Computer Software

[bvmorand]

OhSnapWord: Thanks but it does not say anything when it POSTs. I just get a blinking dash in the top left corner of the screen.

Bernard

 

[MMM]

Physically check to see if your ram sticks are seated correctly, take them out and re-insert the ram.

 

[bvmorand]

dale: The RAM looks OK. But it could be the boot sector on the hard drive. Do you know how to access it ?

Bernard

 

[root]

so to re-cap.

if you turn the computer on, nothing happens, you get a couple of beeps, and a blank cursor

if you start the computer with hirens boot disk in it then you can load the boot manager and tell it to boot from the hard drive, then windows loads fine.

so it does look like your computer just can't boot from the hard drive ordinarily.

e.g. you can boot from a CD, but can't boot from a hard drive.

I'd suggest starting the computer with the windows XP installation disk in it.

go into RECOVERY mode (NOT repair install mode)

this dumps you at a command prompt.

you can try the commands fixmbr to fix the master boot record, and fixboot to fix the boot section, (which is different from the master boot record, but that's not important right now).

 

[cb600fshornet]

Try 'root' s solution

If all else fails, in the same command prompt screen, try chkdsk /r

 

[bvmorand]

To root: since I was able to boot with Hiren I change the log in to "administrator" and since then I cannot even boot and get a blinking dash, not even a cursor, in the top left corner.
I tried to take the hard drive off and ran it on another computer. I can dir it if I go to dos but I can not run any command with a \ (for example I can run chkdsk without any switch)
I also cannot run fixmbr or fixboot.
I do not have the Windows XP installation disk. The only disk I have is the one I made called "recovery" and I tried it without any luck.

Bernard

 

[cb600fshornet]

The XP installation disc is the key thing here.

Got a friend you can borrow it from just to run fixboot/fixmbr or something?

 

[root]

So you cannot boot from a CD any more?

it might be that the blinking cursor is waiting for a boot-able device.

what are the settings in the BIOS in terms of 1st boot device, second boot device, 3rd boot device?

Try setting the CD to device 1, and hard drive to device 2

Also in the drive settings, find out if you can auto-detect the hard drive installed? if the bios cannot recognise the drive, that might explain the problem.

 

[bvmorand]

I finally gave up and got a new laptop with Windows 7 64 bits for my wife. I took the old computer apart and noticed that the battery for the bios is dead when I do not connect to the power adapter. This laptop is really too old to even mess with it!.

 

[lawrencej285]

Do you have the windows xp cd? Sounds like your bootloader could be gone, corrupted.