When I try to boot up I get a blue screen which says:- Checking File System on C: The type of file system is NTFS. One of your discs needs to be checked for consistency, You may cancel the disck check but it is strongly recommended that you continue. To skip disc checking press any key within 10 seconds. Clearly the "10" should "count down" but almost invariably it does not and I am stuck at the blue screen. It has taken nearly 2 hours of "re-setting" to get a running "count down" that I could by-pass in order to send this message. Any Ideas welcomed !! Martin

come up in safe mode or go into recovery console. run chkdsk /r from a cmd prompt Give a person a fish, they eat for a day. Suggest they internet search and they learn a skill for a lifetime.

Thanks so much, however, I have managed to get to the recovery console but it is asking me for the "administrator password" - can I find out what this is? I have tried all my regular passwords but no luck!

Do you have one? If not try this>> Just type admin as the user name and hit OK."

But If you forgot your password try this Forgot My Administrator Password! Can't Log On to Windows XP? If that’s your only problem, then you probably have nothing to worry about. As long as you have your Windows XP CD, you can get back into your system using a simple but effective method made possible by a little known access hole in Windows XP. This method is easy enough for newbies to follow – it doesn’t require using the Recovery Console or any complicated commands. And it’s free - I mention that because you can pay two hundred dollars for an emergency download of Winternals ERD with Locksmith which is a utility for unlocking lost Windows passwords. See here http://www.winternals.com/products/repairandrecovery/locksmith.asp ERD is an excellent multi purpose product, but you should know it is not a necessary one if you have a healthy system and your sole problem is the inability to logon to Windows due to a forgotten password. Not necessary because you can easily change or wipe out your Administrator password for free during a Windows XP Repair. Here’s how with a step-by-step description of the initial Repair process included for newbie’s. 1. Place your Windows XP CD in your cd-rom and start your computer (it’s assumed here that your XP CD is bootable – as it should be - and that you have your bios set to boot from CD) 2. Keep your eye on the screen messages for booting to your cd Typically, it will be “Press any key to boot from cd” 3. Once you get in, the first screen will indicate that Setup is inspecting your system and loading files. 4. When you get to the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER to Setup Windows now 5. The Licensing Agreement comes next - Press F8 to accept it. 6. The next screen is the Setup screen which gives you the option to do a Repair. It should read something like “If one of the following Windows XP installations is damaged, Setup can try to repair it” Use the up and down arrow keys to select your XP installation (if you only have one, it should already be selected) and press R to begin the Repair process. 7. Let the Repair run. Setup will now check your disks and then start copying files which can take several minutes. 8. Shortly after the Copying Files stage, you will be required to reboot. (this will happen automatically – you will see a progress bar stating “Your computer will reboot in 15 seconds” 9. During the reboot, do not make the mistake of “pressing any key” to boot from the CD again! Setup will resume automatically with the standard billboard screens and you will notice Installing Windows is highlighted. 10. Keep your eye on the lower left hand side of the screen and when you see the Installing Devices progress bar, press SHIFT + F10. This is the security hole! A command console will now open up giving you the potential for wide access to your system. 11. At the prompt, type NUSRMGR.CPL and press Enter. Voila! You have just gained graphical access to your User Accounts in the Control Panel. 12. Now simply pick the account you need to change and remove or change your password as you prefer. If you want to log on without having to enter your new password, you can type control userpasswords2 at the prompt and choose to log on without being asked for password. After you’ve made your changes close the windows, exit the command box and continue on with the Repair (have your Product key handy). 13. Once the Repair is done, you will be able to log on with your new password (or without a password if you chose not to use one or if you chose not to be asked for a password). Your programs and personalized settings should remain intact.

Thanks everyone for your help. I got into safe mode but it would not let me run chkdsk /r as suggested but would allow chkdsk. Having run that I re booted and got the dreaded blue screen but this time the countdown ran properly. The disc check found and repaired something, I don't know what, because the info flashed on and off the screen too quickly for me to hit the pause key and read it. My system then continued to boot as normal and I appear to be OK now, if a little slower but I'm not complaining. Thanks once more to everyone. Martin