XP wont boot

[duttster]

Hi People, im stuck and really need ur help. Im not a big pc expert so please bear with me.

Basically, i am having trouble getting one of my pcs to boot. When I switch on, it powers up ok, does the memory test etc but then it automatically brings up the cmos screen (i think that's what it's called, you know the one with all the bios, cmos options etc). It brings it up without me hitting any keys and I cant do anything about it. When this happened, I loaded the failsafe options in hoping it would work but again, i keep getting the settings screen rather than xp loading. Im really stuck because it wont let me enter safe mode, recovery console or anything. It doesnt even seem to be booting the dvd or floppy drive so I havent even got the option of re-installing windows if I wish.

All I can say is that it was working fine this morning. I downloaded a couple of windows updates before it happened and also tried to install a backup software program. When I clicked on the exe file for this program, my comp froze and I had to restart however, this is where the problem started as I was never able to boot it properly again. Could it be a be a virus? I did take the hard drive out and put it in another comp. it would not boot directly from this so I used it as a slave drive, scanned it with bit defender which told me it was virus free.

If any of you guys could help me out, I would really appreciate it because im going out of my mind trying to fix it.

[mjc]

The first thing I would do is to check and make sure that the Del or whatever key is used to enter the BIOS setup isn't stuck down....

[duttster]

Nah, it's not that. I use the same keyboard for the other pc and that boots fine

[duttster]

Come on Guys. There has got to be some techie master out there who can help me out.

[SufferWell1396]

hmm, well, is your bios Firmware or a removeable chip, who is the manufacturer, and you said you couldnt run it as a master, hmm, well, it could just be the HDD itself, do you know the condition of the HDD, it might be failing

[duttster]

Not sure what whether it is firmware or removable. I am new to this stuff. Iv looked at the chip though and it is Phoenix Bios.

[SufferWell1396]

or, if not that, a crupted version of Windows, either, just try booting off something different, such as a floppy or a cd or a removeable disk

[duttster]

The HDD has been fine. Bear in mind this happened right after I tried to run some software. Iv had no problems with it and when I hooked it up to my other comp it was fine

[duttster]

cheers for the suggestion but it wont let me boot off anything else. It does not get as far as the cd or floppy booting, it just takes me straight into the CMOS/bios screen. im gutted

[david eaton]

Try changing the battery on the motherboard. Usually a coin cell (cr2032). Obtainable almost everywhere batteries are sold, and a cheap next step in troubleshooting.

[duttster]

Will Do. Cheers

[Sylvander]

How far does it get in the following before the BIOS detects a problem and takes you into the BIOS SETUP [it wants you to alter the BIOS configuration I think]?
Do you hear the single short beep?

A typical and successful startup sequence
1. Start of Boot Troubleshooting Walkthrough
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/index.htm
2. Yes: The system power supply is functioning
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/power1.htm
------------------------------------------------------
You should hear a single short beep at about this point indicating the successful running/completion of the POST.
Some PC’s beep much later, possibly as late as just before step 12.
------------------------------------------------------
3. Yes: Something is being written to the screen during boot up [This may be only a flashing cursor]
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/video1.htm
4. The video BIOS message is displayed on the screen for a few seconds and then clears from the screen, or more messages display under it
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/vbios1.htm
5. Yes: The system BIOS startup screen is appearing
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/bios1.htm
6. The memory test completes successfully
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/ram1.htm
7. The BIOS accesses the floppy drives and the boot continues
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/seek1.htm
8. The system is able to autodetect IDE devices successfully
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/auto1.htm
9. The system is not Plug and Play compatible, has no Plug and Play devices, or has PnP devices but identifies them properly
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/pnp1.htm
10. Boot sequence is A: before C: (floppy disk first)
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/seqAC.htm
11. The floppy disk makes a noise and the light comes on
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/fd1.htm
12. The floppy disk light goes off and the hard disk light comes on as it starts booting
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/fd1hdd.htm
13. The hard disk boot process will continue here, if you want to follow it.
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/hd1.htm
14. The system continues booting from the hard disk and the message "Starting MS-DOS" or "Starting Windows 95" is displayed
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/hd1os.htm
15. Operating System Loaded From Hard Disk. The system has found a boot sector on the hard disk and is now starting the load of the operating system. The hard disk is working. You have successfully completed the hardware part of the boot process. Any problems encountered after this point should be diagnosed by looking for a more specific problem with a component, or under the section that contains run-time error messages.