P.C. wont bootup

[PussEKatt]

I have a laptop and a desktop PC.

I installed XP on the desktop PC and now it wont boot.I know that the XP instillation has corrupted the MBR and thats why I cant boot the PC,my question is,what can I do about it ?

I have tried starting in safe mode ( so that I could access the command prompt ) but the PC wont start in safe mode.

I have also entered the BIOS but there is no option to start with a command prompt there.

I can load Linux up on this PC but I dont know if I can fix this problem using Linux.

When I try to boot the PC I get an error and told to press ctrl +alt +deleat and try again with the same results again.

If I boot the PC with the Windows OS disk I get as far as the screen with the coloured orbs and windows then the PC freezes.

Any answers anyone ?

[regular_john]

You need to boot using an XP recovery disc, the option to fix the MBR will be there somewhere. 

 

What do you actually need the computer for? Do you do any gaming? Do you need Windows specific programs?

 

If not, why not just install the latest Ubuntu/Mint and not have to deal with corrupted MBRs?

[limpid]

Insert ubuntu cd. Boot. Launch "boot-repair".

 

Better still, install ubuntu or mint and don't be forced to deal with the unsupported XP..

[Tegis]

Yep, stay away form XP

[AVFCforever1991]

I have a laptop and a desktop PC.

I installed XP on the desktop PC and now it wont boot.I know that the XP instillation has corrupted the MBR and thats why I cant boot the PC,my question is,what can I do about it ?

I have tried starting in safe mode ( so that I could access the command prompt ) but the PC wont start in safe mode.

I have also entered the BIOS but there is no option to start with a command prompt there.

I can load Linux up on this PC but I dont know if I can fix this problem using Linux.

When I try to boot the PC I get an error and told to press ctrl +alt +deleat and try again with the same results again.

If I boot the PC with the Windows OS disk I get as far as the screen with the coloured orbs and windows then the PC freezes.

Any answers anyone ?

 

I'm so sorry..

[PussEKatt]

Like I said in my originalm post,I have Windows 7 installed and I tried to install XP on a seperate partition. I think that is what has stuffed up the MBR.The only reason I tried to install XP is because I like the Cossacks games ( from CDV ) and I wanted to play them again without the strange colour issues that you get with it on Win 7.

As far as Linux goes,I often use Puppy Linux on my laptop and Bodhi linux on my desktop P.C.

I have 2 HDDs on the Desktop,I may have to try swapping the cables around and see what happens.According to the internet this is not an unusual problem, there seems to be heaps of suggestions with no usefull answers......so far. 

I am going to use Bodhi to transfer any files that I want to keep and take it from there. 

[Davkaus]

It's a bit late for "I told you so"s but if you're trying to dual boot different versions of Windows, you should always put the older one on first for this exact reason. If a recovery CD doesn't sort it, I'd load the PC using a Linux live CD, recover all of the data you need, then just format it and start over, it's a right pain in the arse trying to sort things out when this happens.

 

These days I wouldn't even bother dual booting. If you need XP, I'd run it in a VM on top of Win7 rather than as a separate partition.

[PussEKatt]

@Davkaus:

  Yes I know that the older OS should be installed first but I read on the net that you can install XP after Win 7 and then just boot into the command line.Unfortunately, after installing XP my PC wont do anything except boot into a live Linux USB. 

So,I can boot into Linux.Can you walk me through the commands to ........

Run a CD from the DVD drive.

Mount the drives and open a terminal ?

 

Thanks.

[limpid]

Select "boot-repair" from the menu and repair the MBR. You don't need any commands.

 

To run something from a cd you insert the cd and the OS will ask you what you want to do. Open a file browser and click on the program.  Your disks should be mounted automatically. Terminal is in the menu (and I don't think you need to use it here), there are short cuts to launch it but you;ll need to tell us which Linux you are using.

[PussEKatt]

At the moment ( on the desktop PC ) I can only use a live CD of Linux )

So I am using Bodhi as a live CD ( from a USB ) so, if I put the boot repair CD in the drive will Bodhi Linux run it ? also I have actually tried boot repair.It opens with a screen where you pick your language, after I select English, then what ? I dont see an option to repair anything.

When I open Bodhi I can apparently do lots of things but I am not that familia with Linux yet ( still learning ) and this is a hell of a way to learn. I get the main menu, with heaps of options.I have found that if I select " Root" and scroll down to media i get a list of drives ( the DVD drive and about 4 others, sda1 to sda4 ) but I cant get them to list anything ?

I have tried right and left click...nothing.There is no terminal in the menu that I can see.

I mentioned in the Linux thread that I have Puppy Arcade installed on the desktop PC, but since this trouble I can only access this PC with Bodhi Linux ( which is apparently based on Ubuntu )      

[limpid]

What is a boot repair cd? Do you mean a windows install cd? If so, just boot that, don't boot Linux at all.

 

I've never used Bodhi so I can't advise on that.

 

More info here including a bootable image: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair

[PussEKatt]

SOLVED:

Just in case anyone else has this same problem here is the answer.

All the symptoms pointed to a MBE problem ( P.C.would not start/boot ) after trying various solutions I noticed that I could still run Linux.I also noticed that with Linux it loads its owne drivers ( light bulb ) so I re-installed all my drivers and I am up and running again.