This isn't a laptop exclusive issue so I suggest the XP Forum.
Tell if the boot to SAFE MODE, SAFE MODE COMMAND PROMPT or other boots work when you tap F8. Also tell the last change, such as any partition rearranging.
Bob
My niece has an Averatec 3150 (mobile Athlon based notebook) that stopped loading WinXP (it hangs at the WindowsXP loading screen). I tried a system restore with the same problem, and tried live linux CD's which all halted after hardware recognition. I called Averatec tech support (not a good idea). They suggested that it was a boot sector virus and then told me to reload the BIOS. I pointed out that loading from CD's kind of ruled out a boot sector virus and since their bios updates only work within windows, the call was a total bust. I started experimenting and realized that the system would run DOS and I could successfully load and run Win98. I updated the bios using Win98 and tried to clear CMOS by pulling the battery and even popping the CMOS chip. Neither trick zeroized the settings, however the CMOS screen does indicate that the bios has been updated to a new version. The effort did not fix the problem though. The only thing that I can think of that WinXP and Linux Live CD's have in common that Win98/DOS doesn't is acpi. I'd really appreciate any hints if someone has had a similar problem.
Thanks,
Marshall

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