System Not Loading

[justinj]

Hoping to get some help with my desktop that has stopped working.

I have a custom built computer from ~3 years ago that won't load Windows properly. More specifically, it goes through the BIOS and starts to load Windows. I enter my username/pw successfully, but that's where the fun ends. About half the time, it won't finish loading my desktop icons (partly loading some of them) before freezing. The other half the time it loads them but it freezes up when I click on anything (e.g. opening my programs to check the core temps, voltage, ...). In both cases, it just sits there frozen and there's nothing I can do other than cut off the power.

So any thoughts about what that might be? My next step is to try to load in Safe Mode, but I wanted to get this post out here while I'm at work at a real computer. I have an ipad at home, and it's not as easy to work with.

Would my issue possibly be related to the power supply? I did notice my top fan on my Antec 8000 stopped working and I just replaced it about 2 months ago. Although I am positive I don't NEED that fan to keep temps under control except during intensive gaming. My other guess is just a hard drive failure. I am not sure how to get the files off of it if that's true.

Although I built the computer a few years ago, I would still say I'm only an amateur skill/knowledge level (at best), so many thanks for any help you can provide.

Not sure if it matters (please let me know), but I have the following hardware (off the top of my head):
Windows XP (yeah I know)
Nvidia GeForce 8800GT
Gigabyte P35 motherboard (forgot exactly)
4GB RAM
Intel Quadcore Q6600 processor
2 hard drives, primary is Seagate Barracuda (I think), secondary is 1TB 7200 RPM one

 

[gufij1]

i think you primary HDD will fail soon and its time to upgrade to win 7 XP is not supported anymore and side note you can try installing win on the second harddrive and try to boot it then if it works just transfer your files if it lets you

 

[justinj]

Wow, it wont let me boot in safe mode because the keyboard doesnt work when i go into that menu and the clock just runs out and it goes to booting windows normally. The keyboard works again once i need to log in but then i have the same problem with nothing loading properly.

Anyway, reading a bit more on the forums. Could this also possibly be just a windows problem? If it could be, i could just reinstall it on the primary drive, right?

If i install windows on the 2nd hard drive it wont erase anything on that drive right?

Thanks again.

 

[gufij1]

Wow, it wont let me boot in safe mode because the keyboard doesnt work when i go into that menu and the clock just runs out and it goes to booting windows normally. The keyboard works again once i need to log in but then i have the same problem with nothing loading properly.

Anyway, reading a bit more on the forums. Could this also possibly be just a windows problem? If it could be, i could just reinstall it on the primary drive, right?

If i install windows on the 2nd hard drive it wont erase anything on that drive right?

Thanks again.

yeah if you chose the other harddrive it will make so you have 2 installs on windows and all your gonna need to do is chose one of them while booting but there both are gonna be named windows 7 just chose the second one and you should boot into the second harddrive

 

[justinj]

I'm still not having any luck. I am able to go into the bios setup info and have changed it to load from cd first. I have windows xp in the cd.

At first i was able to get it to start installing windows but that was on the primary hard drive (just testing to make sure the cd worked) and it wanted to format it. Of course i want XP on the secondary drive so i tried again with only the secondary hard drive connected. Now i Cant get it to start windows installation at all.

the major problem i have right now is my inability to use the keyboard. It goes to a screen where it says "boot from cd?". But i cant use the keyboard to hit any key to make it do that, so it just sits there forever. The keyboard works in the bios setup info where i can change all the advanced bios stuff (e.g. Where i overclocked it 3 years ago). But the keyboard stops working and the light on it goes out after i exit. So without the keyboard i cant choose anything in the boot menu either.

Any idea why my keyboard would work/not work like that?

 

[gufij1]

well its a usb keyboard and there known to not always work and have you tryed plugging in the keyboard in just when the bios starts for some motherboards it works but other then that idk why its acting up tho

 

[justinj]

Yes its a usb keyboard. I tried the plug in a million times and in different places with no luck. Id gladly buy another kb if that were the issue but im not sure whats going on.

 

[gufij1]

Yes its a usb keyboard. I tried the plug in a million times and in different places with no luck. Id gladly buy another kb if that were the issue but im not sure whats going on.

no don't buy a new one but just to try you can reset you bios after you write everything down that's the last option for me :/

 

[justinj]

Ok, just playing around in the bios and all temps and voltages look ok. But i found that the usb keyboard was disabled for some bizarre reason. No way i did that but whatever, i fixed it and the kb now works.

So back to the problem at hand. When i start the windows installation on the secondary drive, it finds a 131gb partition even though its a 1.5tb HDD. It then asks me if i want to format it. I should not do that, should i? Why would it do that for my secondary HDD?