Installed Win2K SP4 caused NI-PAL unplugged error

[ITGoddess]

I installed SP4 (same results with SP3, by the way) onto my computer running Windows 2000 SP2.  At the end of the installation, I get an error that I've unsafely unplugged something called NI-PAL.  Then I click finish and the system restarts, but I never make it all the way back up into Windows.  I get almost all the way booted (desktop is visible and icons are loading) and then I get two lines of a stop message (dos type text on blue or black background) and the computer automatically reboots itself.  If you walk away for an hour and come back, it will still be stuck in that cycle - trying to boot and then automatically restarting itself.

Any thoughts? 

[Spex]

Hi,

Sounds like Windows is utilizing its "Auto-Restart" functionality upon experiencing a crash.  I have not seen the "unsafely unplugged NI-PAL" error before.  Was that the exact text of the warning?

Can you boot into Safe Mode successfully?  NI-PAL is a driver that is installed with many National Instruments software products.   Uninstalling these components before upgrading (if possible, sounds like might have an image of Win2kSP2) or while in Safe Mode may allow us to reboot into Windows successfully.  Then we can reinstall the products you need.

Another possibility may be disabling the auto-restart as described here.  Then we could see the BSOD and find out exactly if NI-PAL is causing the restart.

Hope this helps!