Start up problems

[Guest]

I am having problems with the start up of my computer. When I try to start it
up, before Windows loads the computer will freeze up. I cannot start up the
computer in safe mode or do anything else. The computer always freezes up
after a certain amount of time no matter what I try. When it freezes, the
screen either goes black, white, or vertical bars of black, white, and gray
appear in various different patterns across the screen. I think that if I can
get a boot disk I will be able to find the problem. I just can't get onto the
computer at all before it freezes up. My computer came preinstalled with
Windows XP, so I don't have an installation disk. I've searched for a way to
make a boot disk, but every solution I've found uses the floppy drive, which
neither my computer nor the computer I'm using now have. Does anyone know
what the problem could be? If it helps, the computer having this problem is a
laptop.

 

[Pennywise]

I am having problems with the start up of my computer. When I try to start it
up, before Windows loads the computer will freeze up. I cannot start up the
computer in safe mode or do anything else. The computer always freezes up
after a certain amount of time no matter what I try. When it freezes, the
screen either goes black, white, or vertical bars of black, white, and gray
appear in various different patterns across the screen. I think that if I can
get a boot disk I will be able to find the problem. I just can't get onto the
computer at all before it freezes up. My computer came preinstalled with
Windows XP, so I don't have an installation disk. I've searched for a way to
make a boot disk, but every solution I've found uses the floppy drive, which
neither my computer nor the computer I'm using now have. Does anyone know
what the problem could be? If it helps, the computer having this problem is a
laptop.

I'm guessing your video card, and you crash when the drivers are
loaded.

See if you can start in Safe mode (F8 at boot up) - safe mode uses VGA
(no video drivers), if you boot up ok, might change out your video
card.

 

[Guest]

I don't think it has anything to do with my video card; this problem just
started recently. I can not even start in safe mode, it still freezes up
after a certain amount of time.

 

[Malke]

I don't think it has anything to do with my video card; this problem just
started recently. I can not even start in safe mode, it still freezes up
after a certain amount of time.

I don't know why you *don't* think it's your video card. It certainly sounds
like it. To test, uninstall the card and swap it out for a test video card.
If the test card works, then replace the original one.

If you don't have a spare video card lying around, take the machine to a
professional computer repair shop (not your local version of BigStoreUSA).
They can do additional hardware tests while they've got the machine.

Malke