What's wrong with my computer???

engtaz

Did your start reload on boot or in your windows after fully booted?

Early B.

engtaz wrote: »

Did your start reload on boot or in your windows after fully booted?

On boot...but the computer won't automatically "see" the XP CD in the drive and default to it.

engtaz

try doing reinstall/update in safe mode, if you can see the cd drive.

Disc Jockey

Early B. wrote: »

On boot...but the computer won't automatically "see" the XP CD in the drive and default to it.

Some computers have an the ability to push F* during boot to access startup options, then you can choose boot from cd. If you can't do this, access your bios and change your boot order, putting the cd drive first.

fatchowmein

dudeinaroom wrote: »

we removed his printer and video card under the device manager. Downloaded new video card driver said it was missing directx 8. downloaded directx 9.01c went way to quick for a dx install. ran diagx to check directx version I belive it said dx 9.01c tried again to reinstall the ati driver with the same issue. any other suggestions?

A couple of questions.
1. Was this video card working before?
2. Was there an update or change in video setting prior to the system BSOD?
3. Have you tried replacing the video card or removing it and using the onboard video (if this Dell has one)?

If it is the video card driver causing the problem, go into Add/Remove program and remove the ATI drivers and software (Catalyst if I remember correctly) while in safe mode. Next, delete the ATI card in Device Manager. Reboot.

Basically, try to remove all instances of a video card device. Sometimes, you'll see multiple instances when in Safe Mode which causes problems because the XP can't decide which driver to use or whether to use the Dell video driver.

I also recall that Dell has it's own version of Windows Update??? This may be the culprit if you've installed a 3rd party video card and Dell attempted to update it with a generic driver.

But then it may not be the video card...

KrazyMofo24

This is what you need to do, first goto Safe mode with networking, download and install video driver, from Dells web page. If that does not work its unlikely that its anything else software.

To get it to boot from XP cd just look at the Dell screen and choose the F key for setup or bios. In bios should be a boot section change the priority to CD/dvd first. It'll say Press enter for set up or r for repair. If you press R for repair log in as administrator leave password blank. Do chkdsk /r again, but this time it'll repair anything using the XP cd. After that if it does not work, run DVD again and press enter for Setup then Press R for repair installation.

If you try all that and it does not work, then it's motherboard/video card issue.

Early B.

KrazyMofo24 wrote: »

To get it to boot from XP cd just look at the Dell screen and choose the F key for setup or bios. In bios should be a boot section change the priority to CD/dvd first. It'll say Press enter for set up or r for repair. If you press R for repair log in as administrator leave password blank. Do chkdsk /r again, but this time it'll repair anything using the XP cd. After that if it does not work, run DVD again and press enter for Setup then Press R for repair installation.

Will this procedure erase all of my files and reload XP?

fatchowmein

Early B. wrote: »

Will this procedure erase all of my files and reload XP?

No. Make sure you pick "R" for repair. I'm not familiar with the Dell recovery disk but the next screen should ask you which partition. Type "C". You will then get something that looks like a command prompt. Type "chkdsk /r" without the quotations. See that it kicks off then walk away because it may take an hour or 2. Afterwards, you'll get a summary. Reboot.

dudeinaroom

I believe on the dells you push the delete key to enter the bios

fatchowmein

Edit.

Early B.

fatchowmein wrote: »

No. Make sure you pick "R" for repair. I'm not familiar with the Dell recovery disk but the next screen should ask you which partition. Type "C". You will then get something that looks like a command prompt. Type "chkdsk /r" without the quotations. See that it kicks off then walk away because it may take an hour or 2. Afterwards, you'll get a summary. Reboot.

OK, I tried it and got all the way to the "chkdsk /r" part. Then I received the following message:

"The volume appears to contain one or more unrecoverable problems."

WTF does that mean? Am I screwed?


Couple more questions --

Instead of loading XP again (if necessary), could I take this as an opportunity to load Vista?

Also, does the remote desktop function in safe mode?
I may need to get some professional assistance from a friend of a friend.

Thanks.

KrazyMofo24

Yes you can load Vista, your pc will run slower with Vista.

It appears you are going to need to format the drive and reinstall OS doesn't look good. Don't know if you can use your drives in safe mode to back up data, if not hook the hard drive up to another PC.

Getting that error on check disk isn't good, I would try repair installation that isnt going to delete any files. You hit enter then type for R repair install. If that doesn't work run the full setup when it asks for what partition select the C: and it'll detect previous XP install overwrite the windows folder and put all your files in a folder called Windows.old

There are rare occasions, when it dont detect the OS and format is necessary but since you can boot to safe mode. That should not be an issue.

After formating do the check disk again if it gives same errors, you might want to replace the drive should be under OEM warranty if less than 3 years old.

engtaz

engtaz wrote: »

try doing reinstall/update in safe mode, if you can see the cd drive.

