Frustrated I am. Woke up this morning to start my computer and when I went to put in my password for my user the computer froze. So I restarted the computer and now windows wont load. It wont load from safe mode, latest configuration, or from any mode. It just keeps on showing a quick blip and then goes back to the same page for options on how to restart the computer. I don't have a windows cd or reboot disk, as I bought my computer with windows already preinstalled. I am wondering if there is a way to get into the system and restore to 2 days ago when everything was fine? I haven't backed files in awhile, and I am dreading having to load a whole new program on my computer again. Desperate for a solution. N Lowe

Did you try Last Known Good Configuration from the menu options? You should have gotten Recovery CDs with your laptop. Sony ships them with the computers. Take a look here: http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/... "So won’t you give this man his wings What a shame To have to beg you to see We’re not all the same What a shame" - Shinedown

Is this a laptop or a desktop computer? Did you install any software, or updates to software, or did something do that automatically (Microsoft automatic update, anti-malware software, etc.), or devices, before you shut down Windows when it last worked fine? Did you recently change which ram you have installed? If you did, it may not be 100% compatible with your system. If you still have the ram that was in it before, try installing it, by itself. See response 2 in this - try cleaning the contacts on the ram modules, and making sure the modules are properly seated: http://www.computing.net/hardware/w... For a laptop, you must remove both its main battery and AC adapter before you do that. Check your hard drive with the manufacturer's diagnostics. See the latter part of response 1 in this: http://www.computing.net/windows95/... (thanks to Dan Penny for this link:) Hard Drive Diagnostics Tools and Utilities http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm... If you don't have a floppy drive, you can get a CD image diagnostic utility from most hard drive manufacturer's web sites, but obviously you would need to make a burned CD, preferably a CD-R for best compatibilty, on another computer if you need to. If the hard drive itself tests okay, any data problems found can be fixed, one way or another. "I am wondering if there is a way to get into the system and restore to 2 days ago when everything was fine?" When you repeatedly press F8 while booting and get the boot choices menu, choosing "Last known good...." is supposed to do that. If that doesn't work, that can'r be done, and you need to try other things. "I don't have a windows cd or reboot disk, as I bought my computer with windows already preinstalled." Brand name systems don't normally come with a regular Windows CD (or DVD), except in some cases when you ordered the disk at the same time you ordered the computer online. Most brand name system computers these days do not come with any Recovery disks - this has been the case for a long time, since CD burners became standard equipment - if yours did, it is probably a single Recovery disk, the same as in the following. Some brand name computers come with a CD, but it often has just device drivers, etc. You are supposed to make a Recovery disk (the name varies) or a Recovery disk set yourself while Windows is still working fine, by using a Sony supplied program or programs already there in your Programs list. If you didn't do that, if your model is recent enough, you can probably order a Recovery disk set from the Sony site for your exact model and have it sent to you. If you CAN get the set, it's often cheaper than even a regular OEM XP Home CD. A single Recovery disk allows you to restore the original software contents of your C partition by using the backed up software that is already on the second partition that brand name systems have on your original hard drive, but the data on that second partition must be intact, undamaged, and there can't be any data on it that has been added or deleted. A Recovery disk set allows you to restore the entire original data contents of the hard drive, even if the second partition data is damaged or altered or missing, and even if a replacement hard drive needs to be loaded with the software because the original drive is defective.

Thanks for the info guys. After a long day of trying a few of the things you have suggested, with the computer not letting me past the safe mode window, I called Sony tech and they were able to get me into the section of the computer to wipe my hard drive clean, at least it was still functioning. I lost some information, but I think I may be able to get some of it back by a few weeks of entering it all again. Also note to anyone who read this, it is definitely worth backing up your files. I believe it was software I downloaded the night before that caused a change with my computer. Thanks again for so quickly helping guys!

Tech support people will wipe the hard drive, or wipe the C partition, and start over, or tell you to do that, if they can't figure out what's wrong in a short time, unless you agree to pay them extra for the time they spend on troubleshooting your computer. That's fine for them, it isn't their data to lose, but that should be the very last resort for you, unless you're extremely impatient. There are lots of things you could have tried if you had supplied more information before you did what you did. You didn't need to wipe the whole drive in any case - you should have just deleted the C partition. If you actually did wipe the whole drive you have no way of restoring what was on C by using the contents of the second partition because it's data is no longer there, even if you do have or can obtain a single Recovery disk for your model. In that case you need a Recovery disk set if you want to restore all the original software. Using a regular Windows CD rto load Windows only restores Windows, it doesn't have all the drivers built in for your computer's components, and there are more steps you need to do to accomate it to your computer besides that. Test your hard drive. If your hard drive is failing what happened will happen again in a short time.

Hello again, I appreciate the candid reply. I did have the tech guy restore my entire system back to the manufacturers status when I purchased it. Everything was back to the way it was before I bought the computer, including their installation of Windows XP, drives, hardware, etc. Yes, if I wanted to spend lots of money and have someone save my data, I could have gone that route, but honestly with their charges I could have bought a new computer. I am just not that tech savy to try alot on my own. Coming here probably saved me, because knowing that I tried some things already and didn't know enough to continue, I had to do something. I now have back up disks for the system, and if my hardware doesn't crash, then I should be good to go. Actually they recommend to clean your computer every once in awhile, maybe its something I should be doing more often. SAVE DATA ALWAYS! Thanks again, N