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ATI Home 2010 installer renders Windows XP Home unable to load on initial reboot.

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I attempted to install ATI Home 2010 on a HP Pavillion a1010n (XP Home). The installer prompted for a download of a newer version, and I agreed. When I rebooted for the first time after the installation process, I forgot to remove the CD, so the PC booted from the CD, initially. After removing the CD, the boot process makes it to the Windows XP splash screen and then reboots - every time, including when I choose safe mode or command prompt from the boot menu. I can only boot to the system recovery mode, where I cannot run any command-line programs.

In recovery mode, I tried to disable all ATI Home 2010 boot/system entries that I could identify, but that didn't help either. I am nearly at wits end here. This is my wife's PC, and she needs it functional ASAP!!! The CD boots just fine, and it appears to be able to run a back-up operation, but who wants to back up an OS that won't boot!?!?!?

Any suggestions?

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The CD is this Acronis Rescue CD?

Are you able to get into the F8 XP boot options manual - keep pressing F8 just after the BIOS info screen or HP splash screen disappears.

I assume being a newish model HP you have no XP install CD or access to an XP install CD?

If F8 works, then you could try - 1. boot last known configuration and if that doesn't work then, 2. see if Windows Safe mode works.

It sounds as though the boot CD has somehow changed the MBR.

I think there might be a boot resetting utility on HP's website. I imagine they have a non standard MBR themselves to take account of their recovery partition and other gadgets.

Thanks bodgy - I bought a retail version of the software, and the install CD is also the bootable recovery disk - that is what was in the drive.

I've already tried every available option for booting (multiple times)....no luck at all.

I'll check out HP's website and see if they have a boot resetting utility...it wouldn't surprise me at all if they set up a non-standard MBR. You're right about the

I'll post again when I can confirm the HP utility (and whether it works).

No HP utilities that I could find...I'm considering using the FIXBOOT / FIXMBR commands from the recovery console, but I don't have any experience using this command. If anyone can suggest anything else, I would be most appreciative.

FixMBR is the one to try first and then the FIXBoot is necessary.