Freezing at Bootup

My wife's mom has an HP Pavillion with Windows ME. When it boots up it asks if you want to go into normal or safe mode, etc. Whichever you choose, though, you see the wallpaper and the cursor become an hourglass, but that's all…no desktop, no START button, nothing. So I can't even install HJT and get a log. I used a Norton CD to do a virus scan, but the CD was a 2002, so it could easily have missed something. I can however get into MS-DOS. I just don't remember enough about DOS for it to be helpful to me, so a little help would be nice. I tried to run the HP system recovery CD, but it shows the error message that this CD is not for this machine. The motherboard had to be replaced (it was covered by warranty), but I'm not sure that would cause this problem. I'm trying to get things working so she doesn't have to go buy another machine. She only does email and a little browsing.

Got an old Win98 installation CD? Many Win ME users have found that they are much better off retreating to the older more stable system.

I'll have to rummage through some of my old CDs, but I may have one. If I wanted to try using DOS to save her My Documents and addresses in Outlook Express, how should I try that?

Pull the Hard Drive and place it as slave in another machine to copy her Documents and Outlook addresses.

Pull the Hard Drive and place it as slave in another machine to copy her Documents and Outlook addresses.

Um…can you point me to some directions on doing that?

Removing and installing a Hard Drive is a low-medium difficulty process.
Basic first:
–Do no work inside the computer's case without first turning off power and unplugging the power supply cord.
–Discharge "latent" electrical charge on the MotherBoard by pressing and holding the power on button for about ten seconds after the tower has been disconnected from the power supply cord. (you may see various LCD lights blip on for a second and then back off, or not.
–Use "Static Electricity Safety Precautions". Either use a static-ground wrist strap, or be sure to touch some metal structure portion of the case to discharge your own body's static charge before touching components inside the tower case.
–Ribbon cable and power supply connectors are "firmly" connected "by hand", You should never use tools to force or pry connectors or anything else inside the case. Firm but gentle had strength is enough.
–Use masking tape or sticky note paper to mark any wiring that you disconnect
–Clear a sufficiently large table top area to accommodate your work.
–It is better not to be standing on "carpet" since "shuffling of feet" can generate static electricity that can damage sensitive computer components when you touch them.

Here's what you will be doing, after taking the above into consideration:
1. Disconnect power supply connector from the back of the Hard Drive
2. Disconnect the IDE flat Ribbon Cable from the back of the Hard Drive.
3. Notice that their is a "notch" in the Hard Drive plug recepticle and a tab at the center of the IDE plug that allows the connector to only "fit" together one way. Still, take note of the Red strip on one side of the IDE cable which corresponds with Pin #1 on the Hard Drive. Notice and write down or draw a sketch of how the connector is pluged in to ease the step of re-connecting later.
4. Physically remove the mounting screws that attache the Hard Drive to the internal case structure.
5. Remove the Hard Drive by carefully sliding it out of the mounting bay.
6. Handle the Hard Drive carefully. Hard Drives are "sturdy" but can be damaged by excess "bumping" or by "static electricity" from your body.

The Hard Drive that you are removing has been used as the "Master" hard drive.
Because it was the Master Hard Drive, it was "attached" at the "end" of the IDE Ribbon Cable.
There was probably an "extra" un-used connector in the "middle" of the IDE Ribbon Cable.
When you install it into the second computer, it will be installed as "Slave".
Since it will be the "Slave" Hard Drive you will connect it to the "middle" of the IDE Ribbon Cable in your second computer.

