Windows XP does not boot

[bvmorand]

Even after selecting CDROM boot from the Bios this laptop does not want to boot with a "ultimate boot cd" or "Hiren's boot CD" or "Windows XP System Recovery Disc 32 bit". It used to boot with "Hiren" until I set it up to Administrator then it gives me a blincking dash in the top left of the screen and does not do anything. If i take the hard drive off all my boot discs works but as soon as I reconnect the hard drive it gives me this blinking dash in the top left and does not do anything.

[JorgeM]

So did you actually use one of these CDs to do something like reset an Admin password? If so, it may have damaged your OS installation. Using those tools is at your own risk. They are not supported by Microsoft, if you are running Windows.

It sounds like your CDs are OK because you can boot to them when no OS is present on the Hard Drive. This should be fixed by changing the boot order. Are you absolutely sure your. Lot order has changed?

[Xlphos]

Hello,

Does your Hard drive boot normally without the CDs?
It does sound like you havent changed the boot order... Did you save changes when you exited the bios?
Usually if no OS is dected on the hard drive you get a message on screen like "Operating system not found" or "Missing Operating System"

• let us know how it goes

[bvmorand]

I am absolutly sure the boot order is CDROM first and I still cannot boot. Someone, on another website was suggesting that my memory was not good but did not give me any suggestion to check it. I donot have a password for the "administrator" and normaly can log in by just using the enter key to log into toshiba laptop. My wife use a password to get into her part of the system.

Bernard

[Xlphos]

Have you set a hard drive password? Does it ask for a password before even loading an os?

[JorgeM]

If you pull out the hard drive, and that allows you to boot from the CDs, then I am fairly confident its a boot order issue, or you have to do something else during the boot process to tell your system to continue booting from the CD. When you power up, pay close attention to any BIOS messages that are asking you to boot from a menu or something else to that affect.

I do not beleive this is a memory issue.

[bvmorand]

Xlphos: I will set a password and see if it goes all the way to the hard drive. Good suggestion. I will keep you posted.

JorgeM: Tanks and I also think that it is not the memory.

mdabusufian: what is your good solution ?

Bernard

[bvmorand]

Xlphos: I set the passwords but did not realize it was not for the hard drive. When I turn the computer on it ask me for a password then it does tha same thing as before. It gives me a blinking dash in the top left and never boot.

Bernard

[gerbil]

bvm, where did you set the password? In BIOS? There is no advantage in doing that. At what stage is the computer asking for a passsword?
Please list the BIOS boot order. If your BIOS settings do not allow for an extended CD detection time of more than say, 20 seconds, then the boot process may skip to the next item in the order if it is slow reading the cd and discovering that it is bootable. Once the BIOS gets to any active hdd in the boot list it will not look further, even if that hdd is causing some problem.
It is possible that the hdd has a defective boot sector. That is repairable, but you need to be able to boot with something with that hdd connected in some way.

[bvmorand]

gerbil: thank you and you are right there is no advantage in setting the password in the Bios. The Bios boot order is: CDROM, Removable Devices, Realtek Boot Agent and Hard Drive. The boot process does not seems to give me enough time ( It looks like 5 seconds before the CDRom slow down and 5 more before it stop) Can I change the boot time ? or if my boot sector on the hard drive is corrupted how can I fix it ?

Bernard

[gerbil]

Your BIOS may have an option to icrease the cdrom boot time setting (my AMI BIOS does, I have it set at 30sec, but 15 should suffice). Remove the HDD from the boot list, if then the machine boots with a recovery or installation cd to the Recovery Console then run fixmbr and fixboot.

[bvmorand]

I finally gave up and got a new laptop with Windows 7 64 bits for my wife. I took the old computer apart and noticed that the battery for the bios is dead when I do not connect to the power adapter. This laptop is really too old to even mess with it!.

[gerbil]

Happens.. :)