XP fails to completely load up

XP fails to load up

Sometimes for no known reason you start XP and it only loads to the progress screen or less and usually displays a black screen with a stationary or blinking cursor.

Windows can fail to load for many reasons but my experience suggests one of two problems that cause these symptoms.

Main Reason One - The graphics drivers are corrupted

Windows will start up for a while and probably display the first startup page with the progress bar. But when the desktop or user display is about to show the screen goes black and either a stationary or blinking cursor is at the top.

Remedy One

  1. Start Windows in Safe Mode by tapping [F8] when the PC first starts up until the Windows menu displays.
  2. At the desktop reinstall the graphics drivers for your PC from the motherboard or graphics card CD.
  3. Restart Windows and hopefully go all the way to the desktop else go to remedy two.

Remedy Two

  1. Start the PC with the Windows CD inserted
  2. Let the drivers load up and select install Windows and choose the hard drive and location of the existing installed Windows.
  3. Confirm you want to overwrite the existing installation BUT make sure you select to REINSTALL and NOT a new INSTALL so that your existing Windows will be technically repaired and not new.
  4. After a REINSTALLATION of Windows you should be able to get to the desktop and reset the screen resolution to what it was before.

Main Reason Two - Vital Windows files are corrupted

Necessary start up files are corrupt or missing required to start up Windows and start up ends when the first file fails.

Remedy One

  1. Start Windows in Safe Mode by tapping [F8] when the PC first starts up until the Windows menu displays
  2. Insert the Windows CD and cancel the dialog that shows up
  3. At the desktop click Start and then Run
  4. Type sfc /scannow in the Run box and press [Enter]
  5. SFC will attempt to repair or replace any corrupted Windows file.
  6. Restart Windows and hopefully go all the way to the desktop else go to remedy two

Remedy Two

  1. Start the PC with the Windows CD inserted
  2. Let the drivers load up and select R for the recovery module to load
  3. Enter the password for the Administrator account which was setup when Windows was first installed
  4. Type fixboot and fixmbr at the C:\ prompt then restart the PC without the CD inserted
  5. If the desktop displays the corruption is probably fixed or else go to remedy three

Remedy Three

  1. Start the PC with the Windows CD inserted
  2. Let the drivers load up and select install Windows and choose the hard drive and location of the existing installed Windows.
  3. Confirm you want to overwrite the existing installation BUT make sure you select to REINSTALL and NOT a new INSTALL so that your existing Windows will be technically repaired and not new.
  4. After a REINSTALLATION of Windows you should be able to get to the desktop and reset the screen resolution to what it was before.

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XP No Start