Hello everyone.

My name is Chris and I'm a newbie here, so apologies if this has been posted in the wrong pleas or something, feel free to move it or give me some posting advice. But hopefully somebody will be able to give me some advice about the problems I've been experiencing.

I'm having some pretty major problems with my Toshiba Satellite Pro L300 296. Heres as much nformation as I know about the system, the rest I am unable to check as you will learn later:

Model: Toshiba Satellite Pro L300 - 296
Operating System: Windows XP Professional SP3
RAM: Can't remember exactly, but it was more than 1.5 and less than 2.
Processor: Intel Celeron

Sorry I am unable to give you any more specifications, but I don't know a lot about it and although I know how to find the information, I can't do that because of the nature of the problems I am experiencing.

So here's my problem:

Yesterday, the laptop was running well as normal, and I shut it down correctly, put it away, and then went out the house. Approximately an hour later, I returned, got it out again, and switched it on. This is what happens:

• The fans start and the laptop makes the usual kind of mechanical startup noises.
• The usual screen at the beginning comes up with Toshiba written on it and the prompt for "Press F2 to enter Setup", which then shortly disappears as normal.
• I am then left with a blank black screen and the laptop starts beeping very loud. Nothing else happens, and the only way to stop the beeping is to force the laptop to turn off by holding down the power button for a few seconds.

This means I am unable to use the computer at all. Hopefully, someone at this forum will be able to help me.

Please note that, although I can do web design etc. I know nothing about the actual workings of a computer, so please use language that a computer noob can understand or I won't have a clue what you're talking about!

I am quite desperate so I am trying to get the problem fixed without sending the computer away. I have an iPhone due to arrive later this week, and the only other laptop I've got (The one I am on now) has Linux and I really don't understand Linux at all, and I heard that iTunes doesn't work on it! But sadly Windows was removed in a previous technology incident and shall never return to this system (I don't have the disk for it!).

I hope someone can help me, and I also hope I can save all my data and programmes but I know this isn't always possible. Thanks in advance.