Cannot start Windows XP

[Dan]

Select the SAFE mode. Allow it to reach the desktop
screen. Then RESTART. Should work OK from there.

 

[Mike B]

Thats the problem, it won't get to the desktop...screen
goes blank then right back to the safe mode menu, it acts
as if the first part of the hard drive may have become
corrupted. I really hope not, as this is an HP pavilion
without a System restore disk, supposedly "its all built
in"

 

[Alex Nichol]

Thats the problem, it won't get to the desktop...screen
goes blank then right back to the safe mode menu, it acts
as if the first part of the hard drive may have become
corrupted. I really hope not, as this is an HP pavilion
without a System restore disk, supposedly "its all built
in"

Either borrow a regular XP CD, or make a set of six boot floppies from
the download at http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;310994

Boot either the floppies, or Set the BIOS to boot CD before Hard Disk.
Boot the XP CD and, instead of Setup, take the immediate R for Repair.
Assume any password requested is blank, and TAB over.

Then do
CHKDSK /F C:

which *may* fix things

HP provide only a means of putting things back to ex-factory state - and
hide it in a separate hidden partition of the hard disk.