toshiba m400

i just got a toshiba m400 s-5032 tablet pc from a friend. every time i try to boot it up, it freezes(it has xp, not sure which version). when i boot it in safe mode, it freezes at avgrkx86.sys how do i fix this.

have you run a chkdsk in recovery console?

You will likely need a xp install disk to get into recovery. If it will not pass a .sys file on bootup you will either need a way to get into recovery OR do a fresh install of the OS. Since you cannot get into the system otherwise, those would probably be your only real options at this point. If it has a dvd drive.. you "might" be able to load a bootable linux distro and try some disk utils that way.. i've never done that though so I'd be stabbing in the dark on how to go about it.

I have an m300.. its old, but still runs like a charm on xp.. reinstall already has the options for the tablet etc so your pen and such should work out fine. If it can run win7 or even vista for that matter i'd go that route as the OS has enhancements for much much better accuracy for the pen... i wish I could upgrade mine but I cant seem to slipstream onto it.. being a total pain as its externam dvd =(

one of my friends used some program and was able to acess the HD, but we cant get it to install any OS, we've tried xp pro, vista ultimate, and 7 ultimate. he thinks the serial ata controller might e shot. how do i go about fixing that