Computer HELP!!

First thing to do if you haven't already done in is to get all of your important files backed up and verify that the backups are good.

Unfortunately with XP the options are more limited. Do you have a recovery partition on the drive? If not, do you have the original installation media for XP? I'm assuming you never creates the system backup disks?

I have no idea.  I backed up a ton of things..at least the stuff important to me to a portable hard drive a while back. of curse I just moved and have no idea where it is as I am living in a sea of boxes.   The thing is this computer is actually four in one.  I had my home desktop which had the hard drive from my old desktop on it.  This was a work computer when I had my old business and I had then putmy hard drive from teh first 2 home computers to this one plus its own drive AND the drive from my old work laptop.  It was attatched to the network for a long time but has been unattached for abotu 18 months since I closed the business.  I thnik its looking for the old network to which it has nto been attached for 18 months.  the other wierd thing is it give me 3 safe mode options but will only accept my password in oneof the safe modes.  Its very strange.

Isn't there a way to do this from BIOS? I'd dig around in there and see if you can find a setting.

Your options are limited if it's just hanging on bootup.  It's good that you at least can boot into safe mode.

Probably what's happening is you've got a system file that became corrupted as a result of the power outage.  Now when windows is booting up it needs that file in order to boot normally so it just hangs.  Safe mode is working because it's skipping the file.

Do you have a Windows XP recovery disk?  You could try reinstalling windows Xp over the top of your existing install which could replace the corrupted file and get you going again.  This isn't generally the best approach for long term stability, but it can at least get you up and running to get your data backed up and keep you working for the short term.

Good luck 

Thanks.  I think I am hosed.  I am going to back everything up to an external drive and then take it somewhere.  Because ti was a work computer I do not have any of the discs

If you have the activation code sticker (on a booklet or stuck to the computer case) you can borrow anyone's XP disk. Just make sure it's Home or Pro depending on what you have.

If all files are copied to backup drive (which should be often) then just reformat and reinstall - no problem, no cost.

You can also download Belarc Advisor for free which audits all the stuff on your computer (with serial activation codes) so do that first, print or save it, then you can reinstall everything with the same codes. Super easy. I keep a copy for every computer printed in case any of them die.