Member Avatar for Andy-Roo

Okay, so I still have a Dell XPS 410 with Windows XP. For no discernible reason (no new hardware or software recently and I haven't been playing with settings lately) the area around the on-screen mouse turned blue for a brief time before the whole computer finally shut down. Now, every time I try to turn the machine on there are blue dots during the startup and before I get to the desktop the monitor goes into powersave mode (though the tower remains powered up). The same thing happens when I switch monitors.

I am able to interrupt the startup and begin in safe mode. Unfortunately, I don't know how to fix the problem from there.

In the Event Viewer application I'm getting the following error:

---The following boot-start or system-start drivers failed to load: Aavmker4, AFD, aswSP, aswTdi, avgio, avipbb, Fips, intelppm, IPSec, MRxSmb, NetBIOS, NetBT, RasAcd, Rdbss, ssmdrv, Tcpip. (these errors are occurring because "a device attached to the system is not functioning.")

Any advice?

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— useful, ordered troubleshooting steps to try next (since 's Last Known Good didn't help and removing extra cards had no effect).

Start by isolating software from hardware: boot Safe Mode and use msconfig to do a clean boot. In Safe Mode open System Configuration (msconfig) -> Services -> check "Hide all Microsoft services" -> untick everything left, then Startup -> untick everything. Reboot normally. If Windows boots, re-enable services/startup items in halves until the culprit reappears.

Remove or fully clean any third‑party antivirus/firewall filter drivers while in Safe Mode (use the vendor's removal tool if available). Many AV/filter drivers load very early and will drop normal boot even though Safe Mode works.

Run file and disk checks from Safe Mode (have your XP CD ready for SFC if prompted):

sfc /scannow
chkdsk C: /r

If those report/repair errors, repeat the normal boot test after they complete.

If software isolation fails, shift to hardware checks focused on video/Power and motherboard components (because the monitor losing signal usually means the display output stops): reseat the graphics card, try the motherboard's onboard video (or a known-good card), test a different video cable, and look for swollen caps or burned components. If possible, boot a Linux live CD/USB to see whether the display survives a non‑Windows boot — that’s a quick hardware vs driver indicator.

Before any invasive steps, back up important files (copy the drive to another PC or use a rescue disk). If you cannot isolate and repairs fail, consider a Repair Install of XP or professional hardware diagnostics.

Quick checklist (in order): 1) msconfig clean boot, 2) uninstall AV/filter drivers, 3) SFC + chkdsk, 4) swap/test GPU and cables, 5) test PSU/motherboard for bad caps, 6) backup then Repair Install.

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Member Avatar for rch1231

Have you tried last known good configuration boot yet?

Member Avatar for Andy-Roo

Have you tried last known good configuration boot yet?

Yes, but the result is the same.

Member Avatar for Andy-Roo

Someone suggested I try removing my network card and other nonessential hardware. This didn't help either. Might it be my video card?

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