Member Avatar for underwhelmd

Hi,

I've been trying to figure out what's wrong with my PC. a few days ago, my computer stopped responding when I was working with an application so I pressed the restart button.

My pc now refuses to go into windows. I goes through post properly, and then where the Windows loading screen should be is a blinking underscore thing.

Any suggestions? I ran a HD analysis and it says it's fine.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Chaky
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A blinking cursor after POST (as described by ) most often means the BIOS handed control to the boot device but the bootloader or boot sector did not successfully start Windows. That can happen even when a surface/SMART check reports the disk as OK. Missing/corrupt boot files or a damaged Master Boot Record are common causes and are safe to address first because they are non-destructive to user data when handled correctly.

Recommended recovery steps using the Windows XP CD Recovery Console (CD drive letter may differ):

chkdsk /r
fixmbr
fixboot
bootcfg /rebuild
copy D:\i386\ntldr C:\
copy D:\i386\ntdetect.com C:\

Run those commands in the order shown. chkdsk /r scans and attempts repairs; fixmbr/fixboot repair the boot sector/MBR; bootcfg /rebuild restores boot.ini; copy the two XP boot files from the CD if they are missing.

If the Recovery Console is not available, boot a Linux live CD or a recovery disc to mount the Windows volume and copy critical files to external media before attempting repairs. Also confirm the drive is detected in BIOS and is the first boot device, and reseat or swap data/power cables. Use the HDD manufacturer’s bootable diagnostics and a bootable memory tester (Memtest86) if intermittent hardware faults are suspected.

This advice builds on ’s focus on careful diagnosis and data preservation. If boot-sector repair does not restore startup, the usual next steps are imaging/backing up the disk and performing an OS repair or reinstall. Specific BIOS messages, Recovery Console output, or HDD diagnostic logs are the useful diagnostics for the next troubleshooting stage.

Member Avatar for Chaky

From the symptoms you described, it is likely a software issue. Either virus, missing system file, missing driver or corrupt registry.

There are several things you can do:

- During post press either F2, F12 or Del key to enter BIOS setup. In advanced menu set "quick POST" on "disabled". That will make your system to do more thrall POST, possibly report an error. If any messages occurs, please post them.

- Press F8 while booting and choose safe mode. There is a tool called event viewer (part of the administrative tools) that can help point out the cause. It keeps record of any error messages. If you find anything helpful, please post it.

- Any recent hardware change or driver upgrade can cause this behavior. Windows XP are next to impossible to repair if the damage is more than minor. Especially the registry. Safest way to resurrect your system is to reinstall the windows. To preserve your work be sure that you don't choose formating the drive before installation begins nor do anything with the partition where your work is. You will need to reinstall the software needed for your work too.

- it is possible that a hardware failure is causing this. If it is so, memory is the suspect no. 1. Suspect no. 2 is motherboard. Also, you will most likely not be able to reinstall the windows.

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