In this article I write about how to turn off the windows feature that runs auto reboots when a critical error is encountered.
Ever had a Windows XP system that was stuck in a continuous loop? Maybe you get to the logon screen and the system simply reboots itself, seemingly out of nowhere? Or maybe it happens within a short time of logging in?
Amazingly, this is actually a "feature" in Windows XP. The "Startup and Recovery" sub-system configures XP by default to automatically restart if it encounters a critical system failure. Normally these things happen once in a blue moon, and are usually resolved by simply rebooting the computer.
However, if the problem is bad enough or is the result of a driver error then the system will appear to be in a reboot loop. You can solve this problem even before it becomes an issue by disabling "Automatic Restart"'s . Here is how to do that.
- Right click "My Computer" and choose Properties.
- Click on the "Advanced" tab
- Click on the "Settings" button listed under "Startup and Recovery"
- In the middle of this box under "System failure" there is a check box next to "Automatically restart". Uncheck this box.
- Now OK out of "Startup and Recovery" and "System Properties"
Now the system won't automatically reboot everytime it encounters an error.
I use this procedure everytime I install XP on a system because trying to turn it off when the system is constantly rebooting can really be a chore.
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