# Boot Camp Mystery: XP partition fails to load



## home777 (Nov 15, 2008)

Good morning,

I have a problem. I have a MacBook Pro 2.66 GHz/4GB RAM with OS 10.5.7. I'm using Boot Camp to run Windows XP SP3.

This morning, I booted up the laptop and held the Opt. key to select the Windows drive. However, after it shows the Windows logo startup screen, the screen goes black a couple of times, and then the white Mac OS screen pops up and it boots into the Mac world. But I need the XP side!

So I shut down and restart, but it says _"We apologize, but Windows did not start successfully. A recent hardware or software change might have caused this."_ It offers to restart
in three safe mode variants;
in last known good configuration;
or Start Windows Normally.
If I choose the latter two, it reboots to Mac. If I choose Safe Mode, it will boot.

I can't think of any hardware I might have changed that would cause this problem. I am editing AVCHD on the PC side with Adobe Premiere Pro CS4.1. I have AVG Free 8.5 installed.

I am new to the Mac. Does anyone have suggestions on what I might try?

Thanks!
Russ


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

Okay, the problem is with a driver most likely. Did you update anything recently in Windows? Either way, with it booting into safe mode, I know it has nothing to do with the Mac itself, but instead something to do with how Windows is configured. If it wasn't a Mac, it be stuck in a reboot cycle. And in fact, if you went into the System Preferences in the Mac OS and opened the Startup Disk Pref Pane, and selected Windows and then rebooted the Mac, it would be stuck in a reboot loop with Windows until you help the Option key and selected the Mac hard drive. At this point, I'd go and post in the Windows XP forum, as the Windows gurus will be there and will know how to find out what you need to change within Windows so that it will boot.


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## home777 (Nov 15, 2008)

Ok...I'll see what they have to say. Thanks!


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