I just rebooted my PC because my sound card wasn't working and windows didn't boot for some reason.  I thought there may be a conflict so I tried booting from the CD and couldn't do that.  the video card is fine because the monitor is on and not flashing on standby.  What the hell is going on???  I'm freaking out big time because I have alot of stuff on there and for the life of me can't figure out what is happening.  Please help me if you can. 

BTW I can't but into safe mode or anything none of those settings come up and NO post what's so ever.

could it be a dud Memory stick?

Could it be a hard drive issue? because my bios sees my hd's

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Originally posted by YourNeibour
the video card is fine because the monitor is on ...  I tried booting from the CD and couldn't do that.  I can't but into safe mode or anything none of those settings come up and NO post what's so ever.

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b) "POST OK" = BIOS boot logos and messages appear on the screen and you can enter BIOS setup, but it doesn't boot the OS at the end and just hangs on the black screen., mouse light is on but no OS (Windows XP Pro doesn't boot)


Can't boot from CD no errors, I see the intel logo and everything CD rom spins but nothing happens.

Are you sure the cd is bootable?
Can you try booting from it on another computer?
Is your BIOS set to boot from computer and then from the HardDisk?

The CD is bootable because it gives me that line
(To boot from CD press any key) and when I do just a black screen.  and in the bios the boot sequence is CD, HD

Here are a few things you can try (although it won't surprise me if it turns out you have a serious hardware failure):

1) Enter BIOS setup and load the default settings.  If you have several choices, load safe defaults.  Make sure the boot sequence is still set to CD first, then hard drive, save and exit.

2) Turn the computer off, open it up and reseat (remove and put back in) all the cards and memory.  If you have more than one memory module, also try starting the computer with just one installed at a time.  When the computer is open and turned on, pay attention to all the fans you can see -- are they running?

Edit -- mind static when doing the above.  Touch the metal chassis frequently to discharge any static buildup, try to handle memory modules and cards by their edges, not touching any chips of contacts.

3) Also in BIOS setup, there should be a screen that displays CPU temperature, voltages from power supply, etc.  See if anything looks wrong.  Voltages should be close to what they are listed as and I wouldn't be concerned if your CPU temperature is under 50-60C (depending on what kind of CPU you have). 

This is interesting, as I also have problem b) with my family home desktop computer, although if I reboot it enough times windows will eventually load. What I find is that the PC will generally have more chance of booting if there is a beep and the CD drive lights flash, if neither of these things happen then my PC wont load at all and I have to power off and on (wall socket or holding power button for 5 secs).

before all this happened, I couldn't get into my device manager in windows xp and my firewall was off and couldn't initiallize it.  The last thing I installed with Java run time (but don't think that is an issue?)  Someone suggested it may be a HD issue but I don't think it's right either because my BIOS sees both my HD's.  Also my BIOS is set to default and I did reseat my RAM, Video card and wireless card.  This ALL started when my onboard sound card wasn't working.

If you can't boot from a bootable Windows CD, then it is unlikely the problem is your hard drive.  If you would like, you can temporarily disconnect the hard drive and see if you can boot from a CD then.

You are also not getting anywhere close to the point where issues with software you might have installed would start to make any difference.

It sounds a lot more like a general hardware failure (one or some combination of power supply, motherboard, CPU, RAM) and those are difficult to diagnose without known good components to try swapping with. 

I'd suggest you take it to a properly equipped shop and let them figure out what's wrong.

Yeah adeptus I was planning to take it to the computer shop where I bought the equipment, but thought it may be woth it to ask here.

Here is another way you can check to see if your CD drive is working correctly since you say it doesnt boot cds.  If you have an extra one you could replace it and see if that makes a difference.  You might want to make sure all the IDE cables and power cables are tightly plugged in. 

I also had that same problem with my old computer...

What happens:

1. turn on computer
2. mouse & keyboard switch on
3. computer runs start up but then says faliure
4. screen goes black
5. no bleeping or making deliberate noises
5. computer, mouse, keyboard and moniter stay on
6. ocasionally after resetting computer boots but after 2-5 minutes goes black
7. insides are clean
8. all fans, lights ect. inside computer work fine
9. quite humming like when hibernating
10. cannot boot in safe mode, from disk or last succsefull boot

Posible problems:

1. Loose connection
2. Hard drive faliure
3. Prosessor faliure
4. Chip damaged
5. over heating

Identifing the problem:

1. the hard drive should be softly vibrating - if not you need a new hard drive
2. the prosessor should be softly vibrating - if not you need a new prosessor
3. the prosessor should not be hot - if it is then you need a new prosessor fan
4. take apart and re assemble computer tightening all conections and looking out for damaged wires - replace any damaged wires
5. remove the chip, test your computer with the chip from a working computer.

testing the part:

remove the part that you think is the problem and replace it with the same part from a working computer - if the computer now works buy a new one of the faulty part and replace the old one with it - put the part you used for testing back where it came from - if the computer still dosent work - take it to an expert or buy a new computer.

... sadly it looks like you have a serious problem

I took the PC in and they told me that it's a file structure error with Windows XP.  They said the Hardware is fine and nothing wrong what's so ever.  Can I do a repair to corect this with the xp cd or I have to reinstall everything froms cratch?

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Can I do a repair to corect this with the xp cd or I have to reinstall everything froms cratch?

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Problem resolved.  Thanks everyone...Apparently my hard drive died so I had to buy a new one.  that just pisses me off, because I lost 1 month worth of e-mails.

Did you still have the old HDD?

If yes, then you can probably try HDD Regenerator or SpinRite which say that they can recover files from your failed HDD.
None of the above programs are free, but you can always "buy" them...

I was thinking to hook it up as a slave and see if my pc can read them then just copy the files over.  The only thing I'm not sure is how to recover outlook 2003 e-mails

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Originally posted by YourNeibour
The only thing I'm not sure is how to recover outlook 2003 e-mails

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Originally posted by [MR
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Originally posted by YourNeibour
The only thing I'm not sure is how to recover outlook 2003 e-mails

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wouldnt they be saved on your email server?

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yes they are all stored localy on my PC or were.

Outlook stores everything in a single personal folders file with a .PST extension.  By default, this file is created under \Documents and Settings\<your_windows_user_name>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\ .  The default name is Outlook.PST, but both name and location can be changed.

If you retrieve the old personal folders file from the drive, you can set up your new profile to use it and will have all your old email.

When you go looking for it, make sure you have configured Windows to show hidden and system files.  Both "Local Settings" and "Application Data" folders are hidden.

I thought that's what I would do. thanks.  I just hope that drive is accessable and totally not fried or dead

thanks for your help