So, one fine day I go onto Windows Update, and download some updates for my computer.
I note that one of the updates is for the Nvidia Internet thingy on my motherboard.

So I download it, it's all good. I restart, and then I find out that my Internet no longer works.
This is a bummer.

After many hours of detective work, I discovered that the Network Controller things on my
motherboard were malfunctioning (Code 10). So I figured I needed to get back my old drivers.

After many more hours of detective work, I discovered that my Motherboard was an nForce 680i SLI.
I download the appropriate driver from nVidia's site, and use a transfer disc to get it onto my other computer.

I did a custom install, and selected only the Ethernet Drivers. It told me I had some old ones installed,
and that it would uninstall them, restart my computer, and install the new ones.

Now, when it restarted, it got past the BIOS system thingy, and past the Windows XP thermometer
bar splash, but after that, it was just a blank black screen. Now, no matter what I do, this happens.


After all this, I just want my computer back, please help.

Tried safe mode?

If that does not work, get everything off via Boot CD.

Repair install will fix it most likely.

Try starting the computer in safe mode, then search for "system recovery". You'll find a snazzy little program that Microsoft put in Windows XP: it's called "system recovery assistant" or something like that. Use it, and set it to revert for the most recent recovery point.

What that program does is that it tricks Windows to use an older copy of the System Registry, basically making the computer "go back in time", and ignoring any recent modifications. Hopefully, the computer automatically created a recovery point when you installed the new drivers, allowing you to restore the computer to a working state, and with some luck, to an internet-using state.

That technic has saved my own computer many times in the past.

I probably should've mentioned that I have trouble going into safe mode.

It's by pressing F8 on boot, right? Well, I tried that while it was still doing
it's little BIOS Phoenix Version BlahBlahBlah, and it came up with a boot menu,
that asked me what Boot device I wanted to boot from. That's it.

I tried during the thermometer loading bar thing, and nothing happens.

Uh, did anything else appear before the boot thing? Because it should open a menu with several options, and then you would go into Advanced Options, and select Safe Mode.

If that isn't happening anyway, try selecting "boot by hard drive (C:/) and see what happens.

Boot sector's probably toast.

Can't be the boot sector.

From here, it seems like a good idea to pop in a boot cd, first a Windows XP repair CD to try to repair , then a Linux CD to grab your files if XP CD fails..

Oh, he's really unclear.

Oh no. I managed to do the Safe Mode Boot (In the 2
second window while the cursor is blinking) but now it isn't
accepting mouse input at the login screen.

I hate how computer problems always cascade on me.

Probably got the wrong drivers or something, from a glance.
You probably should have installed the drivers on everything, it only breaks things to do things half-way, from my knowledge.

Sometimes when you do crap like that, you need to reformat.
I need to do that too on my computer with all my mods and everything on it.
You might need to find some way to back up your files and reformat.

As I said, a boot CD should do the trick.

Repair > Restore, you mean?

no, more like back it up and then format the ♥♥♥♥♥.

Already mentioned that possibility.