[Brtnboarder495]

Okay, I can access the BIOS now.

What to do now?

you might as well do a format, seems to me that your system is hosed....

Huh?

Also, I erased Windows XP from the HD altogether and the reinstalled it only to be suprised by a message during reboot that says something along the lines of XP cannot startup due to a boot sequence or hard disk error.

For some reason I think that this is Microsoft's way to saying "you can only install this OS once, and then the CD's cooked".

I'm 99% sure the HD isn't dead, because I've already been in the actual OS, while it's functional, and I surely haven't damaged it since.

So ... what do I do next, to get around the hard disk or boot sequence thing?

Originally posted by Makaveli213
This comment scares me. Does your system even do a POST. (Power On Self Test) Do you hear any beeps when you system just starts after being shut off? If not then you might have fried your mobo or CMOS.

I can now access the BIOS, but not the Windows screen.

[Mak213]

Okay but does it get beyond the POST? If so then hit F8 and that might bring up safe mode. If so then you might be able to fix some things that have went wrong.

[Brtnboarder495]

When should I hit F8?

This is what happens:

-DFI Lanpart NF4 Screen.
-BIOS Screen.
-Some other screen that has PCI and other devices on it.
-Some screen that reads the error that I posted above that involves the hard disk and/or boot path.

The only screen I have control over is the BIOS one, the rest are "automated".

And Yes I hear beeps when my system starts up, along with the power LED flashing on and the fans coming on. I'm 99% sure the hardware is fine, it's the OS and M$'s XP > : (.

And I thought the OS would require the least amount of work and setup ...

[Mak213]

Well you would be surprized with custom builds. Sometimes the wierdest thing makes the OS crazy.

Have you disabled onboard video and sound? That would case issues. I would hit F8 right after the Bios goes off screen.

It might be because you dont have the right drivers for you Video Card to install or maybe the HDD controlers. Even the USB can give problems.

[Brtnboarder495]

Grr this sucks though because I never had a chance to install the drivers because the OS isn't even installed.

WTF!

[Mak213]

What about the 3rd party driver install. I know i had to get a updated XP Disc when i went to SATA HDD's since my old copy didnt support those type of drives. It was from back in 2002 when i got that disc.

It looks as if the pci drivers are corrupted. So my best thing to say is take out any PCI devices and try to install again.

[Osiris]

Originally posted by Brtnboarder495
Okay, I can access the BIOS now.

What to do now?



Huh?

Also, I erased Windows XP from the HD altogether and the reinstalled it only to be suprised by a message during reboot that says something along the lines of XP cannot startup due to a boot sequence or hard disk error.

For some reason I think that this is Microsoft's way to saying "you can only install this OS once, and then the CD's cooked".

I'm 99% sure the HD isn't dead, because I've already been in the actual OS, while it's functional, and I surely haven't damaged it since.

This has nothing to do with" you can only install this OS once, and then the CD's cooked"....

Its possible that your hdd might be going bad, anything is possible...Whenever I do a clean install, I always fdisk and then format which always takes care of any issues I run into. By the looks of it you might be on the same road here shortly....It could be a memory issue for all we know.

[Brtnboarder495]

Is there any way of telling if the memory or hard drive is bad without taking it to some store or place or RMAing it? Should there be something in the BIOS that should tell me? Because the HD shows up in the BIOS and displays the information correctly.

[Osiris]

take out one stick and try to boot...if the same thing happens, replace it and try the other stick....if it still happens, its more than likely something else...the bios can still display the correct info even if the hdd is bad

[Brtnboarder495]

That's annoying ...

I can't imagine I damaged the HD because I had XP running earlier ... but it's a possibility.

The memory on the other hand could of been damaged the whole time ... right? Or doesn't XP require at least 128mb of memory to start up?