When switched on, it says
"we apologise for the inconvenience, but windows did not start successfully
A recent hardware or software change may have caused this.
If your computer stopped responding, restarted unexpectedly, or was automatically shutdown to protect your files or folders, choose last known good configuration
If a previous startup attempt was interupted due to a power failiure, or the power/reset button was pressed, or if you aren't sure what caused the problem, choose start windows normally."
It then offers the options
"safe mode
safe mode with networking
safe mode with command prompt
Last known good configuration (your most recent settings that worked)
Start Windows normally"
When choosing last known good config, or start windows normally, the compter proceeds to the screen with the windows XP logo and the bluie loading bar, before flashing up a blue error message screen for a time way too short to read, then resetting and going back to the loop
If i choose the safe mode, it begins to flash up type, all starting with "multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS/System32/(DRIVERS, Drivers or drivers)
then stops at
"multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS/System32/DRIVERS/agp440.sys"
I have browsed other forums on the web, and suggestions have been to restart XP from the CD-ROM. I do not however have the disk, as when i bought the PC i was not given the disk. It was a custom built, and the shop it was bought from has since gone bust, so i cannot contact them and ask for the disk.
Other the other suggestion was that the agp440.sys was the problem and that it was a video driveror something to do with the sound/graphics card (it was not that clear) however other websites (http://marc-bourassa...dead-xp-system/) suggest that this is a red herring.
I am at a complete loss of how to fix it, and ask anyone for suggestion and help.
Please note i am in no way an expert on comptuters, so please try and keep language simple to understand.
Much appreciated
Edited by joehedge, 17 June 2008 - 04:10 PM.