Whenever I switch my computer on it begins the startup and at best gets to the Windows XP logo and then the screen just goes black. This is the furthest it gets and most times won't even get there. If I go into BIOS the same thing happens.
Ok i agree with scottgem in some aspects, i think you should use the repair cd and see if that works, if it doesn't though you should reformat it and use the boot disk to reinstall Wondows XP.
The XP CD can do a clean reinstall which means it will reformat first. No need to do a separate reformat. But again, that's a last resort. It means losing all your data and settings.
Ok I wil try all of your suggestions this evening. I have disconnected all the cd drives and hard drives to see if that works but no joy. Will try the ram and video card first as don't really want to format the hard drive if possible
Obviously I'm not there, so I can't guarantee it, but from my previous experiences, if it is going out even while in BIOS, then any kind of boot disk is not going to help at all, and you won't be able to format (because the screen will go out, an the computer will lock up). Entering BIOS uses the absolute least amount of resources, if it fails there...its pretty much guaranteed to be hardware.
Linear Mode
