Hi.

1. It is NOT the CPU.......................it would not POST if it were.
2. It is NOT the RAM.......................you would have had an error message during POST
3. I doubt if it is the HDD, they tend to work or not? Although it is a possibility, so check the connections, you might have moved something when you took the NIC card out?

Sounds like software corruption to me.

I suspect the sneaky security "feature" in XP, that maps to your hardware configuration to stop you ripping off Uncle Bill by loading the software onto more than one machine. You changed your hardware environment. As has already been said "XP doesn't" like that

How do you boot into RedHat..............I would imagine it is through XP?.....so if XP is in trouble, you may not get a clean shot at your RH boot?............I guess if all else fails you might have to reinstall XP, but try the repair option first.

I had a load of problems with XP at first due to adding hardware I think.............it is quite stable now, but I must have re-installed 3 times to get there. My own fault ....I should have finished building the machine first


Good luck