Computer not started properly

My computer did that once, just before it crashed. I had to go into the boot menu and choose a different start boot. (Ctrl-Alt-F10 I believe that's the boot menu access. It's been a while, but it was either F10 or F12) This will cause your computer to reset the boot app and start from scratch. You will lose all your data, but it may be the only way to get the computer to work properly.

Have you changed any BIOS settings? I would open your BIOS menu and make sure it is set to "AHCI"

Hi,
I would suggest you first try the Start Up Repair for Windows XP.
1. Just insert the Windows XP installation CD that came with your computer then restart the computer.
2. You should get a prompt to start the computer from the CD drive, if not you need to enter BIOS settings to set the start/boot up mode so that your computer will boot up first from the CD.
3. When you see the blue screen, let the computer load everything and when it's done choose "To set up Windows XP now, press ENTER"4. Press F8 to agree to the License Agreement 5. Choose "To repair the selected Windows XP installation, press R"
Windows will then start the repair process. Do not worry all your data and settings will be retained.

If above solution does not work then,Use Recovery Console.
1. Just insert the Windows XP installation CD that came with your computer then restart the computer.2. You should get a prompt to start the computer from the CD drive, if not you need to enter BIOS settings to set the start/boot up mode so that your computer will boot up first from the CD.3. When you see the blue screen, let the computer load everything and when it's done press R to repair Windows XP using Recovery Console4. On the Recovery Console, choose the installation you would like to log on to (for example c:\Windows)5. Type Chkdsk /p /r on the Recovery Console and your computer will begin to check the hard drive for error and recover data.6. Once Chkdsk is completed, type exit then press Enter. Computer should restart. No need to boot from CD at this point. You can take out the Windows installation CD.

Hope this helps. Glad to be of service.

Windows XP is a fairly stable and secure operating system, but errors and other problems will occur from time to time. Unfortunately, some of these errors can damage or corrupt important system files and can lead to Windows XP not booting up correctly. You can repair your Windows XP installation using a process known as a "repair install," overwriting the damaged system files with new versions from your Windows XP installation disc. The repair install process takes approximately one hour, though a large portion of this time will not require any input from you.

1,Start your computer and place the Windows XP installation disc in the drive. If the computer is crashing upon attempting to boot, allow it to restart; otherwise, reboot the computer manually.
2.Press a key to boot from the Windows XP CD if prompted to do so when the computer attempts to boot again. If you are not prompted to boot from the CD, restart the computer again and press the indicated key on the initial BIOS screen to access the "Boot Order" or "Boot Sequence" menu. Select the CD or DVD drive containing the Windows XP installation CD, then press a key when prompted to boot from the disc.
3.Press the "Enter" key on the initial Windows XP welcome screen and press "Enter" again to begin setting up Windows XP. Do not press the key indicated to launch the "Recovery Console," as the Windows XP recovery console is not used to repair corrupted XP installations.
4.Accept the user agreement and wait while the setup program scans your hard drive.
5.Press the "R" key when the Windows XP setup program lists the installed version of XP that it detected to begin the repair installation. If you have more than one version of Windows XP installed, make sure that the proper version is listed before pressing "R."
6.Wait while the Windows XP setup program copies files to your hard drive and begins the installation process. The installation will take 45 minutes or longer, depending on the speed of your computer, during which time all of the Windows XP system files will be overwritten.
7.Confirm your user information as well as the date and time settings on your computer, and enter your Windows XP product key when prompted. Allow the operating system to connect to the Microsoft authentication servers to activate itself.
8.Reinstall any hardware drivers and XP Service Packs that you had previously installed, as your copy of Windows XP will have reverted to the basic installation you had when it was first installed.

I hope you find it very helpful.

If computer does not boot into Windows, turn on the power and press f8 . On the Windows Advanced Boot Option screen, select one or more of the following options. Select them one at a time and press the enter key to attempt a system restart.

• Disable automatic restart on system failure to view error messages.
• Repair Your Computer allowsUninstall recently installed software programs Windows to run diagnostic tests.
• Last Known Good Configuration (Advanced) to return settings to an earlier point in time.
• Boot into Safe Mode and then Uninstall recently installed software programs . When in the computer is running in the Safe mode, click Start , Control Panel , and select the Uninstall a program option. When the computer is operating again, go to program manufacturer's web site for support information.

In Windows XP Click Start , All Programs , Accessories , System Tools , System Restore . Select a windows restore point from a time when the computer operated properly, and then restart the computer. In Windows Vista or Windows 7 Click Start, type restore in the search field, and select System Restore from the list. Select a windows restore point from a time when the computer operated properly, and then restart the computer. If the computer does not boot into Windows, you can restore the computer settings to an earlier point in time. Turn on the power and press f8 . On the Windows Advanced Boot Option screen, select Safe Mode and boot into Windows.

1.Restart your computer. Immediately after the screen goes blank for the first time, press the F8 key repeatedly. The Windows Advanced Options menu appears. If the menu does not appear, restart your computer and try again. Use the cursor keys on your keyboard (your mouse will not work) to select Last Known Good Configuration, and then press ENTER. Windows XP attempts to start.

.
If you recently installed new hardware, shut down your computer and disconnect the hardware. Then, restart Windows XP and troubleshoot your hardware to get it working properly.
3.
Restart your computer and press F8 again. This time, choose Safe Mode and press ENTER. Windows XP attempts to start in Safe Mode, which does not automatically start programs and hardware, and displays very primitive graphics. If Windows XP starts successfully in Safe Mode, you can remove any programs or updates you have recently installed. Then, restart your computer normally.

Performing a repair installation of Windows XP can fix many serious startup problems. While you should not lose any of your important documents, you might lose settings, and you will need to reinstall many updates.
Before performing a repair installation of Windows XP, you should have both your Windows XP CD and your product key available.
To perform a repair installation of Windows XP
1.
Insert your Windows XP CD into your computer.
2.
Restart your computer. If prompted, press a key to start from the CD-ROM.
When the Welcome to Setup page appears, press ENTER on your keyboard.
On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement page, read the licensing agreement. Press the PAGE DOWN key to scroll to the bottom of the agreement. Then, press F8.
When prompted, press R to have Windows XP attempt to repair Windows by reinstalling important Windows components.
The repair and reinstallation process might take more than an hour. Eventually, Setup prompts you to answer questions just as if you were installing Windows XP for the first time. For detailed instructions, read Install Windows XP.

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/findbyerrormessage/a/ntldrmissingxp.htm

Hi,

Restart your computer. Immediately after the screen goes blank for the first time, press the F8 key repeatedly. The Windows Advanced Options menu appears. If the menu does not appear, restart your computer and try again. Use the cursor keys on your keyboard (your mouse will not work) to select Last Known Good Configuration, and then press ENTER. Windows XP attempts to start.

If you recently installed new hardware, shut down your computer and disconnect the hardware. Then, restart Windows XP and troubleshoot your hardware to get it working properly.

Restart your computer and press F8 again. This time, choose Safe Mode and press ENTER. Windows XP attempts to start in Safe Mode, which does not automatically start programs and hardware, and displays very primitive graphics. If Windows XP starts successfully in Safe Mode, you can remove any programs or updates you have recently installed. Then, restart your computer normally.


Good luck!
And Thanks.

• as you boot the computer, start tapping the F8 keys
• From the boot menu, select Safe Mode

If this seems to work, you can try restoring the computer to an earlier point from Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore.
If Safe Mode also fails to load, you would have to check your disk for errors or you may have to install XP all over again.
Please get back, if you need any further help.