Windows XP will not start keeps on recycling "UNKNOWN PARTITION"

Question

Win XP  keeps recycling just as the Windows logo appears it reboots and recycles. Tried to boot using Win XP installation CD and choose repair but it just prompt "C:" no windows directory. try to reboot again  but now choose the ENTER instead of R, so it scans for possible old windows partition but it shows "UNKNOWN PARTITION".

screen shot

what is the cause of this problem? why suddenly the working partition became UNKNOWN PARTITION?

Answer 1

You should find out if is is a SATA drive first... 

RC will/may not behave on a SATA drive unless you adjust the BIOS, then boot into the RC.

See?  If the MS Answers forums would ask the questions I keep begging them to add to the Ask a question dialogue, you'd be done with this by now.

Then it sounds like the OP needs to work on the F8 button a little more.

From Jose KB#2417 (not enough Boot Options):

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!

It may look something like this:

safe mode

safe mode with command prompt

safe mode with networking

last known good configuration

start normally

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 failure

When you do get to the correct XP Advanced Options Boot menu you want to see, it has options on it like these:

Safe Mode

Safe Mode with Networking

Safe Mode with Command Prompt

Enable Boot Logging

Enable VGA mode

Last Known Good Configuration (your most recent settings that worked)

Directory Services Restore Mode (Windows domain controllers only)

Debugging Mode

Disable automatic restart on system failure

Start Windows Normally

Reboot

Return to OS Choices Menu

What you need to choose from that menu is the option:

Disable automatic restart on system failure

Then 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 select it.

You need to keep trying the F8 menu until you do see Disable automatic restart on system failure option, and select it.

If your system is experiencing a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), we need to know what the screen says:

Here is a BSOD example showing information you need to provide:

http://techrepublic.com.com/i/tr/downloads/images/bsod_a.jpg

Send the information pointed to with the red arrows (3-4 lines total).  

Send the entire *** STOP message line since there are clues in the 4 parameters.

If it looks like there is some kind of file name listed under the STOP message, send that line too.

Skip the boring text unless it looks important to you.  We know what a BSOD looks like, we need to know what your BSOD looks like.

Answer 2

Hello pj96,

If we are getting a C:\ prompt booting to recovery console then I would surmise that the machine is not asking you to login to recovery console either.

This is typically a sign of NTFS corruption.

From the C:\ prompt, let's run the following command followed by the Enter key:

CHKDSK C: /P

This may take some time to run depending on the drive, how much data is on it and how corrupt that data is.

Best regards,

Matthew_Ha

Answer 3

here is additional info:

the computer will show the following options every boot cycle;

safe mode

safe mode with command prompt

safe mode with networking

last known good configuration

start normally

i choose every options possible but during the load the computer restarts and shows the same options.

if i choose safe mode, safe mode with command prompt or safe mode with networking it will load  text but in the end the computer still restarts.

if i choose start normally or last known good configuration it loads the windows logo after loading it will get into login window but restarts the computer.

i try the installation cd to repair using fixboot or fixmbr command but it doesn't solve the problem. and when i try  to choose ENTER the window shows UNKNOWN PARTITION, there's NO system partition how does this possible that during boot it shows those options but using installation cd it shows UNKNOWN PARTITION, its confusing.