Win XP Pro

[momaka]

Re: Win XP Pro

It would be best to clone the hard drive, then play around with the clone, that way if you screw it up you can just clone it again and start over and the original is still intact the way they brought it to you. The clone will boot just like the original

+1
That's how I would suggest to proceed as well.

Then, on the cloned drive, diddle around and see if you can run a System Restore - preferably one that was fairly recent. If that doesn't work, try an older one until maybe you find a restore point that works... that is, if System Restore was enabled in the first place.

I don't usually enable System Restore on my test PCs. But on my main PCs that do have the space, I do keep it enabled, as it's saved me a few times. Most recent one was the PC I'm typing this from - it decided to randomly corrupt the registry on the HDD after a normal power down. I thought I'd have to reinstall to get that PC running again. But 5 minutes later, using the "Last Known Good Configuration" from the F8 boot menu got everything running quickly again.

[diif]

Re: Win XP Pro

I'd image the drive then scan it for bad sectors, errors and malware (perhaps it was internet connected or someone plugged in infected USB drive to play their tunes ?)

It sounds like possibly the profile is damaged but it could be something else.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/555473

[stj]

Re: Win XP Pro

when trying to start it without the login info I see a splash screen with the Bingo co. logo and a menu in the bottom right corner to go to the Bios?

that;s interesting, some megatouch quiz machines will do that if the settings in the bios dont match the expected profile for the game.

is the date/time correct?

[Curious.George]

Re: Win XP Pro

The clone will boot just like the original

Best to boot the original, keeping the clone as a copy to be used to restore the original -- in case the software has been "locked" to the drive ID (to discourage counterfeiters -- esp if the hardware is largely COTS).