Help! Windows 7 stuck in continual reboot loop

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ChrisN

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Oct 8, 2009
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Built my new Windows 7 computer, however right from the start I was having problems with my GeForce card (9600 GT). This was the only "borrowed" hardware I used in my new computer and I was not really happy about re-using this card because it was giving me problems in my old computer (freeze-ups and reboots when trying to run graphics intensive programs).

I finished building the computer last Monday and by Thursday the display problems were really getting out of hand. I would get all kinds of "Display driver NVIDIA Windows kernel mode driver, version 191.07 stopped responding" messages along with freeze-ups, reboots and BSODs.

Long story short, believing it to be the video card I ordered a new Radeon 5850, which was fortunate because later that evening it "broke."

What I mean is that it froze up and when I rebooted it posted the BIOS and then simply hung (with no error messages) when it tried to start loading Windows 7.

I tried booting from my Windows 7 install/setup DVD, but it would load files and then simply reboot. When I tried again from the DVD it either hung up or simply rebooted.

What eventually happened was that it was enter a (seemingly nonstop) boot, post BIOS, start loading Windows and then reboot (by itself) loop.

So I shut it down and waited for the new card.

Well, it arrived today, I installed it and turned the compute on and...

...same thing continued to happen.

I once even was able to get the Windows safe mode menu and tried to start windows in safe mode, but it loaded a bunch of files and then rebooted. And I've been unable to get the Windows safe mode menu since.

So - I can't boot into Windows. I can't boot/reinstall windows from my Windows 7 setup DVD and I can't boot into Windows safe mode.

At this point I'd love to just reformat the HD and reinstall windows, but I don't know how to do that without a CD/DVD.

Can I make/burn a Windows 7 emergency start up disc?

Is there other thoughts/possible solutions?

Could it possibly be a hardware problem (I really, really, REALLY hope not!)?

Thoughts/suggestions/comments?
 
Oh, I'm not receiving/seeing any error messages or codes. It simply hangs with a blank screen or reboots (by itself).
 
I've got an idea. Go download and burn a linux Ubuntu cd, put it in and try it. If it works just fine, then it is less likely a hardware issue. Its a longshot but its worth a try. After that try to reinstall Win 7 and see if the same problems arise.
 
Other than checking power connections (6pin on the GPU, 8pin on mobo, etc.), I'd put this on something like RAM. Especially with this problem happening on two different GPUs. If you had bad RAM however, it would have been downright impossible to finish your Windows install.

So I'm really wondering - how did you successfully install Windows, and then have the rebooting/BSOD problems? I would think the problems would have manifested before the OS install.
 
I had a suggestion elsewhere to re-load the default BIOS settings. There was a setting entitled "Load Fail-Safe default settings", so I clicked on that and THAT seemed to "fix" my problem.

I got into Windows repair, it ran Start-up repair but didn't find anything to fix (probably because I took the GeForce card out or because Windows thinks it's an NVIDIA problem).

I clicked on restart and managed to boot up into safe mode. I deleted the NVIDIA drivers and then rebooted again, this time straight into Windows.

Which it did!! Woo Hoo!!

It didn't recognize the 5850 (didn't think it would) and am now downloading the latest ATI Windows 7 64-bit drivers.
 
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