Windows XP Home Edition Booting Problem

Ok...so I just got a friend of mine's computer to work on, and it's doing something I've never seen before...you turn the power on, it boots up you can enter the bios, it even shows the windows xp logo and everything, then after that you get a black screen with the mouse cursor that you can move anywhere you want...but theres NOTHING...no icons, no background, no taskbar no nothing...all you get is a black screen with the mouser cursor...to be perfectly honest my friend said this problem happened after downloading some "inappropriate" material from limewire all the sudden the machine shutdown...lastly, I must say I'm trying to avoid having to wipe the machine out and do a fresh install of the operating system....I did try to boot from the XP disc and go into the repair option...I get as far as when it gives you the option of the 1. C:\Windows..I enter 1, and then it tells me to enter the Administrator password which he has no idea what it is, I tried removing the CMOS battery, unfortunately that didn't help there is no BIOS password said so I know its nothing like that, so I guess what I'm really asking has anyone ever encountered a machine that has acted this way # 1, and # 2 what could I do to get around this Administrator password...any help is appreciated:major

 

I did...I tried to just hit enter and then it prompts you again to enter the Administrator password, and after three times you basically get locked out and have to go through the whole process again of booting from the XP disc, selecting Repair, until you get to that point all over again...thanks though..any other suggestions?

 

No, no I'm sorry I might have explained it wrong, I'm not going into the recovery console thats what I was doing when I described the problem I was choosing R for repair already and then it brings you to your previous version of windows which it finds and it makes you choose what you want..which it finds that version of windows on the C:\ thats all fine but then it asks for the administrator password....and yes I can boot into safe mode but believe it or not when you boot into safe mood the samething that happens in the regular boot up happens in safe mode as well..it goes through the whole safe mode process I even see it saying safe mode at each of the corners of the screen with the windows xp home edition service pack 2 and everything but it never finishes loading anything you just get the black screen with the cursor and thats it...very strange to be honest

 

Okay, TimW, is suggesting doing a repair install. Do not press R, just follow these instructions.... http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

or, boot into normal mode.

When you get to the point where you can move the mouse anywhere, hit CTRL + ALT + DEL

Task manager should appear. Click File, then run. Type in explorer.

Either windows explorer will show up, or your desktop should appear.

 

So check this out,when I get to the screen with the mouse cursor and I do CTRL + ALT + DEL nothing happens, nothing comes up, just nothing...so where does everyone think I should go from here? try the repair install for my next step?

 

here's another thing I noticed..after I press F8 for the agreement, and then when its suppose to find previous versions of windows installed, it still doesn't give an option to do a repair it just says you don't want to install a new version of the operating system on one that already has one installed if that makes sense..

 

If you right click the mouse, do you get any kind of menu?
I'm thinking that XP is still there and fine but somehow his desktop/taskbar/icons have been changed to black. I know I saw this before, I just can't remember how it was fixed.

 

when you right click you get nothing...weirdest thing...its as if your on the desktop but you just can't see anything....I know its nothing with the monitor settings because it was happening at his home and now its hookedup wit my KVM, so....PLODR if you find that fix for everything possibly being changed to black please post:major