Dear All,Can anyone help? A couple of weeks ago, my system failed to start. I wouldn't come up in safe mode, just the Black Screen of Death (Options for safe mode, normal start etc). It would try to load but stop half way. I assumed that I had had a drive failure and bought a new drive. I didn't want to reformat the original drive because I wanted to recover my documents from it. I attached the new drive and tried to install windows but it would start to run the installer then freeze. I cleared the CMOS on the board in case that was a problem, still no go. Eventually I got the box of spares out and cobbled together a test rig. Windows installed fine and I transfered the data from the old drive ok. Could something have infected the BIOS? I have also heard of two other systems that this has happened to in the last week, one a desktop, one a laptop so it doesn't seem like a coincidence. I've looked on the Symantec and other sites but there is nothing noted on them.A mystery.I've ordered a new board and processor but want to be sure nothing bad is afoot before installing them.Andyhttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/ng_driver.jpghttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/747400.jpgSemper en excretum, solo profundum variat!

I haven't heard of a virus doing what happened with you but had a similar problem a year or so ago. I knew that harddrive failures and hardware problems created boot problems so disconnected each piece of hardware until the system rebooted. Turned out to be a driver problem for my DVD drive. I'm thinking you probably had the same problem.Jim