Boot stops at countdown

  • Thread starter Thread starter SS
  • Start date Start date
S

SS

When booting pc it goes as far as booting up then to the part which has the
countdown timer, it stops at zero and nothing else happens.
Tried safe mode, loads a list of things on black screen then stops loading.
Tried `last known good configuration` = blank screen.

Help. What to do, how to do it.
thanks
 
Safe mode doesn`t get it into xp, when I try safe mode I get a scrolling
black page and then it just hangs on that.
 
How do I reinstall I dont get any prompts ? I am only getting to the first
page of the `boot`
 
If you're not getting any prompts, after bios closes, from the XP install cd
you may have to make a change in bios to boot from the cd. Most bios will
open if you press F2 while bios window is showing. There should be a prompt
with the F key number on the bios screen. Once in bios setup, you may have to
select a page or all options may be visible depending on which bios you have.
You are looking for a line such as boot order or boot sequence. There should
be some fairly clear instructions on how to put CD ROM as the first item.
Also while you are in bios it wouldn't hurt to verify your onboard
video/monitor feed is enabled. It is possible if it is not, that could be
the source of your problem.

Good Luck
 
I have managed to set the bios to boot from the CD but this does not happen
when I boot.It does sound as if the CD is running but nothing else.
I cant find the video/monitor fed though. I am checking under the following
menu.
Standard CMOS features
advanced BIOS features
advanced chipset features
integrated perioherals
power management set up
PnP/PCI configurations
PC health status
 
I noticed the clock in th CMOS is set at Jan 13 1999 and the wrong time.
Would this affect things?
 
The sum of the things you have found tell me you have a hardware failure and
the computer will need service to find the component that has failed. Sorry
for the bad news.
 
Ernie,

By hardware I take it you mean the parts inside the tower, hard drive etc. I
am working off 2 seperate towers and 2 seperate hard drives.
1 tower and hard drive is my father in laws and could well be `failed` he is
81 and does mess them up but thats another story, the coffee stains on the
side might be a clue :-)
The other is my old one (tower) which was working ok until I transferred to
a newer tower just last week (only because the `newer one was quieter). the
hard drive for this came from a friend who was using the xp on it and we
retained it hoping we could get it for use for father in law in case he did
have major failure.

I will transfer some back and forth between the 2 and see if I can make
progress if not then bad news indeed.

thanks for replies and help.
 
you might try setting
the clock in the bios
to the correct time.

if it does not keep it
after a reboot, then it
is time to change the
cmos battery.

you can check your
owners manual or
the pc's homesite to
get the instructions
on replacing the battery.

--

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces
 
If you have been swapping hard drives there is a possability that the drivers
on the hard drive that is in the computer do not match the hardware. Usually
this results in an error message but in an extreme case it cuold cause the
problem you are having. If the original drive that was in the machine is
available, you could swap back and see if it works. I did a similar
transplant when I got my current machine but I used partition magic and after
formatting my new drive I copied my old drive onto a partition of the new
drive.
 
I had another thought. My daughter's computer was acting similar to what you
are seeing. I removed plug in boards (modem etc.) one at a time until it
booted. In that case after returning each board to its' slot, it continued to
work. Hope this helps.
 
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