Did you try to reinstall/update from safe mode?

fatchowmein

Early B. wrote: »

"The volume appears to contain one or more unrecoverable problems."

Couple more questions --

Instead of loading XP again (if necessary), could I take this as an opportunity to load Vista?

Also, does the remote desktop function in safe mode?
I may need to get some professional assistance from a friend of a friend.

Thanks.

Yeah, doesn't look good for the home team. No, remote desktop does not function in Safe Mode. If you want to load Vista, do a clean install but remove your hard drive and attach it to another system (use an external drive) and copy what data you want (if possible). Then, wipe the drive clean and install Vista. FYI: you cannot copy programs this way so hopefully you didn't purchase software online and downloaded it instead of purchasing a CD. Beware. If this drive is failing you may not want to load a new O/S on it, however, at this point I cannot determine if the drive is faulty.

Desperate Act:
Just to make sure, would you open up your boot.ini file (right click and open with notepad). Copy the file from C: to a floppy (you may need to un hide and uncheck read-only) or you can just write down what you see. Paste it here so I can take a look. I can't guarantee any success but if your boot.ini got corrupted, you won't be able to boot up and chkdsk won't be able to fix the problem.

goingganzo

i would back up your data. install windows and if the problem happens agin this also could be a hardware problem. like your vid card going bad or a controler going bad on your mobo.
i would staw away from vista now unless it comes on a new comp. it is a real big headache to getting all drivers to install that is if you are lucky. also it is over priced and if you get a oem v of vista if your mobo dies and you get it rma you have to buy a new coppy of vista
also what are the specks of your comp vid card prossesor and memory and hard drive

Early B.

OK, I called Dell CS and was walked through the process of doing chkdsk. I had to go into the boot setup and do some stuff (don't ask, I forgot already). Anyway, I went through the chkdsk routine, now my computer is stuck there!!!! Every time I reboot, the computer automatically goes through chkdsk. i've even tried to go into safe mode, but that doesn't work anymore. Now my computer is worse off than it was before. I can't use it at all.

I'm afraid to call Dell CS again. What should I do?

Early B.

Just tried rebooting again and got the dreaded blue screen of death. Does all of this mean my hard drive is corrupted? If the hard drive itself is not damaged, are there any warranty issues here? My one-year warranty expires in 4 days.

fatchowmein

Early,
Sounds like a drive problem or drive controller (motherboard). Right now, I'm not certain which but probability points towards the 7200 rpm hard drive. Not sure how Dell's warranty operates but send it in and let them determine which part is failing.
Warning: all data will be lost.

Video card driver will not crash chkdsk.

Early B.

UPDATE: Took the computer to a tech. Hard drive is shot. Windows is corrupted. Total cost is $267.61. Damn. It's still under warranty, but I need my computer today! It's my livelihood (I work from home.) I don't purchase extended and in-home warranties because they cost more than the freakin' computer. Besides, I didn't buy this computer directly from Dell. Sometimes it pays to be frugal, sometimes it doesn't.

So, for the past several years I've had major problems with computers -- at least one per year. What should I do? Everyone suggests that I get a Mac because they don't crash and burn as often as Microsoft's crap. Is that the solution?

I'm also gonna keep my eye on Linux's Ubuntu. I assume it's a more stable platform???

Also, I use AVG anti-virus software, but I haven't found any AV software that works well consistently. What can I do to my system for maximum protection without diminishing performance. Is there a computer condom out there?


Any other ideas?

PhantomOG

Mac's have hard drives as well. Besides, if you are not happy about paying extra for warranties and such I doubt you'd feel great about the markup on Mac's compared to comparable PC's.

I say just keep on trucking. Try to keep learning more about computer hardware/software so when issues do come up you'll be more able to handle them.

Can't help you with the AV stuff... I run some basic cheap AV that came free with Road Runner and it never finds anything and I never have any problems. I can give my 50+ year old parents a high end computer with EVERY single possible protection and they can crap it up with viruses and such in less than a week... they are truly amazing.

KrazyMofo24

$267??? Thats way too much, you can buy 100-300GB HD anywhere from $50-$100. Its real simple to replace check your model to see if its an IDE or SATA once you have new drive just install XP or Vista and drivers.

Early B.

KrazyMofo24 wrote: »

$267??? Thats way too much, you can buy 100-300GB HD anywhere from $50-$100. Its real simple to replace check your model to see if its an IDE or SATA once you have new drive just install XP or Vista and drivers.

I know I'm being screwed. The cost is for a new hard drive ($68), re-installing Windows ($95), re-installing my old data ($65), and some other stuff. Sure, I could probably attempt to do all of those things, but I don't have the technical proficiency to know if it's done correctly.

Early B.

PhantomOG wrote: »

I can give my 50+ year old parents a high end computer with EVERY single possible protection and they can crap it up with viruses and such in less than a week... they are truly amazing.

