I have a Sony Vaio PCG-FX101 running Windows Me. It will not boot in any of the startup options, and I get "Windows protection error. System halted". I want to transfer my files and documents to a new laptop.
Adam Bell
You should be able to transfer all your files from backup CDs. The main options are to get the Vaio going again, or to remove the hard drive and access it from another PC. Unfortunately, "System halted" is one of the more useless Windows error messages, and gives us no idea what's wrong. It could be one of a dozen problems including a bad driver, a corrupted registry, failing memory or a motherboard problem. Microsoft has a support document, How to Troubleshoot Windows Protection Error Messages.
Usually you can start a Windows Me machine from a DOS floppy disk, but the FX101 doesn't have a floppy drive. However, you could set the Bios to boot from CD and try to run a Live CD of Linux. The Knoppix version has been a popular choice for rescuing files from Windows PCs.
Since you want to transfer the files to another PC, it's probably simpler to remove the hard drive from the Sony, install it in an external hard drive enclosure and plug it in to your new machine via a USB port. You probably need a case for a 10GB 2.5in IDE hard drive, but check first.
Finally, you could try blowing the dust out of the Sony, making sure all the chips and cables are fully seated and putting the hard drive back: it could work.
