IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL Blue Screen boot problem

[wingdarkness]

Cpu was acting kinda slow and not responding so I just clicked the power switch...HUGE MISTAKE...So while it's booting I get a super-quick Blue Screen of death with the characters IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL Stop 0X0A error...It then takes me to the screen where you can pick Safe Mode, Last good config, Start Normally, etc. The problem is after you choose one it just repeats to the blue screen back to the selection screen over and over...The safe mode can come on, but it's just a blank screen where I can't find system restore of anything...I can get safe mode with prompt to work, but I have no idea what to do..Help please...Cookies for your time thanx...

[felix]

Format & reinstall

Even if you recover the system from what you're describing it's not going to be anything pretty anyway.

[wingdarkness]

Is there anyway to save the $hitloads of stuff I have?

Can't repair work too?

[felix]

I do not know, try it and see... you do not have anything to lose.

If it does not work, just take your hdd out and either put it in your other computer or take it to a friend and put it in his, then copy/paste your junk to another partition. If you do not have more then one partition just copy paste to another hdd, format/partition and copy back.

The format utilities are located in: Control Panel / Administrative Tools / Computer Management / Disk Management

I highly recomend you keep a small partion for windows and do not put anything on it except when you install programs. It makes critical failures far less dangerous.

[wingdarkness]

I have another dell hard-drive can you tell me how to save my $hit...please dude, I'm begging...

1. first do this
2. second do this style

I'm physically ill from depression right now over this...

[felix]

Does it have a operating system on it? (or a empty/not-important partition)

[wingdarkness]

^I would have to install XP SP2 on it because it has win 2000...I just got it from my cousin, basically never been used just was in storage for like 5 years...

edit: I meant to say I have another dell tower that is...

[felix]

Thats the idea. Install on it where it will do not harm then you can copy your files. There are actually utilities that might be able to do the trick (ERD comes to mind, cd-booting mini windows utility for fixing dead in the water system) but I do not think you have access to them so this is the next best thing.

[wingdarkness]

^So what do I do?

Do I switch the HD with my $hit on it with the one in the second Dell tower?

Do I load XP SP2 on the new dell tower first then switch it?

Do I Just add that HD to the new dell tower then load XP Sp2?

[felix]

Just take your hdd with the broken windows and put it in your computer with the working one. Your working windows should boot and just copy paste the files around.

[wingdarkness]

^Hate to sound like a tard but specifics give me confidence...Haven't had to do stuff like this in like 7 years so I'm rusty...

So take out the HD in the second dell tower, replace it with my current hd, then do a straight SP2 upgrade, and it should work?

It's that easy? :anxiety:

[felix]

no

1. Open your not-working WinXp computer
2. Take the hdd out
3. Open your working Win2000 computer
4. Put your hdd in (you do not take anything out, just use the extra cables)
5. Start your working Win2000 computer
6. If by chance the broken Xp boots:
   • restart
   • press del or f2 whichever brings the bios
   • find the boot sequence and change it to the old hdd with windows 2000
7. Windows 2000 will boot
8. You now have access to your broken win xp hdd files
9. copy/paste things to another partion/hdd

If only have a partition on the hdd with the broken xp, you can format it and copy your files back then re-install window xp on it (just do not format during the install).

Just in case you did not know, you should put your hdd back into the old comp where it came from before re-installing xp. If you install xp on your win2000 comp and then put it back it won't work 99.99% of the time, not to mention your likely to ruining your win2000 comp.

[wingdarkness]

^For the part about using extra cables, should the new hd I'm putting be connected to 1 or 2 connectors? Because I don't see where I can hook up a second connector...On the win200 hd there is one long connector and and one short one, but I don't see a second long one to hook my xp one too, only the short one...

[felix]

Take any cable you need from your CD/DVD unit(s) on your win2000 machine.

[wingdarkness]

^Alright..Keep lurking I'll message you later on your user-chat...Regardless of what happens thanx for your time man...

[wingdarkness]

It says secondary hard disk drive 0 not found T_T

[felix]

Where/when does it say that.

[Tiberium Wolf]

If you dont want to format u can install in the same partition without formating. XP has that option.

[felix]

It is going to create a real mess when there is already a windows there, but yeah you could.

[NightWish]

Cats' fix is sensible enough, but I wonder, have you actually tried to work out the root cause of the error message?

I would have tried searching for the exact stop message. Generically IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL is a device error or driver conflict, from a bad driver or a hardware problem, but the stop message will have included some other numbers (that you didn't post) that will indicate exactly which device is failing. If it also fails in Safe Mode, one of the minimal system components is failing, which I would guess (as you've not changed any hardware*) is either driver corruption due to disk corruption (for which Cats' approach is fine) or a hardware failure (which may continue to plague you).

* You mention the CPU acting slow; I wonder if you actually mean that, or just the system slowing down? This would be consistent with some hardware failures, if they cause time-outs. I saw very similar symptoms when a RAID failed.