ability via the control panel>add remove programs to do so many times...and this I think is what happened...

Already done
 

I am not a complete idiot Peerless! I just need help in getting this stupid thing to restart.

Does anyone else have a suggestion???

My dear, I don't think anyone is thinking that you are an idiot. (Unless, of course, you actually work for Microsoft and you have been tasked with trying to find someone, hey, ANYONE, who actually knows how to successfully un-install the sh¡te updates that normally flow in and corrupt most user's computers. Are you ? No. Oh, good!)

Notice my slight emphasis on the word "how"?
I mean, if you are able to access the files of your Windows installation in order to attempt to delete possible problematic updates, then it might be fun if you tell us HOW you are doing that if your computer won't "Start".

?

And, maybe you could sort of respond to some of the points raised in the preceding posts that seem to be maybe a lot like specific questions?

What you are experiencing happens all day, every day, to 10s of thousands of people.

So, dear princess, please tell one of the dark knights here, who are really trying to help you, what the real score is- as in don't worry about blinding us with details! The more detailed information from you the easier it will be to try to help you.
And, nobody will dare to ask what b57 means unless you really get your problem solved!

btw- Is it possible that you had also installed or updated another program- either delberately or maybe without knowing- such as a JAVA or Flash Player or Adobe Reader or some "protection software"- or anything else? (Maybe even something as ridiculously unstable and user-mendacious as Limewire?)

And, a very important question- and this will certainly determine your possible idiot status- Do you use, ever, HIBERNATE MODE?
If, "Yes," - TS! (Just a thought.)

:butcher 2:

Thanks for the reply Shadow
 

I have used the control panel (add or remove) to delete my updates. Yes, I do use the hibernate mode quite often, anything to save electricity!

The reason I have come to my conclusion is that after each update I restart my computer. If it does happen to restart I make a restore point. Now that it won't restart I have tried to go back to a restore point and it won't restore because of no restart...I have tried shutting it down manually also to no avail. I do have Java 6 Update 7, Java Runtime, SE v1.4.2_03, Adobe Reader 9, Adobe Air, Adobe Flash Player Active X. There is nothing on my startup but my monitor. The update SP2 has been disabled because of the Embarq Online Security (which btw catches quite a few viruses, and cookie trackers).

I don't know what else to inform you of. Yes you know what the b57 stands for. Just because I'm a "senior" doesn't mean I am senile.

Looking forward to your next advise.

Never, never, never ever use hibernate.
Never.
There is an extremely great probability that your use of hibernate is the actual 'cause' of your problem.
I assume that numerous people will come in here to say that hibernate is safe and wonderful.
They do not know what they are talking about.
It is a disaster. It is a very common cause of exactly what you are now enjoying.

The various applicatons you named as far as updates are concerned- Do you have them configured for auto-update or do you do them manually?

uh, you're supposed to do a restore point BEFORE allowing any MS updates!

XP home is running with SP2 disabled by your so-called security software?
That's a new one!
It is also completely crazy and very very wrong.

Nothing- "Nothing" in your 'startup' eh ?
How much are you willing to bet that there are MANY things in your startup?
Whatever is displayed to you in your desktop view of Program Files has nothing to do with your real startup configurations. Nothing.

You haven't actually responded to many of the comments and questions here-
Have you tried Safe Mode?
Why don't you remove your hard disc and simply copy all of the important personal data on to another hard disc? This is no big deal to do.
Then, just start over. Again, no big deal and your computer will seem like new- for at least a week!

Why would you accept the absurdity of your security program disabling XP Service Pack 2? That is completely crazy.
It is also completely impossible to believe! XP SP2 is enormous and if you had it installed and only a very small number of SP2 'features' were disabled you would have a very very dead Windows XP Home.

Please try to give us the info on what you have so far tried to do to get your system running again.
I do not mean to give loads of details about what happened before the crash.

btw, I could add b61 to my ID, so I outrank you!!!!!!!!!! :yikes:

Now, as they say to the Prisoner "We want information."

p.s. Get rid of that security program. It is ridiculous.

************************************

It just clicked in my aging brain-
Embarq-
It's an enormous con- F-Secure and such- They make the Enron people look almost sweet and cuddly.
F-Secure- A huge marketing con to push ISPs to 'bundle' useless security toys to innocent and usually very new adsl users.
And, normally at a ridiculous cost. ISPs love it because they get money for nothing. Users only get a false sense of security and a shafting all the way up to the hilt.

Your problem is very possibly caused by one or many more viruses that XP finally couldn't take any more.
A simplistic statement but more than probably true.

stop using it...it causes many problems...just turn the damn machine off to save electricity..

you haven't tried hard enough...unplug the sucker..if that fails, then you either have a magical computer you bought from the same person that Jack bought his beans from or you are trolling...

and therein most likely is the root of your problem....disabling SP2 is just plain stupid and I'm surprised your machine runs at all as new updates are not supposed to be supported unless SP2 is present...

you've accused me of thinking you are stupid, for what I have no clue as I'm the one who pointed out you probably don't have the wherewithal to go into system files and delete updates in that fashion (i.e. I stood up for you)....

at this point I do think you are stupid...or senile...or something even more nefarious....

***please note I made this post before I was aware of The Shadow's last post...it was hung up by the forum spambuster and I just approved it for view***

my sentiments of this thread/poster remain the same