xp will not boot

I realize that this thread may not address the most recent OS, but I have an old toshiba satellite running xp that I still use as my backup computer. After installing the most recent ms updates, my computer, First, would not shut down in the normal fashion, so I pressed the on-off button, and it obviously turned off. Well, now, it will not boot up. It begins normally, but when it gets to the ms windows logo, it just sits there. After a few minute, the hd light blinks and you can hear the hd working, but nothing happens. I tried safe mode, but I get the exact same thing with a worse screen resolution, and if I try safe mode with commands, I don't get any commands, just the same screen. Right now, it is sitting here with the command line available, that I got by inserting a bios launcher floppy that I had. I have the cd's that came with the machine, but if possible, I'd like not to have to reformat it and lose all the programs etc. Are there any commands that I might try? I'm searching the web for help before I wipe it all clean.

Run chkdsk from the Windows CD-ROM in the first instance...

https://kb.wisc.edu/helpdesk/page.php?id=5097

Tried what you suggested, but the xp disk does not give those options that were show in the site. THe only option I get is to completely erase and reinstall xp. This is the reason that I did not pursue this option from the start. Although it is called "toshiba recovery utility", it doesn't seem to recover anything, but will only give a fresh installation of xp. I have "aborted" the process for now, hoping there is something I can download from the web and make a cd. It may be that this edition of xp is old enough not to have provided these options. I think I bought the computer in 2002, so it is an older version.

Another odd thing the computer is doing is that the bios is changing (defaulting?) everytime I turn it on. I tell it to boot first from cd and then hd, it will do that once, and then it goes back to booting from the hd. what's up?

Are you using the one-time BIOS Boot Menu key to boot CD, or entering BIOS setup to set CD drive to boot first? I would set BIOS to defaults then use one-time BIOS Boot Menu key to boot CD.

You'll need to find an XP installation CD for your version - OEM or retail specific - then first try accessing the Repair console (R) given first when you boot CD, in CMD line type bootrec.exe /fixboot and bootrec.exe /fixmbr

If repairing the boot fails to start it then boot back into CD, proceed as if to install but instead choose the second R for Repair option to do an XP Repair Install.