Partitioning messed up everything

[simrick]

I have a dual-boot configuration - XP + W8Pro32-bt. I used EaseUS partition manager to take some of the free space from the XP partition and add it to the W8 partition (2 operations). Upon reboot, W8 has no lock screen picture, no user picture and when I log into my user account the screen is just black - nothing at all except the mouse. I can log out by using Ctrl+Alt+Del. When I get back to the lock screen (which has only the time), I try the shutdown button, but it doesn't work.

I tried the repair disk's "auto repair" - it tells me it can't fix anything. I am lost. I don't want to do anything else until someone who knows what they're doing gives me a hand.

I also noticed, if I try to shutdown via the on/off button, it appears to go into hibernation; it doesn't completely shutdown, so I have not been able to try a hard boot. I hope someone can get me out of this mess I've created! Thanks.

(note: the system specs shown in my profile are not for the computer in question)

 

[Edwin]

Sounds like you may have messed up the boot loader and/or the MBR, can you post a screenshot of disk management and what you attempted to do, (somehow).

 

[simrick]

No, I am unable to get into anything. Here's what I did:
begin:
|--------------------XP-----------------||-------------------------W8----------------------|
change
|--------XP---------||-----freespace----||-----------------------W8------------------------|
merge
|--------XP---------||-------------------------------W8------------------------------------|

Does that make sense?

I did notice this:
If I log into my account (black screen) and then do a Crtl+Alt+Del and click on Task Manager, when it goes back into my account, if I do the Alt+Tab (as if trying to switch windows), I see a bunch of Windows Installers. Is that any kind of a clue?

 

[simrick]

Well, I ended up having to do a complete reinstall. fix mbr did nothing. Not fun. Now I have days and days of re-setting up the computer.

 

[theog]

Always BACKUP!!!! BACKUP!!!! BACKUP!!!!

 

[simrick]

Always BACKUP!!!! BACKUP!!!! BACKUP!!!!

I have multiple backups, just not system images.

 

[Edwin]

Always BACKUP!!!! BACKUP!!!! BACKUP!!!!

Hey!!!, that's MY Signature!