why did this happen??

[eshort]

reloaded winxp-home on gateway PIII-933/256 ram/50gbhdd...installation stalled and gave message "setup must be shut down to avoid damage.."

windows had been flakey the past two days (IE 6.0 wldnt connect using linkys wireless network adapter)

on reboot--IE wld connect for 1 and then not connect to any other urls.

so--i reloaded winxp-----and changed ram sticks around.....winxp installaed fine except--at end--when rebooited, asked me for a password.

i had not configured it to ask for password.

so now, i cant boot beyond that password screen (if attempt--gives message cant continue..see "administrator").

what gives--ive never had this occur before???

tx

[Panama Red]

First thing I would do is pull out my Ultimate Boot CD and run diagnostics on the hdd and the ram. Use the hdd maker's diagnostic utility and use Memtest86+ for the ram.

[Cricket]

Are you sure the hardware in that Gateway are all working properly? Sounds like something is faulty.

Replace the IDE cables.

Try a different molex power connector on the hard drive and the optical drive. Make sure the hard drive is the only drive on the power cord from the power supply (if there are several molex connectors on the same line, the others should be left unconnected).

Try another optical drive.

Test the hard drive with the manufacturer's diagnostic utility.

Test the RAM with Memtest86+

Check the motherboard for leaking or bulging capacitors.

You might even want to try another compatible power supply.

Cricket