Posting in here because I'm not sure where to start.
the system is an old (about 2005) gateway 831gm they don't even list it when you go to gateway for driver updates so i guess all the 830 models use the same ones.
It has XP MCE for the OS. it;s a basic sytem with teh only addons being a modem and an old grfprce 5200 PCI card. it has PCI-E but it's not being used.
the problem is that whenever you install anything, anti virus app, or even windows upates, the next boot is a black screen instead of the desktop( it shows the XP load screen with the blue progress bar then zip...nada) and the only way to get it working is restore to orignal condition either in system restore or using the gateway recovery software on the second partion to resore it to factory new setup. either way it's pretty much un-usable without being able to so much as update the service packs.
I suspect it's some minor hardware problem since I did a deep system scan with the drive in my main sys looking for everything including root-kits. but I'm at a loss where to look or what to check. the system lived with a heavy smpoker and is covered in tar inside, and there is a slight "burnt" smell that has nothing to do with the cigarettes.
anyone ever get one like this?