Author Topic: Computer sits at blinking cursor after post unless USB is plugged in (Read 9609 times)

tgp1994 · « **on:** February 15, 2009, 11:04:43 PM »

Yup, that's about it. Ever since I tried removing a partition with Windows 7 on it and doing a fix MBR and Boot, (because Windows 7 had overwritten my windows XP boot sector,) it seems to have messed up my computer. So for you information, I have my main hard drive, set to Boot device 1, supposedly with the correct files on it, and should be booting. It has only one partition with Windows XP Home SP3. The other hard drive is just a data hard drive. I downloaded three critical files off of a computer boot site, put them on that flash drive, then my computer boots up fine. But when I leave the flash drive unplugged, my system will just sit at a screen after the POST with a blinking cursor. So can anyone think of what may be wrong with the hard drive?

(Remember, the operating system inside of it working fine. There's something wrong with the boot process, though.)

~TGP1994

JJ 3000 · « **Reply #1 on:** February 15, 2009, 11:06:24 PM »

Do you have your XP CD?

tgp1994 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 16, 2009, 08:12:55 AM »

Yes, and I already tried a repair installation, if that's what you're getting to.

patio · « **Reply #3 on:** February 16, 2009, 08:51:16 AM »

BCEdit...

tgp1994 · « **Reply #4 on:** February 16, 2009, 09:15:23 AM »

Quote from: tgp1994 on February 15, 2009, 11:04:43 PM

It has only one partition with Windows XP Home SP3.

Quote from: Microsoft TechNet

BCDEdit is the primary tool for editing the boot configuration of Windows Vista and later versions of Windows.

... and Vista only. I would download BCDEdit if it worked for XP, too.

Any more suggestions?

patio · « **Reply #5 on:** February 16, 2009, 09:19:41 AM »

The issue was caused by Win 7...BCEdit is for Vista and Win 7...

tgp1994 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 16, 2009, 09:34:29 AM »

But, I don't have Vista or windows 7. (Not anymore at least.)

xcharge50 · « **Reply #7 on:** February 16, 2009, 10:11:59 AM »

Try to go on the recovery console from you xp cd an type fixmbr (not sure if it will work but you have nothing to lose) also type help to have a list of all command. Maybe 1 of them will fix it.

patio · « **Reply #8 on:** February 16, 2009, 11:48:22 AM »

Quote from: tgp1994 on February 16, 2009, 09:34:29 AM

But, I don't have Vista or windows 7. (Not anymore at least.)

Quote

Yup, that's about it. Ever since I tried removing a partition with Windows 7

This says at one point you did...
Since Vista AND win 7 uses this this is what has fudged your XP boot files...
Re-visit the link provided.

tgp1994 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 16, 2009, 02:40:21 PM »

So you're saying I reinstall Windows 7 and try the fix boot thing?

I'm a little confused here, cause I guess my ultimate goal is to remove windows 7 completely and run it in a virtual machine. So i reinstall it on a new partition, run that command, windows works fine, then what? Won't it still mess my machine up when I remove the partition again?

patio · « **Reply #10 on:** February 16, 2009, 04:41:42 PM »

No.
I'm suggesting you use BCEdit to remove any remnants of Win7 to see if XP will boot properly...

tgp1994 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 16, 2009, 05:21:31 PM »

Ok, I'm not really sure where the confusion here is. Windows 7 is GONE. I don't have Vista, either. I only have windows XP.
BCEdit is ONLY on windows Vista and up. So how am I supposed to use BCEdit when I don't have it?

Now, I can reinstall Windows 7 if I absolutely have to, but that kind of defeats the purpose.

patio · « **Reply #12 on:** February 16, 2009, 05:44:55 PM »

Well you could try using the RC to fix this...
Boot to the XP CD.
At the first screen press R to enter the Recovery Console.
After it finishes loading at the prompt type fixboot and hit Enter.
Remove the CD and re-boot..

If this does not work repeat the above except at the prompt type fixmbr and hit Enter.
Again remove the CD and re-boot.

tgp1994 · « **Reply #13 on:** February 17, 2009, 06:34:29 AM »

Unfortunately, those didn't work. I've got to wonder, when I was loading up the CD, it mentioned detecting two devices on exactly same stuff... bus 0, stuff like that, all on a 0. Also, and this may be important as to my failure, while I was inserting the new partition, I noticed this very small partition (about 5MB or so) at the very beginning of my disk. I seem to remember it being unallocated, so I combined it into the main partition. So maybe it has something to do with the partitions.

