Solve : Windows XP won't boot.?

1.	Solve : Windows XP won't boot.?
Answer» I tried boot my computer in my sound studio for the first time in a month and I get. The computer runs. The lights come on, the hard drive spins and the CD trays operate ( open and close) so I know it's not a PSU. I'm not receiving any thing on my monitor so I thougth that was the problem so I switched monitors; still nothing. No error messages or no signal notices. I next tried another video CARD; still nothing. Can anyone suggest something else I can try?Will it boot to safemode ? ? How old is the HDD ? ?I tried Safe Mode but nothing is showing on the monitor which is puzzling. I'm going to try slaving the hard drive to another computer.If the screen is blank and everything else seems to be booting normally and you've ruled out the display itself and the display adapter, I'd check the connections between the computer and the display and try changing the cables. First thing I did was try another monitor. Then, I switched from the on-board video card to a PCI video card. Still nothing. I should be getting something on the monitor.!st do you have an XP CD ? ?...2nd do you get any display at boot-up/BIOS screen ? ? If you have any bootable media then try that 1st to see what happens... P.S....it's KINDA cool we may get to help you for once...for all the Helps you have contributed... Do you get hard drive activity that shows that it's actually booting? Is there a POST speaker connected?Dave, per my post above the first thing I'd check is the cables. Quote !st do you have an XP CD ? ?...2nd do you get any display at boot-up/BIOS screen ? ? Yes I have an XP disk. I get nothing on the screen when booting. Quote Do you get hard drive activity that shows that it's actually booting? Is there a POST speaker connected? No post but there never was any on this computer. Quote Dave, per my post above the first thing I'd check is the cables. Allan, I tried another monitor with its own cable. What other cables should I check. All other peripherals are USB. All the capacitors look normal. Quote Yes I have an XP disk. I get nothing on the screen when booting. Try this with the HDD data cable disconnected...what happens ? ?I agree with your comment above - you should be getting something on the display. Typically this would point to the display itself, the display adapter, or the cable(s) between the two. You say you've swapped out all of these and still have the same problem. Very odd. Do your display adapter and display have multiple connection options (VGA, DVI)? If so, have you tried each? When you inserted the new display adapter, did you also check to make sure everything inside was properly seated and all cables properly connected? And last, when you boot your system does the power light on your display turn green or does it remain amber?Well, the hard drive tested ok as a slave on another computer. Tomorrow, I'm going to try another PCI video card that I know works. I know the monitor works because when I disconnect the cable, I get an error message. I'm also going to try another monitor again. I can't help but think that the problem is somewhere with the video card or monitor.Hey Dave ... I'd still swap out the power supply. Only reason is because the description of just saying its good because system powers up and CD tray works ... I have seen so many times a power supply that is weak that acts this same way. For the fact that you removed video card and have no video from integrated video... everything points to power supply likely and motherboard less likely. Guessing you have gone bare minimum.... 1 Ram stick, no drives connected and integrated video used and different monitor to know its not monitor or cable already? As odd as it may sound I have also seen a CMOS battery weak hang up a POST. So I'd check to make sure that is 3 volts. Usually a weak battery will just not hold settings, however on a Biostar motherboard I had I was just about ready to call it quits and throw it away. I already did the jumper RESET too to try to reset BIOS but didnt confirm the voltage. Someone SUGGESTED CMOS battery checking the voltage of it. Sure enough it was weak at 2.4 volts. Installed a new 2032 3V lithium and fixed. Im glad I didnt toss the board out due to just a bad cmos battery. Only thing in CMOS that could have kept it from booting is if parameters for overclocking got borked by the weak battery and motherboard not detecting a dangerous operating condition. When overclocking if it fails on this board to successful post it generally rolls back and gives a message that it wasnt able to run healthy at an overclock and its reverting back. Other than that I cant see how a weak CMOS battery would do that.Just an update. I MOVED the computer upstairs to my repair station, plugged it in and voila, it booted. It stayed on for about 3 mins. then I heard a snap and the display on the monitor disappeared. I must mention that prior to booting I got the message that the CMOS battery was low even though I had replaced it with a new one. Since then it has been booting but after a bit it display disappears. I'm going to try a new battery and then try some other video cards as it appears to be the on-board video interface.That "snap" was likely the PSU...on an XP PC it's likely outlived itself.

