Virtual PC + Windows XP SP3, looping boot failure.

[jgrobertson]

I have been running XP SP3 in a virtual PC under Vista Ultimate 64 on a T60p for a year.

Suddenly, today, the Windows XP does not fully boot up but instead goes into the process with the Windows screen and scrolling progress bar, then it suddenly reboots back to the Virtual machine and the whole thing repeats in a loop.

I am on the road and do not have either the XP disk or the application I run on it so reinstall is out of the question.

Is there a known way to fix this issue?

I have checked the setup on the Virtual PC and that has not changed. I did install a Vista update from MS recently.

[K0LO]

Normally that means you're having problems with a driver, so troubleshooting is the same as when using an actual installation of Windows XP. When your VM reboots, start hitting the F8 key and try starting Windows in Safe Mode. If you can get into safe mode, try troubleshooting from there. If you're lucky your app will work in safe mode so perhaps you can limp along until you return home.

Be aware that the VM Extensions won't work while in safe mode, so the video and mouse will not act normally and you will need to remember to use the right "ALT" key to move the mouse outside the VM window.

P.S. Once you get your VM working again, save a copy of its virtual hard disk file (*.vhd) somewhere as a backup. If the VM gets damaged again, just replace the virtual hard disk file with the backup.

**Edit**
Almost forgot about one of Vista's greatest features. If your existing virtual hard disk file is damaged and you've had system restore enabled on the drive that it is located on, then just right-click on the .vhd file and choose "Restore previous versions". Roll the file back to a previous date when it was working properly. Or, instead of replacing the current file, save a previous version of it under a new name (if you have the disk space; .vhd files can be fairly large). Then change your VM settings to point to the new .vhd file and see if it boots correctly.