My pc has fallen ill, and I cannot understand why, it first fell unwell and began to take forever booting up. But now it welcomes me to Microsoft XP then tries to boot up but suddenly shuts down and restarts, this ground hog process then continues to repeat its self on into the forseable future. That is unless there's a specialist person out there somewhere who has a cure for this crippling illness.2 people need an answerI do too

my computer is having the exact same issue - I am unsure how to try those suggestions if the computer shuts off during start up - it never actually gets to the log in screen

If step 1 does not help and step 2 fails it probably means you'll get no joy from steps 3 or 4. In that event you will need to probably get it looked at. I have successfully used a program to back up data in this scenario before attempting to restore the operating system from a restore disk that is typically provided by the OEM (Dell HP etc).I would make sure that you back up your data before allowing a restore to be done as this typically wipes the entire hard drive and therefore those all important images of the grandkids etc. Ultimately you have an external hard drive with verified backups of your data on that external hard drive. If not then get a professional to recover (if possible) the data from your hard disk before it has its operating system wiped and restored.Jay

Do you mean that no matter how you try to boot your system, XP looks like it is trying to login and then tells you it is Loading your personal settings..., Saving your settings... and keep repeating that logging in logging off cycle?Please provide additional information about your system:What is your system make and model?What is your XP Version and Service Pack?Describe your current antivirus and anti malware situation: McAfee, Symantec, Norton, Spybot, AVG, Avira!, MSE, Defender, ZoneAlarm, PC Tools, Comodo, etc.Was the issue preceded by a power interruption, aborted restart, or improper shutdown? (this includes plug pulling, power buttons, removing the battery, etc.)Does the afflicted system have a working CD/DVD drive?Do you have a genuine bootable XP installation CD (this is not the same as any Recovery CDs that came with your system)?What do you see that you don't think you should be seeing?What do you not see that you think you should be seeing?Fill in the blank: My system was working fine until: ____________________________________________.Do, or do not. There is no try.I need YOUR votes and points for helpful replies and Propose as Answers. I am saving up for a pony!