Safe mode and boot disk not working

[Dave12345]

Yesterday my computer refused to boot. It got as far as the bit where it asks me which operating system to load: "Windows XP" or "Windows XP Recovery Console". Whichever one I select, the screen goes blank a few seconds after and then the computer restarts.

I tried going into safe mode but even that doesn't work. It runs through a list of commands, reaches one called "drivers/mup.sys" and freezes for several seconds, then restarts.

Another time I got an error message that the drive wasn't mountable.

After all that, I tried to reboot my computer but the recovery disk got halfway through the procedure and then simply crashed. I downloaded the files for a boot disk from the internet yet when I tried to run it, I got an error message that a "non-system disk was inserted. Remove and strike a key when ready."

Anyone know why this might be happening? I haven't installed any new software or hardware recently nor changed any of the settings on my computer.


(This is from my second computer as it happens. I tried removing the hard drive from my first computer and putting it in this one as the slave but just got an error message that the drive couldn't be read.)

 

[Dave12345]

I've now managed to create a boot disk but when I run it I get an error message that "system 32\hal.dll" can't be found and I'm advised to reinstall it.

I've found "hall.dll" on my other computer and copied it to a floppy disk but I've no way of transferring it onto the computer with the problems. If I try switching the computer on with the disk in the drive, it just tells me there is a non-system disk in the drive and to remove it and strike a key.

 

[Trifid]

Turn the pc on, go into bios put cd drive as first boot, put windows in the disk drive, and reboot, do a format or recovery (if you got important stuff on the pc)

 

[Dave12345]

I'll try that and see what happens. Thanks.

 

[Dave12345]

No joy.

The recovery console option now brings me to a screen which tells me to type "EXIT" to restart the computer. I do that and the computer restarts and the whole process starts over again but doesn't actually boot into Windows.

If I try to format, I get a worrying error message saying that I don't have Windows installed on my computer! The computer's 1 1/2 old and came with XP pre-installed. I've got an XP upgrade disc from a previous computer but this doesn't work either.

Any suggestions as to how to get the thing to boot? Or, if it's not going to boot at all, how do I copy the files I have from the drive?