Please note a repair install will not remove viruses!!! Immediately after the repair install, System restore should be turned off and you need to run Avast boot scan to remove viruses! Why would I want to reinstall Windows XP?: 1) Can't start Windows XP in safe mode. 2) You have problems caused by a recently installed system update (Windows Update, hotfix, Windows XP service pack, or Microsoft Internet Explorer update). 3) Your problems can't be solved with system restore, or you can't access system restore. 4) You've installed a new motherboard, or made other major hardware changes and need to reinstall Windows. Other Reasons: A file Windows requires to run properly is either deleted or corrupted. Files can become corrupted if they are improperly moved or modified. A program that is set to run at startup causes an error resulting in the computer crashing. There is an error in the Windows Registry or it has been corrupted. The Windows Registry is an important file that is frequently modified. If it is modified incorrectly, it could cause your computer to stop booting normally. A hardware failure during startup causes your system to crash, esp. a hard drive failure. The installation of a Windows Update was interrupted or improperly installed Step 0: Find out which key was used to install Windows. If it's the original windows installed on your PC then the Key may be on a sticker on the side of your computer's case! If your PC can boot then Everest software section will solve this riddle for you. Write it down! Step 1: Rule out hardware issues. Windows Repair will only fix software problems. Hardware issues can also cause boot problems (i.e. bad hard drive, memory, CPU, or power supply). Step 2: Backup. It's always a good idea to backup your important data before making changes to Windows XP. Relax, if you follow these instructions your data will be perfectly safe. Step 3: Boot from your Windows XP CD. Insert the Windows XP CD into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer. When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message appears on the screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD. Can't boot from your CD? Please see the note at the bottom of this page (Configuring Your Computer to Boot from CD). Step 4: A blue screen will appear and begin loading Windows XP Setup from the CD. When completed loading files, you will be presented with the following "Windows Setup" screen, and your first option. Select "To set up Windows XP now, press ENTER". DO NOT select Recovery Console. When presented with the EULA screen press the F8 key to continue. Next, Windows Setup will find existing Windows XP installations. You will be asked to repair an existing XP installation, or install a fresh copy of Windows XP. If no installations are found, then you will not be given the option to repair. This may happen if the data or partition on your drive is too corrupted. Note: If you install a fresh copy, all data on that partition will be lost! Your almost finished! Windows XP will appear to be installing itself for the first time, but it will retain all of your data and settings. Just follow the prompts, and have your CD-KEY ready if needed. ----------------------------- Configuring Your Computer to Boot from CD Many computers are not configured to boot from the CDROM. If you cannot boot from the CDROM, this is probably due to the boot order of your devices being incorrect. You can change this in the BIOS. You enter the BIOS from the first screen you see when you turn your computer on. To enter your BIOS, most users here will press the DEL key. Most Dell, Toshiba, Gateway, Sony & HP systems will press F2. Compaq users will usually have to press F10. IBM typically uses F1 or F2. Other brands may have different keys to press to enter setup, F1, F2, Del, Tab and CTRL+S. If possible see the manual for your computer or motherboard. Also, the BIOS will usually display which button to press to "enter setup" during POST (if it flashes by too fast, press the Pause key). When you enter the BIOS setup, you need to change the boot order. The CDROM should be setup before the Hard Drive. Each BIOS is different. ----------------------------------------------------------- NB This method boots my XP image on laptops that will not boot it. However, I need to uninstall and re-install Sygate firewall and resetup firewall. Also Avast Antivirus was fixed by on-line program update. Also, needed to fix invisible CDROM. This error was fixed by deleting upper + lower filters described in part II below. Usually this error is the result of a failing CD-ROM drive, or faulty media. Try this: I: Reinstall the device driver ========================== 1. Restart your computer. 2. Press F8 when the computer finishes Self-Test and begins to load the operating system. 3. Select Safe Mode and press enter when the boot menu appears. 4. Right click My Computer on the desktop, and click Properties. 5. Click the "Hardware" tab and then click the "Device Manager" button. 6. Expand the "DVD/CD-ROM drives" item. 7. Right click your CD-ROM device and choose Uninstall. 8. Click OK to proceed. 9. Restart your computer. The computer will automatically detect the device and install the driver. II: Remove the upper filter and lower filter values from the Registry ========================================================= 1. Click the Start button, click Run. Type Regedit in the Open box and then click OK. 2. Browse to the following key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11C E-BFC1-08002BE10318} NOTE: This is the CD-ROM/DVD global class key. 3. Delete the upperfilter and lowerfilter entries if these strings are present. 4. Restart your computer and check if the problem disappears. III: Hardware issue ================= If the problem persists after trying all of the above methods, it may be a hardware drive issue. Please check if the CD-ROM is physically damaged.