Home edition problem

[risnerfamily]

  My mom just installed the home edition and now her computer will not work, it keeps saying that since she recently downloaded something new the whole system is inoperable.  She did not Norton on her system previously.  She has turned off the system several times, but can not even get the computer into safe mode or to the start catalog.  HELP.  She is competely panicking...

[inthewildteam]

Ouch!

We need some more information to help your Mum.

O.S. XP M.E. 98 etc

Error messages

Previous system state before the install with any anti-virus programmes that were or still are installed.

Where the system hangs on boot-up.

There are some very knowledgeable folk here who will help.

[risnerfamily]

She has windows XP.  

She does not know exactly what it says she is afraid that if she opens it again she is going to really screw something up.  She said that the error is along the lines of :

I am sorry we can not open windows.  Something about that it may have something to do with a reccently downloaded program or you may have installed new software.

Will not let open in safe mode and it will not open past black warning screen.

[inthewildteam]

She has windows XP.  

She does not know exactly what it says she is afraid that if she opens it again she is going to really screw something up.  She said that the error is along the lines of :

I am sorry we can not open windows.  Something about that it may have something to do with a reccently downloaded program or you may have installed new software.

Will not let open in safe mode and it will not open past black warning screen.

I've never known windows to be so polite with it's error messges. Does it stop with an error message that we can track?  A blue screen and some details.  It won't get any worse by re-booting and giving us the message.

If it's halting at a black screen, are you hearing any beeps to indicate a bios fault?

[risnerfamily]

Sorry she is real chicken and grumpy now.  She will not turn it back on, I did happen to get out of her that it did not beep at the black screen.   Thanks for all of your help.  For my own personal knowledge can your computer freeze up if you have not uninstalled a virus tection software and try to install a new one??

[Eddy]

can your computer freeze up if you have not uninstalled a virus tection software and try to install a new one?

Yes, especially Norton has this quiet often.

Eventualy she has to turn the comp back on sometime or she will never be able to use it again
The exact error message will tell a lot about the problem.
It is almost imposible to give help if we don't know the problem.

Tried "previous working configuration"?

Some posible other solutions (without us knowing the exact error)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;315341
http://www.wown.com/j_helmig/wxprcons.htm

Format/clean install will likely also solve it (as long as it is not a hardware faillure) but I prefer to solve the problem before doing so.