Reformatted - crashing straightaway!

[John Jones]

The computer was crashing two or three times on startup - sometimes as
soon as the start button was pressed, othertimes when windows was
loading.

SO I reformatted (the computer asked if I wanted to install windows
over the old one by reformatting and so that's what I did) and
reinstalled Win XP from my CD. I did not install anything else except
AOL. Computer still crashing!

 

[Diablo]

define crashing!

does it display errors?

Diablo

 

[John Jones]

define crashing!

does it display errors?

Diablo

Sometimes the screen stays blank (black) and won't start up at all. I
have to then switch off at the plug and back on again. Sometimes when
windows has finished loading I get a serious error message and the
option to report it. I don't know why - no-one ever got back to me.

Sometimes, I get a blue screen that makes me shut down, sometimes I get
a black screen saying to start windows normally. Sometimes the screen
freezes just after the computer starts up at the point where it looks
for start-up options.

 

[Michael D. Alligood]

Describe the crash, i.e. Error Message. Behavior. Etc.

Michael D. Alligood
MCSA, MCDST, MCP, A+,
Network+. i-Net+, CIW Assoc.,
CIW Certified Instructor

 

[Ron Martell]

Sometimes the screen stays blank (black) and won't start up at all. I
have to then switch off at the plug and back on again. Sometimes when
windows has finished loading I get a serious error message and the
option to report it. I don't know why - no-one ever got back to me.

Sometimes, I get a blue screen that makes me shut down, sometimes I get
a black screen saying to start windows normally. Sometimes the screen
freezes just after the computer starts up at the point where it looks
for start-up options.

What is on the blue screen? We need the complete verbatim text
including all error codes and parameters.

Your problems sound like they may be hardware related (bad RAM, hard
drive failing, motherboard problems, etc etc) but without details it
is very difficult to give any specific suggestions.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[Joe]

The computer was crashing two or three times on startup - sometimes as
soon as the start button was pressed, othertimes when windows was
loading.

SO I reformatted (the computer asked if I wanted to install windows
over the old one by reformatting and so that's what I did) and
reinstalled Win XP from my CD. I did not install anything else except
AOL. Computer still crashing!

You have the same hardware problems you had before the reformat. I
suspect the graphics card, but you can also remove, and reinstall the
RAM and any other cards. Ground yourself, have the power strip off when
you go inside.

 

[John Jones]

Thanks everyone. Will investigate!