As I was booting up my computer, there was a power drop and I don't have a UPS. After that the computer will not boot. It loads the BIOs, but after that stage it goes to a black screen and sits. Based on visual inspection of the interior there is no physical damage. I can get the computer to boot from an old Win ME install disk and therefore I am comfortable that the motherboard is not at fault. The HDD can be read on another computer but it won't boot up the original. Any recommendations?

Fork?

My bet is on rhinos. They are rather attracted to the pheromones that dust balls produce. That, or long cats and hard dogs.

I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what fork means. I know just enough to chaange my RAM, Video Card and HDD. Other than that I have little experience inside my computer.

I think ViLiO is a pretty cool guy. eh has an annoying name to type and doesn't afraid of anything.

A fork is a type of dinnerware, with several tines used for piercing or supporting food. When stuck into a computer, it can cause a variety of problems, by causing electrical shorts or (if sufficient force is used) severing connections and creating other physical problems. Generally if your computer isn't working exactly the way it should, a fork is to blame. Find the fork, and you've found the problem.

BTW, this is a game development site, not a tech support site. Most of our advice is going to involve forks.