Strange No Boot problem

[Dean]

Am runnning an XP SP3 system and was cutting a dvd on the dvd drive using
Pinnacle Dazzel to swithch some things from
vcr to dvd. The program has been working fine for 2 days but this evening
it went into a much longer than normal routine. I could not shut that
program down and so shut down the power. Now my system will not boot. It is
getting power and the disk read light is flickering. After about 15 to 20
min the Windows XP logo comes on the screen then goes off and there is no
other activity on the machine. I am freeking and dont want do loose my data.
What should I be trying??

 

[Dean]

I do not get the normal sequence that would allow me to enter bios and change
the boot order. Just nothing...

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I do not get the normal sequence that would allow me to enter bios and
change
the boot order. Just nothing...

If you're not getting the option to enter the BIOS setup then you
have a hardware problem, not a Windows problem. Try posting
in a hardware group or take your machine to your friendly computer
dealer.

About "freaking out" because you might lose your date: This seems
to be a case of closing the gate after the horse has bolted. If you
keep important files on your PC then you MUST back them up
regularly to an independent medium. A 2.5" disk in an external
USB case would be a highly effective and low-cost backup medium.
Your best bet is now to remove the hard disk and temporarily
connect it as a slave disk to another WinXP so that you can save
your data. You should do this BEFORE attempting to repair it -
the repair attempt might cause a total loss of all files.