Member Avatar for kuz1n

I was messing with the cmos and tried to overclock my pc. Well that didn't work so I lowered the speed back to what it was originally was and went to bed. Woke up the next morning and was unable to get past the Windows Xp welcome screen. It seems to load up fine but it gets to welcome, but wont show the login screen. It just sits there saying welcome. I'm not sure why changing the cpu and bus speed would mess up the OS. HELP

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Summary of what's known: attempted an overclock, restored the original BIOS values, and now Windows XP hangs at the blue "Welcome" screen without showing the logon prompt. advised restoring BIOS defaults and recommended clearing CMOS — both sensible first moves. Since reverting settings didn't fix the hang, the next checks should focus on software-level recovery and simple hardware isolation.

Boot-level recovery (fast, non-destructive)

  • From POST press F8 and try "Last Known Good Configuration" first (restores registry device/driver startup state).
  • If that fails, boot "Safe Mode". If Safe Mode reaches the desktop, run System Restore to a point before the change, then open a command prompt and run chkdsk c: /r. Follow that with sfc /scannow if possible to repair protected system files (XP may prompt for the CD).
  • If Safe Mode works but normal boot still hangs, look at Device Manager and Event Viewer for failing drivers/services and uninstall any recently added drivers.

Repair and data-safety steps

  • If Safe Mode is inaccessible, boot the Windows XP CD and use the Recovery Console to run chkdsk /r and (if needed) fixboot / fixmbr. A repair install (in-place upgrade from the XP CD) can fix a corrupted OS without wiping data — back up important files first by booting a Live CD/USB or connecting the drive to another system.

Hardware isolation

  • Test with minimal hardware: one RAM stick in the primary slot, no add-in cards, and only essential drives connected. Reseat RAM, power and data cables. Run a memory tester (memtest86 bootable) from a CD/USB.
  • Because the system was overclocked, consider CMOS-clear (as suggested) and check BIOS clock/voltages; if components were stressed the CPU, RAM, or motherboard could be faulty and may need testing in another machine.

Priority checklist: F8 -> Last Known Good -> Safe Mode -> System Restore -> chkdsk -> Recovery Console/Repair -> minimal-hardware + memtest.

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Member Avatar for caperjack

go back into the bios and set the defaults and save changes and exit the bios

Member Avatar for kuz1n

I have changed everything back to what they were yet I still just get that blue windows xp screen, but it does not give my the chance to log in.

go back into the bios and set the defaults and save changes and exit the bios

Member Avatar for TallCool1

I have changed everything back to what they were yet I still just get that blue windows xp screen, but it does not give my the chance to log in.

Your CMOS may be corrupt. Go into the BIOS setup screen and copy down all the settings as you want them. with the power off, open the unit and move the CMOS erase jumper to the clear position for however long the instruction book say to leave it there. Move the jumper back to the normal position and turn the unit on. The PC should report something like CMOS error -- defaults loaded and the real-time clock will be reset. Go into the BIOS setup and re-enter your desired values. Let us know what happens.

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