PC will not boot

I upgraded my PC but still kept the old hard disk. everything booted up fine but it just shuts down automatically when it tries to access the hard disk. I tried booting from my windows disc but still nothing. same exact problem. I did all these options in the BIOS like start up in fail-safe mode and stuff. no matter what I do, it shuts down when trying to access the hard disk. don't say to go buy a new one because my dad isn't going to do that. ever. the hard disk is from my brother and is only 40 GB which is why we can't return it nor can we sell it second-hand because who would want to buy it. but if you couldn't even give a single post to my graphics card needs then there is no way you would have any idea what I'm talking about.

 

hmmm...this is interesting, and i'd like to see how it turns out...but since the BIOS loads, that lowers the amount of issues it could be by quite a bit..try opening it up and see if all the wires are connected properly? maybe there's a short. and it won't even boot from disk either?!?! now that REALLY makes me think it's a connection issue...

 

yes it's all connected. everything looks right and WHAT THE F- haha just kidding. so um yes the BIOS detects the hard disk with the available space it has and stuff. but the only problem is IT WON'T STARTUP. right at the part it tries to access the hard disk, BOOM shut down automatic. WE CANNOT BUY A NEW HARD DISK because my dad isn't going to spend any money on a computer which we only get to have for like 6 months. so he wants to wait until my laptop sells and then we can get our own. no my laptop didn't sell yet I just said it did on my other topics so it would give a better chance for you to post on it.

 

so gimme some info, what's the specs? cuz it sounds like something may be incompatible...

 

an ABIT motherboard (defunct company don't google it), pentium 4 2.66 GHZ, XFX 7600GT AGP video card (not plugged in right now we are testing the PC), 1 GB RAM. yeah that's pretty much it

 

loonylion! yes the pro! I'm saved! yeah if I remove the hard disk I can easily access the BIOS. but when I insert the hard disk I can still access the BIOS but it doesn't want to start up. it starts booting from my windows XP CD but then auto shut down after that. I didn't just "upgrade" the computer, I completely changed it. new motherboard, DVD-drive, power supply, pretty much everything except the hard disk. my brother didn't send a hard disk with his parts

 

hold on...i just noticed a couple different things...what OS are you trying to install? XP, Vista, or 7? cuz that coulda be an issue...each one of your choices would have an issue -.-"

 

I'm not trying to install anything. it's already installed with XP. I just changed the computer while keeping the old hard disk and I thought that it's usable with it.

 

hmmm...from what i asked the tech specialist at school in the past...that's kinda like taking a harddrive out of a computer that has windows already installed, putting it in a new one, expecting it to boot but it won't basically, try to reinstall XP, cuz it may not work with the current installation if everything is different but the harddrive...

 

Get the MHDD and run a diagnosys in the HD with boot problem.
MHDD download and tutorial here:
http://salvemeusarquivos.blogspot.com/2007/07/usando-o-mhdd-drive-diagnostic-46-parte.html

PS: It's in Portuguese, so throw the URL in google translator and ask to translate in your language and read carefully.
It's better if you got the Operational System's Instalation Disk, cause if MHDD find bad block it will erase it to not read there anymore, so if in thys block was stored a OS's driver, it won't run the OS.
So, do this after the fix up with MHDD:
If you got Windows XP, boot from the instalation disk and when it ask if you wanna install or repair, press "R" (REPAIR) and then wait the loading, now you got a MS-DOS black screen like, now just command prompt will work, so use the command:
CHKDSK /R
Then after do this:
FIXBOOT
Now try to boot, if this don't happen then install the OS from zero and it will do.
I got many customers that hired techs to solve their problem and they said "it got problem, buy a new one" and then I said "wait, it can be fixed up, I can do it"
It save the life of those that taught the HD wasn't cure.

EDIT: If you gonna reinstall, first format the entire HD, so it will be like new, without the old drivers from the previous system.
Instaling one above otehr (overwrite) isn't a good thing to do.
Sorry my bad English man.

 

wasn't to bad, you only mispelled one thing but with Windows XP, you gotta format the partition to install...i think

 

Geeah, like I said there, format the partition, which is usually : C:
Then in prompt you do this:
Format c:
Or during the installation you ask to format, not the fast format, the normal, take longer but clean all up.

 

what do you even think I'm trying to do? I'm trying to format it of course but the computer doesn't go that far. I tell it to boot from CD so i can just format the HDD and reinstall XP but it shuts down before I can even do anything
Post Merge: [time]1284724825[/time]
never mind. My dad got a new hard disk but now we face yet a new problem. we tried booting from XP, Vista and 7 but each of them have the same problem. NTLDR is missing. what does that mean and how do I fix it?
Post Merge: [time]1284724972[/time]
this even happens without the discs at all

 

forget it. we brought it to a technician and he said the processor was dirty so he cleaned it and now it works good as new. you haven't even posted here for a long time because you have no idea what I'm talking about.

 

To me it sounded like a failed hard disk, but if the processor was that filthy...

The processor of my old computer was so dirty you couldn't see it and it booted until it's final call (which was when the motherboard burned down)...

 

It's hard to guess from the distance my friend, all we can do from here is take guesses, if I looked at your pc, of course I see the dirty, but from here, how can I do it?
And I tried to understand more good what you were saying but I didn't get much (not that your language is bad, but my knowledge in your language is).
The best is that now it solved ya issue, the tech cleaned and you can now use it aiight?

 

OK, here's a good question. If your PC doesn't boot then how the hairy heck did you start this thread?!

 

People can do it from other PCs friend, expand the horizons, when I as that kinda problems I was into my aunt's PC to post it in foruns, or search in google for solution, then I come back to my pc to fix it.

 

I gots me a laptop for studies and desktop for gaming.