Windows XP startup - 50% success rate

[BustaRomeo]

My computer is suffering from a rather strange problem. When I start up the computer it may sometimes start up fine, but mostly it doesn't. It'll get to the part where Windows XP is actually loading (you know, with the 3 green blocks running along that bar?). As it 'finishes' a very quick flash of a blue screen appears, and then the computer restarts. Not in the same circumstance, but at some point I was able to read what that blue screen entailed. It was saying something about Windows coming accross an error, yadda yadda, and then it dumps the memory to the hard drive (or something like that). Restarts. Eventually Windows gets started, but it sometimes had to restart over 4 times.

Is there any reason for it to do this constantly? A day doesn't go by without this happening, and there has to be a cure. Is it a virus? Networking problems? Something?!?! Please help.

[glc]

http://home.earthlink.net/~lreynol929/ruXP/ContPanl/REBOOTOF.HTM

Next time it craps, the bluescreen will stay up, read the first few lines and Google the specific stop error and affected modules.

[BustaRomeo]

Thanks for the link. The error that keeps on popping up is something called a BAD_POOL_CALLER. Any clue as to what the heck this refers to? I googled it and the only way they got this error was due to something they had specifically done (new hard-drive, something), my problem is just random, and I seem to have had the problem since the thing arrived on my doorstep (probably not, but shortly thereafter). Any suggestions? Please?

[glc]

What is the specific stop error code and the affected modules? You need to check all of this - BAD_POOL_CALLER is just one clue.

[BustaRomeo]

OK. We know now that the error deals with this BAD_POOL_CALLER, and the Technical Info is as follows:

*** STOP: 0x000000C2 (0x00000041, 0x81F4B000, 0x00001F4B, 0x0001FF2F)

That's all the 'information' that the screen gives you, the rest is what they suggest I should do (and it doesn't help).

Any clues as to what I should do now?

[glc]

http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBK/tip5200/rh5224.htm

The Stop 0xC2 error message indicates that a kernel-mode process or driver incorrectly attempted to perform a memory operation. This error message is typically caused by a faulty device driver or software.

http://www.google.com/search?q=stop+0x000000C2&sourceid=opera&num=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

[BustaRomeo]

OK, I checked out the Microsoft Knowledge Base article and now I am totally and utterly stumped as to what I should do. None of that text was in plain English, at all! Could someone please 'dilute' this load of gibberish and tell me what I should do, plain and simple.

[glc]

In a nutshell, you probably have a flaky device driver. Update all your drivers with WHQL-certified drivers. Start with the video card, then sound card - those are the 2 biggest culprits.

[casey]

Which Motherboard do you have ?
Intel 865 perll ?
If so, did it come with BIOS P09, cause that Bios was a total disaster.
I build 4 Perll systems that came with P09 and I had exact same problem.
Well documented.
If you do not have the above mentioned Mobo, then as GLC suggested.

[BustaRomeo]

I've got an Intel D875PBZ board, came with BIOS P10 (I think). It now has BIOS P22. How do you know you're downloading a WHQL-certified driver?