Deton8

[XP won't start... black screen... flashing cursor]

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I'm having this issue on my Dell D800... Latitude Note Book.

XP won't start... black screen... flashing cursor. (for days).
I AM CONFIDENT it is NOT a hardware issue (I'm pretty brave with hardware... very cowardly with software).

On my D800... things are fairly simple (dead).

XP window never appears.

All of Dell's EXTENDED HARDWARE diagnostics:
The system hardware tests good... all tests pass.

I have run all the non destructive recovery console "repair" utilities: to no avail (all progresses nice & uneventful... no reports of any kind... but No XP start up on boot).

[XP won't start... black screen... flashing cursor]

I have NOT done a HARD RELOAD... I figured I'd investigate elegant solutions before getting rough with my system.

Something nice & easy... Please.

I figure if I have to do a full XP OVERLOAD I'd attempt to use my old <30g> HARD DISC drive for a full RELOAD... or play with the Acronis USB HDD...

Don't want to CHANCE ruining my Acronis "duplicate USB" HDD without professional guidance (yes, I made the Acronis Recovery CD Disc too (free sample Acronis: expired, several months old)).

The MicroSoft "solution" for BLACK SCREEN w/flashing cursor" is to remove the "virtual machine" <integration troubles?> entries from BIOS...

Reference URL:
http://social.answers.microsoft.com...r/thread/5C1CF016-773C-4304-9BE3-45B615E04D82

files with extensions... *.vmc & *.vhd... which magically regenerate themselves on boot... sounds harmless enough.

I am assuming this is supposed to be done at DOS level. I just don't know.

If you have some such an elegant answer, PLEASE, I’d really like to hear it.

Otherwise I’m very afraid of losing my backup!
(tell me how to salvage my real data... or back up my back up and I’ll be as rough as desired).

I've worked w/MSFT techs on the other side of the planet for months (last year... unsuccessfully).

Rather than try that painfully unsuccessful route again... (an unrelated hijack issue).

I can get into "setup" level for the BIOS ... (A09: original... never updated)... All seems well.

with F2 at startup...

but it has been to many years to even attempt to remember how to invoke the right DOS commands... (to attempt MicroSoft’s *.vmc & *.vhd... "solution" mentioned above) let alone... I can't seem to get the CD to even recognize what I thought was a boot disc (CD)...

Besides the fact that all this is probably a rabbit trail any way!!


System Specs.

Dell Latitude D800, Mother bd Dell 1054, part# x1029
OEM ( "refurbished "... (old MB failed: stuck bit in USB register))
Intel Pentium M 2.0GHz
1.99GHz, 1GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5650
160 GB, WDC WD1600BEVE-11UYT0
MicroSoft Windows XP Professional 2002, Sp3... IE8 (w/Office)


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Another thought: Only recent system change:

I recently added UNIBLUE'S full suite to this system.