Brian said:
my computer freezes on startup. I get as far as a page with the
windows XP logo, dark blue bands on the top and bottom and light blue
area in the
center. the mouse moves, but nothhing on the keyboard does anything,
and no icons come up.
I have tried going into safe mode, but I end up with the same screen
only
smaller. I have also tried something like "go to the last working
....." I tried that two, with the same result.
Thanks for your help
Since you aren't able to get into Windows at all, here are a few
suggestions. First, it is important to answer "what changed between the
time things worked and the time they didn't?". If you added no new
hardware or software, you should check the health of the hardware in
your computer. Here are some general hardware troubleshooting steps:
1) Open the computer and run it open, cleaning out all dust bunnies and
observing all fans (overheating will cause system freezing). Obviously
you can't do this with a laptop, but you can hear if the fan is running
and feel if the laptop is getting too hot.
2) Test the RAM - I like Memtest86+ from
www.memtest.org. Obviously, you
have to get the program from a working machine. You will either
download the precompiled Windows binary to make a bootable floppy or
the .iso to make a bootable cd. If you want to use the latter, you'll
need to have third-party burning software on the machine where you
download the file - XP's built-in burning capability won't do the job.
In either case, boot with the media you made. The test will run
immediately. Let the test run for an extended period of time - unless
errors are seen immediately. If you get any errors, replace the RAM.
3) Test the hard drive with a diagnostic utility from the mftr. Usually
you will download the file and make a bootable floppy with it. Boot
with the media and do a thorough test. If the drive has physical
errors, replace it.
4) The power supply may be going bad or be inadequate for the devices
you have in the system - this isn't applicable to a laptop, of course.
5) Test the motherboard with something like TuffTest from
www.tufftest.com. Sometimes this is useful, and sometimes it isn't.
If all your hardware tests good, try a Repair Install of Windows:
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
If you are uncomfortable testing the hardware yourself, then take the
machine to a good local professional (not a BestBuy or CompUSA type of
store) for diagnosis and repair.
Malke