The hard drive unit itself also has "jumper settings" to designate Master or Slave useage.
You will see the "Jumper Pins" at the back of the Hard Drive located between the location for the IDE Ribbon Cable and the Power Supply connecter.
–When you have the Hard Drive out, you will notice that there is a Printed Chart or Graphic, usually on the top of the Hard Drive and located toward the back, that indicates the proper Jumper Pin settings for Master, Slave, and Cable-Select.
–It will be currently set for "Master". Read the Chart/Graphic to determine the correct setting placement for "Slave".
–Now look at the actual Jumper Pins and notice that there is a removable plastic "jumper" that is currently connecting the two-pin setting for Master.
–Using "needle-nose" plier, gently grasp the plastic jumper and remove it by pulling straight back. It will slide easily without force. The only reason I suggest "needle-nose" pliers is that most people's fingers are too bulky to actually grasp the "jumper". But you might be able to do so with your fingernails, and that's just fine too.
–Now referring to the jumper pin locations as demonstrated on the Chart/Graphic place the "plastic jumper" across the two pins designated as the "Slave" setting.

Now you are ready to install the (now "Slave") Hard Drive into the second computer.

Observe that same "safety precautions" as noted above.

–Locate an unused/open bay where you can place the "Slave" Hard Drive and install it with the same screws that you removed earlier.
–Locate the IDE Ribbon Cable that Currently serves the "Master" hard Drive in your second machine.
–Most likely, the "middle" connector on that IDE Ribbon Cable will be "empty". That is, it will not be attached to any other device. This is the connecter that you will use to connect the "Slave" Hard Drive.
–Again, notice the "notch" in the recepticle on the "Slave" Hard Drive for the IDE Ribbon Cable. And notice the "plastic tab" on the IDE Ribbon Cable plug. It is important to connect them correctly by observing the "tab and notch".
–Also notice the Red color on one side of the IDE Ribbon Cable. It will orient exactly the same way as the IDE Ribbon Cable was oriented in the first machine when plugged into the back of the Hard Drive.
–Now locate an unused "four-pin" power connecter to supply power to the newly installed "Slave" Hard Drive.

Close up the case of the second computer, re-connect its power supply cord and boot it up.
In most instances, your computer will "find new hardware" and "install software for new hardware" as it boots into windows. This means that Windows is noticing the new "Slave" Hard Drive.

If Windows does not recognize the new "Slave" Hard Drive, it is possible that you will have to re-boot and go into SETUP to change the IDE configuration for the "Slave" Hard Drive position on the IDE Ribbon Cable.

To Enter SETUP, press the correct keyboard key as indicated by the printed information you read when your machine boots. Usually it will say something like: "To enter SETUP/BIOS/CMOS, press "Delete" or F1 or F2, or F10" Press the key indicated by your machine.

Once in CMOS SETUP, Select Advanced and read down to the "Slave" IDE entry. If Windows didn't recognize the "Slave" Hard Drive, then this Setting is probably set to "None".
Using the "arrow keys" change the setting to "Auto" or "Auto-Detect"
Then press "Esc" and "Esc" again. Then Select "OK" to the dialogue: "Save Settings and Exit"

When you Save Settings and Exit, your machine will return to your ordinary boot up cycle and open Windows.
Now Windows will probably recognize the new "Slave" Hard Drive.

I'm including some pictures here that represent what you will probably see when you open your case.
I haven't "integrated" the pictures with my step-by-step instructions above, but you can still refer to the pictures to give you an idea of what you are looking for when you do this job.

Please understand that the pictures are of another computer, and yours won't look "exactly" like the pictures. Also, the "jumper settings" in the pictures will not necessarily be the same as required by your particular Hard Drive.
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You may want to Print these instructions, so that you will have them available while you are working through the steps.

Use Windows Explorer (or whatever backup utility you decide to use) to Copy and Save your Wife's Mother's important Documents and Outlook information.


Let us know how you are progressing.

Best Regards

Here are some Online sites where you can read about installing Hard Drives.
They don't refer specifically to your procedure of "temporarily" installing a Hard Drive as "Slave" for the purpose of retrieving and Saving information. They refer to installing a new or a second Hard Drive. The steps are the same.
http://www.pcmech.com/show/harddrive/43/
http://www.seagate.com/support/kb/disc/how…all_tshoot.html
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1059