Answer»

I tried boot my computer in my sound studio for the first time in a month and I get. The computer runs. The lights come on, the hard drive spins and the CD trays operate ( open and close) so I know it's not a PSU. I'm not receiving any thing on my monitor so I thougth that was the problem so I switched monitors; still nothing. No error messages or no signal notices. I next tried another video CARD; still nothing. Can anyone suggest something else I can try?Will it boot to safemode ? ?
How old is the HDD ? ?I tried Safe Mode but nothing is showing on the monitor which is puzzling. I'm going to try slaving the hard drive to another computer.If the screen is blank and everything else seems to be booting normally and you've ruled out the display itself and the display adapter, I'd check the connections between the computer and the display and try changing the cables. First thing I did was try another monitor. Then, I switched from the on-board video card to a PCI video card. Still nothing. I should be getting something on the monitor.!st do you have an XP CD ? ?...2nd do you get any display at boot-up/BIOS screen ? ?

If you have any bootable media then try that 1st to see what happens...

P.S....it's KINDA cool we may get to help you for once...for all the Helps you have contributed...
Do you get hard drive activity that shows that it's actually booting? Is there a POST speaker connected?Dave, per my post above the first thing I'd check is the cables. Quote

!st do you have an XP CD ? ?...2nd do you get any display at boot-up/BIOS screen ? ?

Yes I have an XP disk. I get nothing on the screen when booting.
Quote

Do you get hard drive activity that shows that it's actually booting? Is there a POST speaker connected?

No post but there never was any on this computer.
Quote

Dave, per my post above the first thing I'd check is the cables.

Allan, I tried another monitor with its own cable. What other cables should I check. All other peripherals are USB.
All the capacitors look normal. Quote

Yes I have an XP disk. I get nothing on the screen when booting.

Try this with the HDD data cable disconnected...what happens ? ?I agree with your comment above - you should be getting something on the display. Typically this would point to the display itself, the display adapter, or the cable(s) between the two. You say you've swapped out all of these and still have the same problem. Very odd.

Do your display adapter and display have multiple connection options (VGA, DVI)? If so, have you tried each?

When you inserted the new display adapter, did you also check to make sure everything inside was properly seated and all cables properly connected?

And last, when you boot your system does the power light on your display turn green or does it remain amber?Well, the hard drive tested ok as a slave on another computer. Tomorrow, I'm going to try another PCI video card that I know works. I know the monitor works because when I disconnect the cable, I get an error message. I'm also going to try another monitor again. I can't help but think that the problem is somewhere with the video card or monitor.Hey Dave ... I'd still swap out the power supply. Only reason is because the description of just saying its good because system powers up and CD tray works ... I have seen so many times a power supply that is weak that acts this same way. For the fact that you removed video card and have no video from integrated video... everything points to power supply likely and motherboard less likely.

Guessing you have gone bare minimum.... 1 Ram stick, no drives connected and integrated video used and different monitor to know its not monitor or cable already?

As odd as it may sound I have also seen a CMOS battery weak hang up a POST. So I'd check to make sure that is 3 volts. Usually a weak battery will just not hold settings, however on a Biostar motherboard I had I was just about ready to call it quits and throw it away. I already did the jumper RESET too to try to reset BIOS but didnt confirm the voltage. Someone SUGGESTED CMOS battery checking the voltage of it. Sure enough it was weak at 2.4 volts. Installed a new 2032 3V lithium and fixed. Im glad I didnt toss the board out due to just a bad cmos battery. Only thing in CMOS that could have kept it from booting is if parameters for overclocking got borked by the weak battery and motherboard not detecting a dangerous operating condition. When overclocking if it fails on this board to successful post it generally rolls back and gives a message that it wasnt able to run healthy at an overclock and its reverting back. Other than that I cant see how a weak CMOS battery would do that.Just an update. I MOVED the computer upstairs to my repair station, plugged it in and voila, it booted. It stayed on for about 3 mins. then I heard a snap and the display on the monitor disappeared. I must mention that prior to booting I got the message that the CMOS battery was low even though I had replaced it with a new one. Since then it has been booting but after a bit it display disappears. I'm going to try a new battery and then try some other video cards as it appears to be the on-board video interface.That "snap" was likely the PSU...on an XP PC it's likely outlived itself.

Solve : Windows XP won't boot.?

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