Tell 'em to stop lurking in those virues-infected porno sites.:D :eek:

Early B.

PhantomOG wrote: »

Mac's have hard drives as well. Besides, if you are not happy about paying extra for warranties and such I doubt you'd feel great about the markup on Mac's compared to comparable PC's.

I'd definitely be willing to pay more money for peace of mind. I suppose an in-home warranty provides that, but I'm more interested in being informed about options for more stable platforms.

fatchowmein

I love Ghost. All drives eventually die (ok, I still have a 500mb drive that refuses to die) and all o/s eventually runs into a problem (maybe not novell, heehee). Ghost is your best friend.

You can do 1 of 2 things (or both if you're paranoid).

1. Have everything on C: and ghost it to another hard drive that's either on your computer or on an external drive.
2. Have the o/s on C: and programs and data on with both being different physical drives. Backup using ghost to an external drive.

Bear in mind, you must stay vigilent and disciplined. Any changes or new data will require a ghost image.

You are attempting to do 2 things. 1) Protect against drive failure. 2) Protect against data corruption. If the external drive dies, promptly replace it and make a new ghost image.

Also, having a separate system for surfing/entertainment would be beneficial.

Early B.

fatchowmein wrote: »

I love Ghost. All drives eventually die (ok, I still have a 500mb drive that refuses to die) and all o/s eventually runs into a problem (maybe not novell, heehee). Ghost is your best friend.

You can do 1 of 2 things (or both if you're paranoid).

1. Have everything on C: and ghost it to another hard drive that's either on your computer or on an external drive.
2. Have the o/s on C: and programs and data on with both being different physical drives. Backup using ghost to an external drive.

Bear in mind, you must stay vigilent and disciplined. Any changes or new data will require a ghost image.

You are attempting to do 2 things. 1) Protect against drive failure. 2) Protect against data corruption. If the external drive dies, promptly replace it and make a new ghost image.

Also, having a separate system for surfing/entertainment would be beneficial.

Cool! I added it to my wish list. Got a couple of questions about it, though:

1. If using another drive, do you keep it plugged in so it works automatically? The reason I ask is because I would imagine if you did, it would be equally susceptible to viruses.

2. What do you mean by having a separate system for surfing/entertainment?

Thanks.

Early B.

Something else to consider ---

I'm using a basic home computer when what I ought to be using is a business computer (whatever that means). In other words, since I use a computer primarily for business purposes, do I need an industrial strength computer? By that I mean a higher quality motherboard and hard drive, better power supply, more RAM, improved virus protection, a backup system with multiple drives (i.e., Ghost), etc. ????

Do I need a computer built to spec? If so, what should be the specs?

Any thoughts?

jmwest1970

Early B. wrote: »

Cool! I added it to my wish list. Got a couple of questions about it, though:

1. If using another drive, do you keep it plugged in so it works automatically? The reason I ask is because I would imagine if you did, it would be equally susceptible to viruses.

2. What do you mean by having a separate system for surfing/entertainment?

Thanks.

Ghost is a wonderful thing, but in today's world there is a much better solution. Use RAID 1 to mirror your disk to another. That way, if there's a hardware problem you can swap the disks and you're back in business. The only downside is that it requires a newer motherboard, preferably one with SATA RAID and 2 hard drives, but it'll definitely provide peace of mind.

You can go even further and purchase a separate RAID Controller that provides RAID 5 or 10. Then you can lose a drive and keep on going with no intervention other than removing the bad drive and replacing it. If you choose this solution I recommend you convert your drives to removable trays like these.

fatchowmein

Early B. wrote: »

Cool! I added it to my wish list. Got a couple of questions about it, though:

1. If using another drive, do you keep it plugged in so it works automatically? The reason I ask is because I would imagine if you did, it would be equally susceptible to viruses.

2. What do you mean by having a separate system for surfing/entertainment?

Thanks.

1. I don't automate Ghost. I like full control over when an image is done. Besides, Ghost doesn't work until it reboots your system or else certain files become protected when the PC is online.
To answer your question, I keep a drive online attached internally to my pc that's used exclusively for storing ghost backups. Yes, there's a minute chance of virus infection but it's usually only the C: partition that gets infected and I haven't had one for years.

2. Have a separate pc for surfing the web, downloading stuff, and connecting to audio sites. Don't use your work computer.

fatchowmein

Early B. wrote: »

Something else to consider ---

I'm using a basic home computer when what I ought to be using is a business computer (whatever that means). In other words, since I use a computer primarily for business purposes, do I need an industrial strength computer? By that I mean a higher quality motherboard and hard drive, better power supply, more RAM, improved virus protection, a backup system with multiple drives (i.e., Ghost), etc. ????

Do I need a computer built to spec? If so, what should be the specs?

Any thoughts?

If your current system works for you then don't worry about it.