Alright so I've tried a few things to remedy this problem already. This has happened to me a while ago and to fix it i changed some bios settings. The main one that seemed to fix it was USB memory type : (switched from base memory to shadow memory. This time around it doesn't work. I have unplugged all usb devices except the keyboard, mouse, and disk drive. Before i had 12 plugged in.... Related to usb, before this happened (not right before be before) i was installing usb 2.0 drivers as i had just reformatted my hard drive. Usually i can figure these things out but this time it seems quite different for the following reasons. I can't get into safe mode. Holding F8 to bring up the SM prompt does nothing. After pressing any key to boot from the windows disc it says windows is inspecting your configuration, shortly after... it goes to the black screen and nothing happens. So i can use the repair console of the repair function FIXMBR. Oh and i've also tried resetting the bios by pulling out the battery and leaving it out for about 10 min.

If anyone can help me out i would be very grateful. Thanks!

Is this a manufactured computer or self built?

If the former are you using the OEM recovery CD? If the latter are you using a retail Microsoft CD?


Also if the latter are you willing to wipe the hard drive? If so that is what I would do.

KillDisk works well for that:

Active@ Kill Disk Hard Drive Eraser. Low Level Format.

It's self built, and im using the retail cd. Damn i just formatted it. I think I'm going to work with it some more, and hopefully if i wont have to reformat. It could happen again. I think i may need to build a new computer, the parts are somewhat dated, and the IDE ports have worked for a long time; a thunderstorm fried just the IDE ports, but luckily i have a sata hard drive and a usb disc drive. Just makes me think there could be other **** going on with the mobo. Can you change the motherboard and or cpu without reformatting hard drive?

No you cannot change the motherboard without a Clean Install of XP.

Thunderstorm? Hmm...

If you are installing to a SATA drive did you install the SATA drivers at the F6 prompt?

You also most likely cannot boot off an USB drive if that is what you are implying.

The behavior certainly suggests a hardware issue.

Again a SATA drive would need the SATA drivers and the boot CD would need to be an internal drive.

Beyond that you can run the manufacturers diagnostic on the HDD as well as check MemTest.

If there was a power surge testing the PSU might also be in order.

I meant usb dvd drive, since the IDE one wont work with the mobo. I don't recall installing the sata drivers ever, but it has worked for the longest time. They must have been installed.. I wonder why it can't even run safe mode or boot the windows disc. I have hard reset the computer a lot from freezing n such, could that be why it wont boot? Thinking if i could run the FIXMBR it may clear it up...

You cannot boot from an USB drive.

If your IDE Channels do not work you need to get a SATA DVD drive.

During a Clean Install of XP you need to load the SATA drivers for your motherboard as well.

What? SATA dvd drive? does that even exist? Everything has worked fine before this. If this where the case it wouldn't have.

SATA DVD drives are the most common now.

IDE is being faded out completely.

As to everything working fine before ...

When was the last time you booted your XP CD? Are you saying you ever booted it off an USB drive?


Anyway if you think your board is damaged I would replace it but you will still need to Clean Install XP.

Or get a SATA DVD drive. They are as cheap as IDE which are getting hard to find.

How do you know your IDE ports are damaged?

Many questions here hard to see from a distance but a Power Surge could cause many varied issues.


Anyway at this point you need a DVD/CD boot drive and this must be internal.