Strange Windows XP splash screen issue

[steverino75]

Hi All,

I am a rookie PC Technician learning my trade and a newbie to the site.

I was hoping someone could help me with this little issue.

On boot up windows Xp stops at the splash screen and gets caught in the perpetual loading motion (a problem I have seen many times before) As per I have popped in the Windows disc and completed a repair. It did pick up errors but still does the same thing. I put the Hard drive in my test machine and it boots to windows but asks for windows activation blah blah but all is working fine. So I put back in machine and the same problem. I also then put a spare hard drive with xp in the first machine (the one with the issue) and again it has the same loading issue. So this rules out the hard drive but what other hardware could cause this issue. RAM? Motherboard?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

Steve

 

[Archean]

What is the system specs of the system in question?

Try booting with minimum hardware, i.e. one RAM stick, NO Optical Media, only One HDD if there are multiple HDDs in this computer. If the problem persist & and if this system have more then one RAM modules, then stay with minimum hardware as suggested above but try booting with the other RAM Module(s) one by one. If that doesn't work, there is a reasonable chance that there is something up with the motherboard.

 

[steverino75]

Hi Archean,

Thanks for your quick reply.

It is an ATHLON 64X2 DUAL CORE 4200+
MOTHERBOARD IS A asrock AliveNF6G-VSTA
1 stick memory 2048mb DDR2 533.

I have tried disabling optical and also I tried some spare ram I had g skill f2-6400phu2-2gbzx 800.According to the motherboard spec this is compatable. I tried with 2x1gb sticks one at a tme and both at once but did not get anything on the tft screen at all. No beeps from the motherboard saying get out, it just didnt show anything. I put original Ram back in and it again goes to the splash screen. What I have noticed is firstly the screen before says start windows normally and counts down from 30 seconds. you cannot move to safe mode etc and have to wait also for the timer to finish.

 

[steverino75]

Actually thats incorect info above on the RAM. The bios was showing it as that but the correct numbers are:- INTEGRAL DDR2 2GB 800MHZ NON-ECC DIMM 240 PIN DESKTOP MEMORY MODULE

I have now tried this Ram to test in my other rig with a Asus P5W DH deluxe MB and I cant get anything on the TFT with that but obviously do with my G skill memory and the y are both 6400/800MHZ. Whats going on?

 

[Archean]

Probably RAM as well as motherboard may have gotten damaged? It can happen due to a spike etc. or some short.

Was you informed how this problem started occurring?

 

[steverino75]

Well as a process of elimination I think its the only rational thing to come up with. Seems odd that the Ram at least lets me see whats on the screen however doesnt in my main test rig and the ram in my main test rig works fine in that machine but cannot see the tft in the affected pc. The Ram is different make but by both motherboards specs they are both compatable and both pc2-6400 800mhz. scratching my head!!

The initial problem was that xp was just in a perpetual state of loading over and over again, no mention from EU of anything else they noticed apart from this exact thing happened before and the shop they purchased from re-installed windows on a new hard drive for them. hard drive is fine as I have tested in my other rig.

 

[Archean]

Try re-setting BIOS to default, pull out the battery and let it sit there for some time before you put it back and start the system again.

Attach the hard drive with your system, boot it, and go through its event viewer logs, may be something have been recorded in them just as the issue started affecting this system.

 

[steverino75]

Good Idea with the event viewer,I will give that a go. many thanks for your help.

 

[steverino75]

ok event log doesnt show up anything sinister on the day this happened. Cmos battery out for 30 mins retested and no joy

Looks like i will bite the bullet and get some Ram and a motherboard.

 

[Archean]

Ensure that the PSU is healthy and is of good quality, because it may have been the cause of all these issues.