Computer genius needed! Windows XP problem!

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Okay so last July, my windows xp computer decided that it wasn't going to work properly. One day I turned it on, it loads to the windows logo with the scrolling bar, and then a blue screen appears for 1/2 second, and it restarts again an does it constantly. I've tried running it in all safe modes andante known good configuration and all that sort of stuff and I am well and truly buggered here.

Any help would be appreciated, please bare in mind I'm a 16 year old with little computer experience so please no technical terms of possible haha!

Thanks a lot

Well, it doesn't say much about the problem you have. Does it give you any error responses? Any unusual text printed on screen?
Where you doing something particular with it before the problem showed up?

Possibly a damaged hard drive, failing to load boot up specific files so Windows tries and fails to reboot.

It may be recoverable if you can boot using other media and run a Chkdsk/f

What is the make and model?

the blue screen and instant reboot sounds like a hardware problem to me. A failing hard drive could do it but if the symptoms haven't changed since July it is more likely that the fault is elsewhere. Generally once a hard drive starts going they don't last long before falling over completely.

Did the computer come with a setup CD? If so, try booting with the CD in. Windows setup has an option to repair the installation. You might be lucky.

There should be a BIOS setting to disable automatic reboot on blue screen. Switching this from 'Restart' to 'Disabled', 'Off', or similar, should allow you to view the blue screen message. I would guess a problem with the master boot record. Shot in the dark: Your anti-virus deleted the svchost.exe file.

All I can say about it is that it is a widows xp home edition and that the operating system came with the computer I have no booting Disc or any operating system discs for that matter. I will take some of this advice tommorow when I get back home thanks alot

Doesn't XP also have the "Automatically restart on system error" option? If the OP can boot into safe mode and make sure that option is unchecked he may be able to get the error code from the BSOD before it disappears. Often these problems can be fixed by loading last good configuration or doing a system restore if it's an OS/software problem. But it's too late now.

Can you boot it in Safe Mode? (try pressing F8 before the logo shows and select Safe Mode from the menu). If it boots into Safe Mode, you can disable the automatic reboot under Control Panel -> System ->Advanced -> Startup and Recovery...Settings and then uncheck "Automatically reboot". This will allow you to see what's on the blue screen to make it easier to diagnose the problem.

More than likely, however, it's a hardware problem

Um.. No. This Blue Screen of Death is in Windows. The fact it can display an error means it has control before it sends the all stop.

If you can not get into safe mode and it's still doing this, it's worth giving the computer specifications. If it has a model number, this will do.

Without knowing the error the blue screen is giving, it's hard to determine what is going on, or what's failing. If it's been idle for a while, it's possible a quick heat up could have caused condensation from being in storage. Without knowing how or where it was stored, makes it hard to determine accurately.

Hard disk and Power supply are major factors here. Lest not forget RAM, too

Processor and motherboard may be throwing an issue too, and graphics card, But I highly doubt it.

Going blind here, I would suggest a new HDD. You may need to take it to a computer shop.

The only clue you've provided is the "blue screen" error. The next time this error occurs write down the error and post it here for us. Or, if you're feeling adventurous you could Google the error code and see what you find. This is generally what most of us would do.

If for some reason Windows is automatically rebooting when the blue screen error appears then follow these steps to disable automatic reboot...

1. Navigate to the Control Panel in Windows XP by left-clicking on Start, followed by Settings and then choosing Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel window, open System. (Note: In Microsoft Windows XP, depending on how your operating system is setup, you may not see the System icon. To correct this, click on the link on the left-hand side of the Control Panel window that says Switch to Classic View.)
3. In the System Properties window, click on the Advanced tab.
4. Locate the Startup and Recovery area and click on the Settings button.
5. In the Startup and Recovery window, locate and uncheck the check box next to Automatically restart.
6. Click OK in the Startup and Recovery window.
7. Click OK in the System Properties window.

From now on, when a problem causes a blue screen or another major error that halts your system, your PC will not automatically reboot. You will, however, need to manually reboot you're computer.