Old Computer Mysteriously Does not start completely

[Lumina]

Well I bought a new computer, took a multi media Hardrive out of it which had nonthing really installed on it but music/games/other things like that no OS no must have stuff.

Oddly my old computer I tried tog et it up and running to take some things on one of the hardrives out with a USB Drive but the computer does not start up, first screen I makes it past fine but then followed by a NTDR missing message which dumb founded me beyond comprehention. I googled it and tried a couple of the possible problems which could cause it, including corrupt Windows 2000/XP OS by trying to reinstall windows XP since the stuff I wanted was on the slave hard drive. Though my External CD drive since oddly XP disk will not boot from a DVD drive, well went ZAP, after making some noise so now I can not reinstall Windows XP to see if the extremely corrupted Windows XP part was the problem.

So now I'm in a fix, I have a post modern computer I can not even get to start, and I can not figure out way. I tried switching Keyboards as that was also under the list of possible problems, I re-arranged the boot order as it said many many times, still did not fix the problem. I do not know what the problem is... everything is plugged in, bios registers all the drives I have plugged in. I tried all the possible boot orders including switching the little white dealies on the back of the hardrives just in case it was just being a jerk to me and not doing it through boot menu.

It is no real biggy if it never works again, but it is not like it's a century old I was hoping to give it away to a relative whom has always wanted a computer which could run Company of Heroes and he is too young for a job himself... so...

[Ishan]

Yeah that's NTLDR error it happens when the bootmgr gets corrupted or is deleted that is present in the primary partition. Reinstall your Windows or run Windows system repair.

[Lumina]

Problem is I think I fried my CD Ram Drive, Windows XP oddly refuses to install through a DVD drive which is on the computer. I made the mistake to try plugging in the CD Drive when the computer was still on... I forgot to turn it off and there was a zap, computer turned off, CD Drive registered but it kept saying there was no disk in the drive despite I had it in there, took it out, put it back in, still said disk was not in the drive. So I think I'm doomed, I can not install or repair windows XP without it because for some reason I can not boot from CD with the DVD rom.

[PoleCat]

...I forgot to turn it off and there was a zap, computer turned off....

If by "Zap" you mean electric arcing between pole and ground then you fried something. Most CD drives aren't hot-swappable that I'm aware of. You could try replacing the CD drive and try again.

You say you have a DVD drive as well - have you tried making that the boot drive with your XP disc? Maybe that's salvageable. One can hope.

Just how much experience do you have with the innards of a desktop?

...but i'm trying to be simple as the OP is not that familiar with tinkering bios.

BIOS may be the best way as a USB install can be difficult on someone not used to computers. The BIOS is usually not too hard to understand though as long as they don't get adventurous. But we should find out what he's done in the meantime - something shorted and that is never good.

[Ishan]

Well you can't install windows without a drive you know.

[Roman Clone]

Well you can't install windows without a drive you know.

There are methods of "burning" the .iso from the Windows CD onto a flash drive, and setting the boot priority in the computer's BIOS.

Just briefly read through this, O.P, but have a loot at this.

[Ishan]

There are methods of "burning" the .iso from the Windows CD onto a flash drive, and setting the boot priority in the computer's BIOS.

Just briefly read through this, O.P, but have a loot at this.

Yes you can boot it via USB as well but i'm trying to be simple as the OP is not that familiar with tinkering bios.