OS Doesn't Load

XP Home Edition SP1
AMD Athlon


When my PC is starting up, half way throught I get a blank screen which doesn't change.

'Searching for boot record from IDE-O ... OK'

After that message the screen goes blank and nothing happens. I tried to boot from the operating system CD but the same thing happens after the message . . .

'Setup is inspceting your computers hardware configuration'

 

So You were trying to install windows in the first place or did it suddenly stop booting and then You tried to start from the cd, because it will probably be two different problems.

 

Hard Drive Diagnostic Tools

Hard drive diagnostic utilities are used primarily for determining the physical condition of your hard drive, (drive integrity and read/write verification). If you are having computer problems which you suspect are hard drive related, you can test your drive with the following:

• Fujitsu "Diagnostic Tool "
  http://www.fcpa.com/support/hard-drives/software_utilities.html
  
  
• IBM/Hitachi "Drive Fitness Test "
  http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm
  
  
• Maxtor "PowerMax "
  http://www.maxtor.com/portal/site/m...tware Downloads/ATA Hard Drives&downloadID=22
  
  
• Seagate "SeaTools Desktop "
  http://www.seagate.com/support/seatools/
  
  
• Western Digital "Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for DOS (Floppy or CD) "
  http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp?cxml=n&pid=999&swid=2

Note: In most instances you download the file to your hard drive then (extract)/execute it to create a bootable diskette or ISO CD-ROM image.

If you don't know the Manufacturer/Model# of the hard drive in your computer:

1. Download and install EVEREST Free Edition 2.20
   http://www.majorgeeks.com/EVEREST_Free_Edition_d4181.html
   
   
2. Start Everest and go to Storage > Physical Drives > Drive. To the right of "Drive #1" should be the model number of your drive, (for example "ST3250823AS ").
   
   
3. Type that model number into Google (http://www.google.com) and you should be able to tell who the Manufacturer was.