Hi,
When trying to boot up my mates computer, it gets to just before the XP loading bar appears then hangs on a black screen permanently. Weve tried starting in Safe mode and also reverting back to the last known good config but the same thing happens! Any ideas/stabs in the dark etc would be appreciated.
I used to have a similar problem and i found out that if i had my usb 6in1 smart card reader plugged in then win xp would do what you are saying so i used to leave it unplugged let win xp boot then plug it in.....Hope that might help and good luck.