hi all, thanks for looking,
problem......
i have a packard bell easy note laptop that refuses to boot/start at all.
i was having problems anyway so i did a recovery/ formatt where it wiped off all software and restored it back to factory settings.via the start menu( cant remember which button!)
as these do not come with a recovery cd!
now when i press the start button i get the error recovery screen with safe mode etc
if i press anything i get the windows loading bar for about 3 seconds,screen flashes blue with some kind of message(which vanishes so fast you cant read it,very helpfull!) then turns off or restarts only for the same thing to happen,
please bear in mind that im really not to clever on the pc side so any help in pc thick /english please!
thanks for your time
ta gary

Take the laptop to a repair center. They will sort it out for you... At minimum you will need an XP CD

your HD boot sector is corrupted.
I suggest taking out the HD, formatting (wiping it completely) on another computer and reinstalling.

OR if you can, boot off the XP CD first, then do a complete format. You will need to delete the existing partitions. Reinstall the OS after formatting and partition deletion.

you could try to fix the boot sector (if broken) with ultimate boot cd. it contains alot of tools even for hdd's. its worth a try!

Yes mscrx,
That "ultimate boot cd" is a great tool... now if Gary can understand how to create it and then use it

thats no big deal. there is alot of documentation and I've seen the fully created cd as an iso available on some university ftp's.... not sure where that was but google should