Hi there,

This is my first time on a forum like this, but after reading some of the responses to other queries, I thought you guys seemed like a helpful bunch. So, I just wondered if you might be able to shed some light on a problem I’m having with my PC.

Last week, I plugged a pen drive into the front USB port on my PC and opened some files that were on it. There weren’t any problems that day, but when I turned my PC on the next morning, it got as far as the black ‘Windows XP is loading’ screen, but then went to a blue error screen with white writing, before rebooting itself again.

It then took me to a screen where it said a hardware/software problem had cause an error and gave me a number of options, including returning the PC to an earlier configuration. This didn’t seem to do anything, so I chose the Safe Mode option and used System Restore to go back a week or so to before the problem arose.

The PC now boots normally, but when I try to either Log Off or, I get no response, even after 20 minutes or so. However, if I pick the Stand By option, this takes me to the User Accounts screen and I’m then able to use that Turn Off Computer option to shut down.

I have Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed and I have Norton Antivirus 2003, Spybot and Ad Aware installed. I installed Norton Internet Security around the same time as I used the pen drive – I don’t know if this may have had any complications.

Any ideas?

Thanks a lot.