Gaming Computer won't boot up

[67birdman]

Hi guys

My other computer that I use downstairs isnt starting..
It gets stuck on a black screen right after the IBM logo, the black screen has a flashing line--underscore or something.
I left it there for about half an hour, wouldn't go past the screen.
It was working fine until I decided to install xUbuntu on it, turning it off repeatedly..
The specs are:
Intel Pentium 3 500 mHZ
320 MB RAM
Windows XP Home Edition
S4 Graphics Savage4

I know it sucks, not my main computer--spare that I use when others occupied.
PLLZZZ HELP!
Thanks

 

[Elritha]

It was working fine until I decided to install xUbuntu on it, turning it off repeatedly..

Sounds like your MBR could be messed up. Grab your Windows cd and boot into recovery console with it and try 'FIXMBR' command.

 

[67birdman]

Ill try that, and report back..
Thanks

Wait how do I do that command??

 

[Elritha]

Wait how do I do that command??

Insert your windows xp cd. Boot from it. During the text part of the setup you'll see a prompt about pressing 'r' for repair/recovery. Press it. You may be asked for your admin password. Finally you'll be greeted by a command prompt where you issue the command. I haven't used XP for quite awhile, so they may not be the exact steps.

Also this solution will render your linux OS inoperable (if you still use it). Otherwise you may want to look into fixing GRUB.

 

[67birdman]

LOL, I couldnt install it to start with.

Wait I dont get it, what do you mean by "text part of the setup"
Can't I just launch cmd??

 

[Elritha]

Wait I dont get it, what do you mean by "text part of the setup"
Can't I just launch cmd??

To make it simpler I googled a screenshot of what I mean.

Here

 

[67birdman]

Dayummm, it doesn't go there, I press F8 and load it into Safe Mode :$

NVM, I changed the first boot device to CD-ROM in the BiOS

Thanks man it worked!!
What caused it anyway though?

 

[Hakoda]

Sounds like your MBR could be messed up.

Basically, that. MBR stands for "Master Boot Record" which is basically the part of the computer that deals with bootloaders and partitioning. Since you were installing xUbuntu, the OS needed to add itself to the MBR in order to be booted. Something went wrong in that process. During the flashing underscore process is the time the system uses to scan the MBR and look for which OS/bootloader to boot. If there was no HDD it would have said something like "No Hard Drive found" but it knew there was a hard drive there but since the MBR was corrupted, it had no idea what to do with the HDD.

 

[67birdman]

Sounds like your MBR could be messed up.

Basically, that.

Huh?

 

[playallday]

Sounds like your MBR could be messed up.

Basically, that.

Huh?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_boot_record

 

[67birdman]

Thanks,
but one thing I don't get is if I did have Linux installed at that time, what would happen?
Would the damage be great, and to the windows partition or just the linux one?

 

[Elritha]

Thanks,
but one thing I don't get is if I did have Linux installed at that time, what would happen?
Would the damage be great, and to the windows partition or just the linux one?

You just wouldn't be able to boot to your Linux partition, as Windows would have written over the MBR with its own. If you did have Linux and Windows installed it could easily be fixed by repairing GRUB, which is a bootloader to choose between Linux and Windows OS. So no, no real damage.

 

[67birdman]

Alright, thanks a lot guys