And again, thank you very much.

patio · « **Reply #14 on:** February 17, 2009, 06:40:52 AM »

Sounds like it's time to wipe partitions, format and do a clean install...

tgp1994 · « **Reply #15 on:** February 17, 2009, 06:46:13 AM »

*sigh*

So how about my files... if I use norton ghost to backup to my second hard drive, then wipe everything, reinstall, will norton ghost put my user profiles back, as well as all of my programs?

patio · « **Reply #16 on:** February 17, 2009, 06:49:38 AM »

Yes.
Ghost should be able to handle this task...although i haven't used it in some time...
Make sure when re-creating your partitions to set the first one as active...

tgp1994 · « **Reply #17 on:** February 17, 2009, 06:57:30 AM »

Right. I am a bit suspicious, because after some reading, I think I may have removed the MBR in an attempt to combine everything in my HD into one single partition. I think I may try setting aside some space and then trying fixmbr again.

patio · « **Reply #18 on:** February 17, 2009, 07:17:35 AM »

Unfortunately it won't fix it if it has been removed...

BC_Programmer · « **Reply #19 on:** February 17, 2009, 12:03:10 PM »

Actually, the Master Boot record is the same regardless of the disk configuration- fixmbr simply rewrites that same segment of code to the Boot sector.

Don't know why it isn't working here, though. Perhaps the Windows 7 install set it's partition as active?

xcharge50 · « **Reply #20 on:** February 17, 2009, 01:23:40 PM »

Maybe some one will have a better solution

But try installing grub. Don't ask me how to install it since I never try it from a death system. I usually install linux, delete it but keep the boot loader on my friend computer since I keep linux

...

tgp1994 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 18, 2009, 07:32:39 AM »

Hmm... GRUB is linux, isn't it? Are you sure it will work ok with XP? If that is true, I just want to put it on then take it off once it has done what it has to do. I'm hesitant to decrease the partition size on my main hard drive cause it takes like half a day to move it

patio · « **Reply #22 on:** February 18, 2009, 07:48:03 AM »

I would skip the GRUB step for now...although it can be useful in certain situations it's not going to help yours.
It can be a pain to remove as well.

patio · « **Reply #23 on:** February 18, 2009, 07:48:40 AM »

Quote from: patio on February 17, 2009, 06:40:52 AM

Sounds like it's time to wipe partitions, format and do a clean install...

tgp1994 · « **Reply #24 on:** February 18, 2009, 02:52:56 PM »

Ya, I still want to avoid that as much as possible. I'm going to set aside some allocated space and see if that doesn't fix anything. Then I will give in.

patio · « **Reply #25 on:** February 18, 2009, 05:15:41 PM »

If your Ghost image is valid i see no reason to prolong the agony...

tgp1994 · « **Reply #26 on:** February 18, 2009, 05:17:10 PM »

So just to be sure, it backs up registry AND programs AND windows users?

tgp1994 · « **Reply #27 on:** February 20, 2009, 02:55:03 PM »

Well, I installed BootIt, just to see if I could figure out what's going on, and it looks like the problem may be lying within the BCD, whatever that is. (I know, I've been procrastinating in doing a wipe

)

So I'm going to download a BCD editor and mess around with it.

Meanwhile, could you guys explain what the BCD is?

patio · « **Reply #28 on:** February 20, 2009, 02:58:56 PM »

It's in my link...

tgp1994 · « **Reply #29 on:** February 20, 2009, 03:01:03 PM »

Ohhhh. *Connection made*

The thing was, that was for vista. I found a hopefully XP compatible program that should work.

patio · « **Reply #30 on:** February 20, 2009, 03:06:56 PM »

I give up.

tgp1994 · « **Reply #31 on:** February 20, 2009, 03:12:44 PM »

Lol thank you for your help, I think it may be working.

*Correction* So wait, what part of the BCD should I edit?

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Author Topic: Computer sits at blinking cursor after post unless USB is plugged in (Read 9609 times)

tgp1994

JJ 3000

tgp1994

patio

tgp1994

patio

tgp1994

xcharge50

patio

tgp1994

patio

tgp1994

patio

tgp1994

patio

tgp1994

patio

tgp1994

patio

BC_Programmer

xcharge50

tgp1994

patio

patio

tgp1994

patio

tgp1994

tgp1994

patio

tgp1994

patio

tgp1994