"Fred615" <Fred615@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:B8D1A3D9-A789-4480-9D83-34D510EDEBED@microsoft.com...
>
>
> "Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:
>
>>
>> "Fred615" <Fred615@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:356A8357-CAC2-4993-BE8B-E6D5CD50ABCF@microsoft.com...
>> >I have an Intel dual core 2.4 ghz running XP Pro SP2. After a couple of
>> > reboots to install some USB devices including a USB to Parallel cable
>> > for
>> > a
>> > printer, I wasn't able to reboot the machine. All I get is the very
>> > first
>> > DOS
>> > type screen where the Function keys are listed at the bottom of the
>> > page.
>> > I've tried F8, F12, etc. to try to get to the boot screen with no luck.
>> > The
>> > first screen just sits there (for as long as 30 minutes) and I have to
>> > power
>> > down via the power button.
>> >
>> > The machine had been working just fine for weeks before this problem.
>> > Any
>> > ideas on what might be wrong and any possible solutions to get it
>> > running
>> > again?
>>
>> What are the words you see after the BIOS messages?
>>
>>
>>
> If you mean what follows the "Award BIOS, etc" line at the top, then it is
>
> "CPU : Intel, etc"
> "Memory Test : 1 GB OK + 8M shared memory"
>
> and then blank except for the boot and bios instructions at the bottom of
> the screen.

The absence of any Windows-related messages suggests that
the Windows boot files never begin to load, which could be
caused by a motherboard or a hard disk problem. What happens
when you boot the machine with your Windows CD? Remember
to get into the BIOS first and to set the CD drive as the primary
boot device.