XP Won't boot, Disc doesnt work/floppies or Safemode.. any help???

[Guest]

I am trying to fix my brothers dell computer. He was having problems with it
so I reinstalled Windows XP home edition and it fixed his problems. I left
his apartment and after he shut it off and was trying to replud his monitor
back in, he turned it back on and it was broken again. I had shut it off
multiple times after I installed it to update XP with the downloadable
updates.

Anyways, the problem is: I turn on the computer, does the Dell screen, then
Windows XP, then it goes to a blank screen.

What I have done to try to fix this:
1) Put the XP disc in and tried to boot from that, won't work comes up with
press f1 to reboot or f2 for utilites,

2) tried using the 6 Floppy disc bootup, same result as the above,

3) Tried to boot in safe mode but with his computer, Safemode is not an
option. I go to F8 or F12 for the boot menu and Safemode isnt listed, it has
normal, diskette, hard drive, cd rom, and a couple more...? so i dunno

...Anyone have any ideas to help me at all? Microsoft's website sucks and
they say for the product i need to contact gateway, (cuz my xp disc is from
my gateway), though that never has been a prob using it on other computers..

any help ?

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

The video adapter drivers may be corrupt. This may
have been caused if the Dell PC has both an onboard
video adapter and also a separate AGP video card and
your brother inadvertently attached the monitor to the
wrong video adapter port. Make sure the monitor is attached
to the same video adapter port that it was attached to
originally, then proceed with the following:

Boot into Safe Mode and open your Device Manager.
Right-click on the Display Adapter and select Uninstall.
Reboot and Windows XP will reinstall the generic VGA
driver. Next, download the latest Windows XP drivers
from your video adapter manufacturer's web site and install.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------­----------------

:

| I am trying to fix my brothers dell computer. He was having problems with it
| so I reinstalled Windows XP home edition and it fixed his problems. I left
| his apartment and after he shut it off and was trying to replud his monitor
| back in, he turned it back on and it was broken again. I had shut it off
| multiple times after I installed it to update XP with the downloadable
| updates.
|
| Anyways, the problem is: I turn on the computer, does the Dell screen, then
| Windows XP, then it goes to a blank screen.
|
| What I have done to try to fix this:
| 1) Put the XP disc in and tried to boot from that, won't work comes up with
| press f1 to reboot or f2 for utilites,
|
| 2) tried using the 6 Floppy disc bootup, same result as the above,
|
| 3) Tried to boot in safe mode but with his computer, Safemode is not an
| option. I go to F8 or F12 for the boot menu and Safemode isnt listed, it has
| normal, diskette, hard drive, cd rom, and a couple more...? so i dunno
|
| ..Anyone have any ideas to help me at all? Microsoft's website sucks and
| they say for the product i need to contact gateway, (cuz my xp disc is from
| my gateway), though that never has been a prob using it on other computers..
|
| any help ?

 

[Guest]

I tried that. Here are my unfortunate results:

Booted in:
Safemode - goes back to a blank screen

Safemode w/ Networking - stops at \System32\Drivers\Mup.sys

Last Known Good Config-goes back to a blank screen

Safemode w/ Command Prompt-goes back to a blank screen

Enable Boot Logging -goes back to a blank screen

Enable VGA Mode -goes back to a blank screen

Directory Services Restore Mode - checked the C drive, then it stated:
checking file system on C: The volume is clean. Windows has finished checking
the Disc, it stayed on that and would not change screens, so I restarted the
computer

Debugging Mode-goes back to a blank screen

Disable auto restart on system failure -goes back to a blank screen


Any ideas? I also opened up the cpu and cleaned out all the dust to make
sure maybe it wasn' t something like that. I am really stumped. I tried again
putting the XP disc in and running it in Safemode and no results, it just
goes to a blank black screen.

Ideas?

Is there anything I could possible download, burn onto a cd, and then put
the CD in the drive and try restarting it with the disc. When I try to boot
from the XP disc it doesnt even let me, it just goes to that F1 reboot, F2
utilities error reading. So I'm lost.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

How I solved Mup.sys problem
http://www.computing.net/windowsxp/wwwboard/forum/97354.html

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------­----------------

:

| I tried that. Here are my unfortunate results:
|
| Booted in:
| Safemode - goes back to a blank screen
|
| Safemode w/ Networking - stops at \System32\Drivers\Mup.sys
|
| Last Known Good Config-goes back to a blank screen
|
| Safemode w/ Command Prompt-goes back to a blank screen
|
| Enable Boot Logging -goes back to a blank screen
|
| Enable VGA Mode -goes back to a blank screen
|
| Directory Services Restore Mode - checked the C drive, then it stated:
| checking file system on C: The volume is clean. Windows has finished checking
| the Disc, it stayed on that and would not change screens, so I restarted the
| computer
|
| Debugging Mode-goes back to a blank screen
|
| Disable auto restart on system failure -goes back to a blank screen
|
|
| Any ideas? I also opened up the cpu and cleaned out all the dust to make
| sure maybe it wasn' t something like that. I am really stumped. I tried again
| putting the XP disc in and running it in Safemode and no results, it just
| goes to a blank black screen.
|
| Ideas?
|
| Is there anything I could possible download, burn onto a cd, and then put
| the CD in the drive and try restarting it with the disc. When I try to boot
| from the XP disc it doesnt even let me, it just goes to that F1 reboot, F2
| utilities error reading. So I'm lost.

 

[Guest]

hi,

i tried this too. i did the mouse unplug. and then tried doing the monitor
unplug since that might be the issue, but to no avail. Still..comes up w/ a
blank screen. thanks for replying ... if u think of any other ideas post it
for me.

thanks again i appreciate it

 

[Guest]

That's actually why it's probably not working. You're using a Gateway XP CD
on a Dell Computer. You need to get a Dell CD. Contact Dell, and ask them to
send you a replacement one if you can't find the origional. (it doesn't cost
you anything). But, try booting from that CD/DVD that dell will send you, do
a long format of the hard drive, and then it should work.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

You cannot use a Gateway OEM Windows XP CD to install
on a Dell computer. You either must contact Dell support
and order a Dell Windows XP Reinstallation CD or purchase
a conventional "Full Version" of Windows XP.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------­----------------

:

| I am trying to fix my brothers dell computer. He was having problems with it
| so I reinstalled Windows XP home edition and it fixed his problems. I left
| his apartment and after he shut it off and was trying to replud his monitor
| back in, he turned it back on and it was broken again. I had shut it off
| multiple times after I installed it to update XP with the downloadable
| updates.
|
| Anyways, the problem is: I turn on the computer, does the Dell screen, then
| Windows XP, then it goes to a blank screen.
|
| What I have done to try to fix this:
| 1) Put the XP disc in and tried to boot from that, won't work comes up with
| press f1 to reboot or f2 for utilites,
|
| 2) tried using the 6 Floppy disc bootup, same result as the above,
|
| 3) Tried to boot in safe mode but with his computer, Safemode is not an
| option. I go to F8 or F12 for the boot menu and Safemode isnt listed, it has
| normal, diskette, hard drive, cd rom, and a couple more...? so i dunno
|
| ..Anyone have any ideas to help me at all? Microsoft's website sucks and
| they say for the product i need to contact gateway, (cuz my xp disc is from
| my gateway), though that never has been a prob using it on other computers..
|
| any help ?