Yesterday I tried a live CD of Ubuntu 8.10. After playing around for a while I told it to restart the computer.

Ubuntu shuts down, and the message that I should take out the CD from the CD drive appears. But, the CD isn't ejected. It wont eject when I press the eject button either. So I press the power button. I then start the computer again, but I still cannot eject the CD and it automatically boots into the Live CD again. I have to power the machine don and stick a paperclip into the little hole in the front of the CD drive.

CD finally out of the drive.

I start the coputer again, and then all weird things happens. Windows Vista won't load.

I either get a black screen,

or I get the "Windows has not shut down properly message", and I'm asked to start Windows normally or in Safe Mode. NEither won't work. Tells me that some part of the system is corrupted or missing. The message varies. Some times it complains about the registry, some times the kernel.

I once made a little progress with Safe Mode, but it stopped mid way through laoding drivers.

Two times when I got a black screen I checked the POST code on my mother board, I've gotten 2b and 8b. (ABit AN8 32X)

So I figure that I've either got corrupted system files, or hard drive.

I insert the Windows install CD and boot from that. But I don't make it to the recovery console. After the progressbar indicating it's loading, I get the same errors and behavour as if I try to boot from the hard drive.

I've got two Windows CD's, none of them work on this computer. But they work on my second system.

I've bought a new Harddrive, unplugged my two other harddrives. I insert the Windows CD again, hoping I can install Windows on the new hardrive, but I still get the very same errors.

I have no idea on how I can correct this. Either get my old system working, or install Windows fresh. Just getting windows to boot.

Does any one have any idea of what the cause might be?