Freezes during XP loading even into safe mode, no username or password

[doowle]

Recently updated (mobo/cpu/ram) my mother's system, worked perfectly all day thru multiple reboots, then suddenly that evening it stopped booting all the way into Windows. Not gradual, was booting up perfectly and then not at all. WinXP starts to load, gets just past the WinXP logo w/black background splash screen, reaches the Win logo w/blue background & scrolling multicolor progress bar on bottom. But as soon as that screen loads it freezes. Never displays any usernames/password fields in order to attempt to login.

Cannot boot into Safe mode either, same thing happens. Starts to load windows, looks like it's going to work but gets just past the XP logo splash screen and locks up at same point again.

The ASR disk I made - and tested when I made it, %$#& - won't work unfortunately, I just get invalid disk error. I did several system restore checkpoints while upgrading the system, created one before each driver or program update/install, but since I can't get into windows even once they are useless. I do have the Win XP cd, but I don't want to reinstall windows because my mom has all kinds of other programs on it for which she no longer has the install executables or license keys.

Most recent install/changes to the system were:

1) installation of ASUS Express Gate, BUT the system was booted up normally at least two or three times after that install.

2) Installation of Data Lifeguard Tools v11.2, the new hard drive install/drive copy sw from Western Digital that came w/her new WD 1TB Green drive. (I removed the new drive & her old backup data drives sometime after the problem started in order to do the drive copies on one of my systems, so now the only drive installed on her system is her original boot drive.) Had not used the install utility yet, did start a drive copy but cancelled the copy less than 1/10th of the way thru. Drive copy cancellation and program close both appeared to be normal.

Suggestions anyone? Thanks!

System:

Windows XP Pro (not sure whether sp2 or sp3, probably sp2), OEM license

ASUS M4A78T-E mobo w/2.6GHz cpu and 4gb ram

120gb Maxtor IDE drive, 50gb used/70gb free

[-pops-]

Are you saying that you have a previously installed OEM version of WXP on a different (new) motherboard?

If yes, then whatever else may be going awry, you are wasting your time trying to get it to work.

OEM versions of Windows are tied to the motherboard that they are activated upon and attempting to install on another board/system will result in it not being able to be activated so, after 30 days, you have a dead system anyway.

[doowle]

True, but I already reactivated it. I did have to change the key (which is the only reason I know it was an OEM version, I ended up having to get a new OEM key). It was working fine after reactivation.

[Dencandy]

If the system was running fine even after all the changes you made, but now you can't boot even into Safe Mode, then it's likely to be a hardware failure somewhere. If I've understood the details you give correctly, you are now back to using your mom's original boot drive, which presumably has the OS on it. That's the most likely culprit - old, worn out & unreliable hard disk.

I think you are going to have to re-install Windows onto the new hard drive, since even safe mode isn't available, and take your chances with a data recovery program to try to recover your mom's executables.

Next time install a separate partition or use external media so she can make copies of all her purchased programs.