If there is ONE thing I am capable of doing, it's troubleshooting a Windows XP computer for any problems. Here I will try to detail every step I would take. Generally, if you have a bit of computer knowledge, this guide will help you fix most if not ALL problems with your Windows XP system.
Turn on the computer and see where it fails……..
- IF it does not beep, turn on, make noises, or the monitor doesn't pick up a signal: Make sure your cable is plugged in. If it is plugged in, the problem is probably your power supply. Power supply failure will make your computer unresponsive to pressing the “power” button.
- IF it turns on then tell you it fail to detect a hard drive or a boot sector: it means hard drive is missing or broken. Go into BIOS and make sure the hard drive is detected and reporting the correct size. If it is, then take out the hard drive and put it into an external enclosure and hook it up another computer. At this point you will see if there are any files on your HD, or if the HD is responsive. Generally, if the HD does not open up in external, the HD is busted. If it doesn't have files, it means you don't have an OS
- IF it shows the Windows logo then reboot over and over. You cannot even log into safe mode: This is a good time to put in a bootable disk like Bart PE, a windows installation disk, or even an old DOS disks and run CHECKDISK. 8 out of 10 times Windows hang at the logo because files are corrupted and CHECKDISK will safely fix it. I wonder why windows doesn't have this option in the options…
- IF it randomly shows a blue screen then crash: its a hardware issue. First thing to check is memory sticks. If you have two, remove one and try it. If problem stops occurring with the removable of a stick, then problems solved. Throw away that stick. If you have one memory stick, run Bart PE. If Bart PE can't even load, then your memory is screwed up. Test with a replacement. Second thing to check is your video card. To check if the video card is the problem, disable your video driver. If you disable your video driver, the system will run the built-in video driver. If this stops the computer from crashing, then you are safe. Get a new video card. These are the “main” things that can go wrong. You can keep trying different hardware by disabling them. If nothing seems to work, it may be because of an overheating issue. If thats the case, then you are a screwed… I used to leave a fan next to my computer just for that reason… Btw, you can also try cleaning out your heatsink. I once fixed a computer by blowing dusk out of the heatsink.
Goodluck!