Hi, Dave.
Is your WinXP still set to Automatically restart on System failure? That's
the default setting, because so many computer problems are fixed by simply
rebooting. But, when a reboot doesn't fix it, we're left with no clue as to
the cause.
Go to System Properties | Advanced | Startup and Recovery Settings. Under
System failure, remove the check from the Automatically restart box.
Next time, instead of an immediate reboot, your computer should halt with a
BSOD (Blue Screen of Death), full of cryptic codes. You will still need to
reboot, by pressing the Restart button, but you'll have plenty of time to
study the screen first. If you can't figure it out, post the codes -
verbatim - into your next message and some guru here (not me!) should be
able to point you in the right direction.
If the problem is in hardware (loose or broken cables, bad power supply,
etc.), this won't work, but if it is in software (including device drivers),
this should provide the starting point for a solution.
RC
