Assitance please...

[Dr Unne]

Windows XP Pro just died on me this morning. When I try to boot it gets to the startup screen, goes black for 15 seconds or so, flashes a BSoD-like screen with something on it (I can't read it; it displays the screen for about a millisecond. THANKS MICROSOFT!), then reboots itself. When I try "Last configuration that worked" or whatever, it does the same thing. When I try any kind of safe mode, it loads driivers OK until it hits AGP440.SYS, at which point it again hangs then reboots itself.

I searched for AGP440.SYS-type errors on some pages, and it seems a whole lot of people have this problem, and there is no solution other than reinstalling stupid Windows. Which I don't mind doing, but I need to backup my files first, since the installation will probably wipe out my "My Documents" folder. (THANKS MICROSOFT!) I don't have a boot floppy either. That's my real problem. I need a boot image so I can just go in and copy my files from "My Documents" to a safe backup folder on the same drive. I've tried the stupid XP Recovery Console that runs off the CD, but of course it doesn't give me access to anything other than the Windows directory. (...THANKS MICROSOFT!) I just need to find a boot floppy for anything that supports NTFS so I can access my HD, then I can reinstall Windows over itself and pray it works.

If anyone knows of anywhere to get a boot floppy image for WinXP, that'd be good. Or if anyone knows how to solve this problem another way, that'd be better. If not for Linux I would be without a computer right now. At least Linux tells me what's wrong when it crashes. It could be anything messing up stupid Windows.

EDIT: Another acceptable solution would be to burn a CD backup of the files I need. I can access my NTFS hard drive from Linux (which is on a different drive), but only for read-only. I don't even know how to burn a CD in Linux, let alone burn one that will be readable in Windows after I'm done. I'm afraid to waste 10 CDs trying to do it.

EDIT AGAIN: I think the problem might be a corrupt registry. I have no idea how to restore a registry backup in stupid Windows XP. This problem also started after I accidentally cut the power to my computer while attempting to enter hibernation mode. Maybe that did it. Blarg.