So, the other day my laptop did an automatic update, afterwards restarting itself as it usually does. But when it went to restart, it went to the 'we're sorry, windows has incountered a problem...' and so on page with the options to start windows normally, or last known good configuration, ect. I've tried all the options, and each time it doesnt get past the 'Windows XP" loading screen before it just restarts again. I disabled the restart on error option so I could see what the blue error screen says, and it said a problem had been detected and windows shut down to prevent damage. Technical Info: ***STOP: 0x0000007e (0x0000003, 0x805b8424, 0xf889b2b8, 0xf889afb4) I have no idea how to go about fixing this. At the very least, I need a way to get to my files before I do a complete reboot on the system. Does anyone know a way I could either fix this or save my data?

Hello strawberry-fuzz, Try scanning your disk for errors first by using the "Recovery Console" through your Windows XP Installation CD. Once in Recovery Console, just type "chkdsk /r". This will find and attempt to recover any corrupted information that might be preventing your system from booting. This most likely will not solve the problem because it doesn't sound like you halted the updating process or shutdown improperly in anyway. Give it a try anyway. Also, the Recovery Console has many tools and utilities to help fix your system. You can also try to repair your installation through your Windows XP installation CD, but I would backup my data first if I were you. If you're looking for a way to view and back up the files that exist on your operating system, try using a Live CD such as Ubuntu's Installation Disk. (\__/) (='.'=) It's always nice to have some feed back after things are fixed =) (")_(")