crazy reboot loop on splash screen

**chronoch** · May 6th, 2004, 10:23 AM

Was using my WIN98SE computer the other day when windows crashed on me and was forced to do a reboot. From then on, Windows will be stuck in a reboot loop; it will get to the Win98 splash screen, looks like it is loading up, but then reboots itself.

This has happened before and a "scanreg /restore" usually does the trick, but I tried that this time and it didn't work. Strangely, the only backups that were listed when I tried this were in February (3 months ago). When I tried selecting them, the program 'fixed' them and then 'fixed' them again when I rebooted, but the problem still occurred. When I went back to the scanreg program to look at the list again, the dates were changed to May 5 with NOT-STARTED next to them. I hope they aren't screwed up..... I don't believe I have any recent backups of my registry.

I also use Litestep. When the PC crashed, there was an error from Litestep, but I don't believe that Litestep was the exact source of the error since I've been using it for a long time.

I also recently installed the newly released Win98SE Unofficial Service Pack 1.5. I did not reboot after installing it, so I think that it might be a problem.

I have tried:
uninstalling Litestep
uninstalling the Unofficial Service Pack (though it asks for winboot.sys to correct the uninstall, but I don't know if I have this file on any of my CDs or anything)
removing my display adapter
selective startup (config.sys and autoexec.bat load fine, but the problem is in the Windows drivers)

When Litestep is set as my shell and I boot up into Safe Mode, my Norton Antivirus gives me an error about a file "symevnt.386" and to run a program that supposedly corrects it. The program, located in one of the Norton directories, did not fix the error message nor the rebooting problem. I cannot uninstall Norton because I don't have CD support in safe mode and Norton requires the CD.

At this point, I don't know what to do. My intuition tells me that somehow one of my virtual device drivers is at fault, possibly due to the Unofficial Service Pack. The winboot.sys seems very suspicious but I don't know anything about it. If it is on my Dell Resource CD or Product Recovery CD, where would I copy the file? Or would the file be located in a Windows CAB file? Where would that be?

Dell wants me to format and do a clean install, but that would be giving up in my book.

Thanks for any help.

**Orangeman** · May 6th, 2004, 11:12 AM

Try this:

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;148919

PS> I also installed unofficial service pack 1.5 and its not doing a continuous reboot...

Orangeman..

**chronoch** · May 6th, 2004, 01:33 PM

Nope, that doesn't work. There isn't even a "win.com /w" reference in my autoexec.bat.

I also tried using the file checker (in System Information, under the tools menu) and it didn't find anything wrong.

In msconfig.exe, no matter what parts I disable of the boot information (such as config.sys/autoexec.bat, win.ini/boot.ini, etc.) the problem still occurs.

I looked at bootlog.txt and searched for 'fail' and this is what I found:

Load Failed = ndis2sup.vxd
Dynamic load failed nvmini.vxd : [000F16121] File not found
Dynamic load failed c:\windows\system\IOSUBSYS\smartvsd.vxd : Not a valid device - possibly corrupt
INITCOMPLETEFAILED = SDVXD

The last thing loaded is:
[000F1746] Dynamic load success dsound.vxd

Looking at this article http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;127970 I am not concerned about SDVXD or ndis2sup, but nvmini.vxd and smartvsd.vxd seem to be a concern.

Anyone have any suggestions?

**NooNoo** · May 6th, 2004, 02:50 PM

nvmini.vxd is part of your guillemot video card... maybe its biting the dust?

In safe mode change the adapter to pci vga adapter. Then go for a normal boot.

**Sly** · May 10th, 2004, 04:14 PM

Can you say fdisk /mbr, reload

To many parts loaded on an O\s that has its own way of doing thing. JMHO

**FatalException0E** · May 10th, 2004, 07:14 PM

The video card thing is a good idea. Another possibility is choose 'step by step confirmation' from the boot menu and see what the last thing it loads before rebooting is. On second though, since it gets to the splash screen, that probably wouldn't do anything. It would happen on 'Load all Windows drivers"

Yeah...try the vid card thing. Also check your CPU fan. I've seen registry goofy-ness happen when a CPU is over-heating.....and with bad RAM.....and with bad hard drives..........

**NightRust** · May 13th, 2004, 12:09 PM

Does the mobo have a VIA chipset?

I've run into this exact same reboot loop several times on VIA-chipsetted mobos after swapping PCI cards, sometimes after a 4-in-1 update, sometimes out of the blue. Always ends up being something borking the graphics card.

As suggested already, reboot into safe mode, kick the display adapter back to default VGA. After rebooting, reload/update the AGP driver, then reload/update the graphics card driver. Has always worked for me.

**cgonzo** · May 14th, 2004, 12:26 PM

try scanreg /fix . Also, since you can get to both command prompt and safe mode, boot to command prompt with CD support and copy the CD contents to a directory on c:
Also, an in-place install of win98 sometimes works wonders when sfc finds nothing.

**kcfansallee** · December 4th, 2005, 11:08 AM

I've got the same loop question on a computer I am working on. Was trying to save a dying harddrive, and save some of the pictures and what not onto disk ( yes the owner of the computer is lacking on backups ) Anyway I was switching over her harddrive to a tower with a PIII ( yes belive it or not this is faster than her snail CPU ) and tried loading the new display drivers to her harddrive with little to no luck. Switched back to her VGA and had no luck finding her driver online ( it's a creative labs riva, can't find on there websight anywhere...) Anyway now I have some how gotten trapped in this terrible LOOP. Went back to her tower and it won't even detect a mouse or keyboard to run the SAFE MODE. I'm ready to tell her FDISK or new hard drive, either way not looking good for her pics, and documents. I have printed off your suggestion for switching the Autoexec.bat file, haven't tried that yet, let me know if this does not sound like my problem. Thanks

David

**Ferrit** · December 4th, 2005, 11:26 AM

pull her harddrive and add it as a slave in another windows computer and rescue the pictures is my advice

**kcfansallee** · December 4th, 2005, 01:29 PM

Ah hah, I was wondering about that. But was unsure if it would work, not having the correct drivers and such in it. But I should be able to put is as a slave and get files from it using the main hard drive? I have a seagate disk for formating a hard drive, it also has a selection to add an additional hard drive, would I need to use such software or just move the jumper on the slave harddrive and plug it in? Sorry for the questions, Your help is very appreciated believe me. Thanks
David

**Ferrit** · December 4th, 2005, 05:58 PM

Simpler just to leave the jumpers alone and in the new computer disconnect the cdrom's off the secondary ide and put her harddrive as master on secondary ide