My computer is a Dell Dimension 8200 desktop, Windows XP Home Edition (never installed any service packs).

Thursday I installed some security updates from the Microsoft site and what I guess was a graphics card update along with the security upgrades. I didn't restart right after because I am at college and was going home for the weekend. I shut down before I left.

I came back yesterday and my screen's resolution was very low. I tried different settings but they just wouldn't work. I decided to system restore back to Wednesday.

Now the computer goes through the loading screen (green loading bar), but where the welcome screen should be for me to sign in, instead it's just a black screen and the cursor, which I can move. Besides that, I can't do anything.

I called Dell support and they tried to help by doing all the stuff in the setup menu. Safe mode has the same result, and so does last good configuration mode, as well as all of the others. in safe mode though, the words safe mode appear on the top, bottom, and sides of the screen.

I inserted CDs but they don't work either. Nothing happens at all no matter what I do.

They said it is definitely a software problem.

I also found the XP startup files on another site and put them on a floppy to make a boot disk. That didn't work either. I got a message, something like: I/O error.

Also a lot of people online in different forums are saying that agpCPQ.sys is causing problems. What is this file? Is it related to my graphics driver? I have an Nvidia Geforce4 128bit card. I'm not sure what number (4400, 4600? I got it in 2002).

Note: I WILL NOT FORMAT MY HARD DRIVE NO MATTER WHAT.

I visited Dell support forums and one piece of advice was to put my HD in another computer, backup the files, and then overinstall XP.

Here is an idea I thought of:
I wanted to get a 250GB hard drive. Should I take out the old one, put in the new one and install XP and my other programs, then put the old one back in as a secondary hard drive and just delete its windows files and stuff?

Can anyone help?

Welcome Frabbi01.

The simple answer to your great post is as you have stated right at the end. If you are getting a new hard drive then put the new drive in as "Master" with the old drive as "Slave". Install Windows XP onto the new drive and then when all is complete you can copy all the old data over - easy - !

*Tip - don't connect up your old drive until you have completed the new XP installation on your new drive

Welcome to PCHF

I would stick with the simple answer (thanks Hengis), but in the mean time you could try the following:

The Dell comes with an onboard graphics card, so try to remove your existing graphics card and boot up the computer with the onboard.
This will allow us to figure out whether the graphics card is the problem causer.

You can try to re-install windows:
This should not erase any data that is currently on your drive <<AS long as you don't choose the FORMAT option>>
You can follow these instructions:
http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winx...allxpcdrepair/

An onboard graphics card? Do you mean already in the system, because I don't ever remember seeing one?

Also a reinstall of XP looks impossible. No CDs or floppy disks are able to be read or booted.
I try to boot the floppy disk: I/O error.
I try the Windows XP reinstallation CD and I keep getting "F1 to boot, F2 for setup," and it appears again every time I press F1.

It looks like the hard drive is the way to go, especially since I was going to get one this summer anyway.

If you were going to be getting one then I would go that route.
If you have any problems setting up the new drive then let us know.

:wink: