PC crashed after updates

[sharon4791]

Hi everyone, it's my first time posting and I suffer from that horrible affliction of having forgotten more than I know!

Okay, my other PC was acting up, IE kept closing and restarting. It was just now and again to begin with then it was with every page. I downloaded Firefox (after many failed attempts, error message 'File is corrupt'), and it kept shutting down as well. I went to Windows Update, and decided to do the stand alone update for .Net before I did the others, the PC shut down part way through and wont boot up again. I can't get it to boot up at all, it just keeps going back to the screen which tells me System 32 is corrupt or missing. It wont boot from last known good configuration or in safe mode. I've put the Windows disc in and it wont boot from that either.

This PC was given to me, the previous owner had a new motherboard installed. It worked fine for ages then refused to boot up. He couldn't fix it so with him having too much money he bought a new PC and gave me his 'faulty' one, saying if I could fix it I could have it. I checked internet, twice for each solution!, tried lots of different solutions, gave up and re-installed Windows and had it up and running in less than an hour. (He doesn't mind, loves his new PC!). But I just can't seem to think my way around this. It was fine, working like a brand new PC, went a bit wonky then totally crashed.

Unfortunately all I know about it off hand is that it's a Packard Bell iMedia with Windows XP Home Edition. Because it's crashed, and because it hasn't been mine for long I don't know all it's stats. If you need them, and know a way to get them with the PC not booting, please let me know, because my brain's just not working tonight!

Any help with where I messed up and how to fix it is gratefully appreciated,

Sharon

Edited September 26, 2011 by sharon4791

[KenB]

Hi Sharon and welcome to ExTS

 

Any help with where I messed up

I don't think you have - I think this pc had a problem even before the update attempt.

 

The XP disk that you have - is this a full installation version and not recovery disk ?

 

Have you checked in the BIOS to see if the CDROM is the first boot device ?

 

If you have a full installation disk we can try a Repair Install first.