Black Screen Of Death on New XP Install

I'm trying to do a clean install. Right after setup finishes
copying/initializing, the screen goes black. No cursor - nothing. I've
tried a couple more times, but no go.

If you have any ideas, please respond.

Get into the Bios and set it to Default Settings.
"Sofa Slug" <sofaslug403spamnot@prodigy.net> wrote in message
news:1I_2k.6154$co7.4440@nlpi066.nbdc.sbc.com...
> I'm trying to do a clean install. Right after setup finishes
> copying/initializing, the screen goes black. No cursor - nothing. I've
> tried a couple more times, but no go.
>
> If you have any ideas, please respond.

> "Sofa Slug" <sofaslug403spamnot@prodigy.net> wrote in message


> news:1I_2k.6154$co7.4440@nlpi066.nbdc.sbc.com...
>> I'm trying to do a clean install. Right after setup finishes
>> copying/initializing, the screen goes black. No cursor - nothing. I've
>> tried a couple more times, but no go.
>>
>> If you have any ideas, please respond.
>
>

> Rich Barry wrote:
> Get into the Bios and set it to Default Settings.


I'm kind of reluctant to try that ...I've never had BIOS problems before
and I don't want to mess anything up. The machine was working fine for
years, then recently started booting to a STOP: c000021a {Fatal System
Error}. That's the reason for the new install.

Setting bios to defaults causes no harm, and would be how your sys was
origonally supplied
By clean install, you did delete your partition (at least the origonal win
partition) format, using the wincd, and not a third party tool?


"Sofa Slug" <sofaslug403spamnot@prodigy.net> wrote in message
news:AO13k.7269$mh5.217@nlpi067.nbdc.sbc.com...
>
>> "Sofa Slug" <sofaslug403spamnot@prodigy.net> wrote in message
>
>
>> news:1I_2k.6154$co7.4440@nlpi066.nbdc.sbc.com...
>>> I'm trying to do a clean install. Right after setup finishes
>>> copying/initializing, the screen goes black. No cursor - nothing. I've
>>> tried a couple more times, but no go.
>>>
>>> If you have any ideas, please respond.
>>
>>
>
> > Rich Barry wrote:
> > Get into the Bios and set it to Default Settings.
>
>
> I'm kind of reluctant to try that ...I've never had BIOS problems before
> and I don't want to mess anything up. The machine was working fine for
> years, then recently started booting to a STOP: c000021a {Fatal System
> Error}. That's the reason for the new install.
>

>>> Rich Barry wrote:

>>> Get into the Bios and set it to Default Settings.


>> "Sofa Slug" wrote...

>> I'm kind of reluctant to try that ...I've never had BIOS problems before
>> and I don't want to mess anything up. The machine was working fine for
>> years, then recently started booting to a STOP: c000021a {Fatal System
>> Error}. That's the reason for the new install.
>>

DL wrote:

> Setting bios to defaults causes no harm, and would be how your sys was
> origonally supplied
> By clean install, you did delete your partition (at least the
origonal win
> partition) format, using the wincd, and not a third party tool?
>
>


It wasn't the BIOS, but you were on the right track with the HD... I
finally fixed the problem by overwriting the drive with all zeros using
KillDisk. after that, the installation went off without a hitch.
Something must have been borked in the master boot record or a sector
somewhere.

-Thanks

Thanks for reporting back here what fixed it. I recall reading about
that same solution in one of the pc mags.
"Sofa Slug" <sofaslug403spamnot@prodigy.net> wrote in message
newsQo3k.6176$ZE5.2416@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com...
>>>> Rich Barry wrote:
>
>>>> Get into the Bios and set it to Default Settings.
>
>
>>> "Sofa Slug" wrote...
>
>>> I'm kind of reluctant to try that ...I've never had BIOS problems before
>>> and I don't want to mess anything up. The machine was working fine for
>>> years, then recently started booting to a STOP: c000021a {Fatal System
>>> Error}. That's the reason for the new install.
>>>
>
> DL wrote:
>
> > Setting bios to defaults causes no harm, and would be how your sys was
> > origonally supplied
> > By clean install, you did delete your partition (at least the
> origonal win
> > partition) format, using the wincd, and not a third party tool?
> >
> >
>
>
> It wasn't the BIOS, but you were on the right track with the HD... I
> finally fixed the problem by overwriting the drive with all zeros using
> KillDisk. after that, the installation went off without a hitch. Something
> must have been borked in the master boot record or a sector somewhere.
>
> -Thanks