My home PC just took a dirt nap

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

Something started happening a few days ago. When I pulled up this board, I noticed the format and some of the text was showing up funny. Then it started happening with other sites. I ran my virus checks and came up empty, but I figured it had to be some kind of bug or virus. It got to the point I couldn't log onto this site at all, and then others. Then yesterday when I attempted to start my computer up it would not get past the Windows XP screen that appears after you boot up. Once it gets to that screen, it reboots itself, and starts that whole "restart" cycle over and over again - never goes to the desktop. Any ideas? I hope I don't have to reinstall the operating system...

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

Grab the ISO of Memtest86 and create a bootable CD.

http://www.memtest86.com/download.html

Run the full test. Sounds Like your RAM is faulty. It won't hurt to check.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

Thanks.

[Dinsdale]

What Marty said.

I'd also add (and maybe try first), start it in Safe Mode (hammer the F8 key at startup). If it hangs at the one freaking file... crap... I think it's "mup.sys" is the common one, you've got corrupt system files or (uh-oh) lost a sector on the HD.

If it does the XP Boot Hang, use a XP CD, and boot from it. Select the repair mode, and from the command prompt type "chkdsk /r"

There's a space before the slash.

Now, grab a Snickers.

And depending on your machine/RAM and a zillion other things, you may be able to remove one RAM stick and leave one, and try booting. Then try removing another, and different slots (if it's a really early P4 box with RAMBUS, don't bother, and just cut your losses now by tossing it in the trash) -- although the actual slots (as opposed to the sticks) usually go bad a few minutes into a machines life, rather than down the road.


There's also a very very slight chance your power supply is dying. But if you didn't recently add new hardware, it's pretty unlikely -- but not 100% impossible.