xp pro lap top wont boot even after recovery

[adam-1878]

my girl friends laptop wont boot after i asked windows to set os for best performance, i then restarted it but it wont boot. i tried safe mode but got a load of files rolling down the screen.

i also tried last working boot but the screen froze. i've also tried restore from bios: no joy.

i've tried recovery disc but got a load of commands. over my head.

can i install a new xp pro os without losing inportant data on hard drive?

[Dalo Harkin]

Have you tried resetting the BIOS to factory defaults?

 

If you have the XP CD, you can put it in the drive and then run through the repair steps (if there are no repair steps DONT go any further as it will format the drive and you will lose the data)