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If Windows XP (or 2000) won't boot up then turn on your PC and press F8 straight after you turn it on but before the Windows log-on appears (it may take a few attempts to get the timing right - look for an optiont that says boot menu when you turn the pc on, sometimes the F8 key is used, sometimes it is F2).

When you get to the boot menu choose Last Known Good Configuration which will restore your Registry to an earlier date.

If this fails, reboot back into the Boot Menu but this time select Safe Mode.  When the pc has booted into Safe Mode choose Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore and then follow the System restore wizard's on screen instructions to restore your computer to an earlier point in time.

If restoring your computer does not solve the problem then try the Recovery Console; it is a Windows based utility that can run repair functions by using a DOS-like command line. It's not easy to use if you are beginner and you can damage your data, so be very careful if you continue down this route!

You'll need a Microsoft Windows CD-ROM. To get into the Recovery Console you will need to boot-up from that CD (press any key when you're told to 'Press any key to boot from CD') and then at the 'Welcome to Setup' screen, press r for Repair.

If your version of Windows XP or 2000 came with your computer and you don't have a Microsoft Windows CD-ROM, the Recovery Console might be on one of the CDs the vendor gave you when you brought your PC. But it also may not be! Fortunately, the Recovery Console is in a free, downloadable Microsoft program called "Setup Disks for Floppy Boot Install" Visit Microsoft's site, find and download the setup-disk file that works with XP Professional; available too is the XP Home version, which will also work for Windows 2000, Me, and 98. When you run the downloaded file it will put the setup files, including the Recovery Console, onto six floppy disks. To get to the Recovery Console, boot from the first floppy, and then swap disks as prompted until you reach the 'Welcome to Setup' screen. Press r to open the Recovery Console.

Here's a list of the recovery console's most frequently used commands...

Chkdsk1 = Will check your hard disk drives for errors.

Diskpart = Creates and deletes partitions on your hard disk drives

Extract2 = Extracts files from compressed .cab archives.

Fixboot = Writes a new boot sector.

Fixmbr = Writes a new master boot record.

Help = Lists the Recovery Console commands.

If you load the Recovery Console from floppy disks, chkdsk may complain that it can't locate autochk.exe. When it asks for that file's location, point it to c:\windows\system32.

The Extract command is not available if you load the Recovery Console from floppy disks.

If you still are unable to boot up your computer then post details of your problem on the forum and a member of the tech support team will attempt to solve your problem.