Windows XP not starting

Hello!!
Yesterday, I had similar problems however I could not get windows xp to reinstall. My computer worked wonderfully at first and came back 2 hours later and started getting the blue screen out of nowhere. Nothing new added in 2 weeks. Tried booting to safe mode which it did, at first. Then it started going to the blue screen for safe mode.

So I tried switching the memory. Same thing. Tried reinstalling windows xp. Kept saying it couldn't access files. Then on the third try, all files got loaded then it came with an error saying installation could not continue. Then each time I would reboot, it wouldn't even get to that point and would start rebooting each time it got past the BIOS. I have alot on that hard drive, so I pulled another hard drive to mess with and get windows xp loaded. SAME ERROR!!!! Cannot load windows xp on this other hard drive and the same problems starting happening.

I put in the win98 boot disk and it didn't recognize the c: drive that has all my stuff on it.

Now I'm wondering if my motherboard is shot. Anyone with ideas before I go and buy another motherboard??!!! Please correct me if I am wrong cause I really don't want to buy another. However it seems that may be the case since I've tried 2 different hard drives to no avail.

 

oowee,
Did you repartition the drive before formatting it? That's important to delete anything bad on the system areas. If you did, then it is possible that your drive is failing, not your MoBo. However, if you have access to a linux install CD, e.g. from a friend, install it; it will replace everything on the HDD and remove any critter in the process. Then go back to the windows install CD. That's a gross test of your HDD too; if unsuccessful, the HDD is probably bad.

 

Thank you for getting back to me. The last thing I would have thought of would be the mobo, but when I pulled out a spare hard and the same thing started happening the mobo became my only thought.

 

Did you try another IDE cable?

 

Installing Windows after Linux has been installed on the hard disk is not for faint hearted as Windows would NOT be able to access either the drive or the partition after installtion of Linux. The Linux partition has to be first deleted from within Linux (Linux fdisk). A much safer approach would be download HDD install software from the hard disk manufacturer website and use that software to first check the hard disk and then to zero fill the drive. You can then install Windows normally.