29 replies to this topic

[loopi]

Hi Guys

Ken 545 from the Safer Networking/Spybot forum suggested i post here because my symptoms might best be handled by you guys.

Below is a link to my post so you can see what activity is occuring and what we attempted so far.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Loopi


http://forums.spybot...ead.php?t=67442

[Ztruker]

At this point you can't boot anything, right? What OS are you running, XP, Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8?

[loopi]

Hello I am running windows 7 Well, I can open the windows utility via F2 on bootup I can open the F8 screen on bootup when i try and open in safe mode with networking, startup hangs up somewhere when drivers are loading It asked me to do a restart repair at one point - i tried and after running for a while (an hour?) it said it could not perform the repair. when i tried to configure to last know good condition, i believe it just got hung up on a black screen I am happy to try any one of these again - whatever you suggest as the next course of action thank you

[loopi]

Apparently i followed some direction when i bought this laptop. I made the following disks: 1. Applications and Drivers DVD 2. Windows Recovery Environment (64 bit) 3. Toshiba operating system, et al Recovery media disk #1, #2 and #3

[paws]

Hi Loopi,
Well done on making the discs that was a good move as you may need them....

1 Is your back up...good?
2 comprehensive ?
3 fully up to date?
4 includes all the stuff you dont want to lose?
5 at least one copy kept safe on removable media offsite?
6 Is it reproducible?
7 Have you run the hard drive manufacturer's drive repair and testing utility?
available from here:
http://www.tacktech....ay.cfm?ttid=287
8 If not then it would be a good step but ONLY AFTER you are tottaly happy that your back up covers everything you want it to, and you are sure it works!

Post back with make and exact model number of your computer, and one of us will advise the next steps.
Regards
paws

Edited by paws, 19 January 2013 - 05:24 AM.
typo

[loopi]

Hi Paws Regarding # 1-6: I have not actually backed up my computer (bad on me). The disks were all things that were asked of me to make when i first turned it on after purchasing it. If I understand you correctly, no, I have not backed up all my "stuff" on the computer. I only meant to say that I actually "made" these disks as requested by the manufacturer when i booted up for first time, which i assumed are for "backing up" the operating system, and not necessarily personal data. Regarding # 7: I can't get the machine to boot up, so no, i cannot access the internet to run anything. Lastly, it is a Toshiba (not happy with them, i recently had to have the motherboard replaced $250, about what i paid for this thing) Satellite L655D-S5050 model # PSK2LU-001003

[paws]

Hi Loopi,

Regarding # 7: I can't get the machine to boot up, so no, i cannot access the internet to run anything.

Do you mean that your machine will not boot to a bootable CD?
Have you adjusted the boot prioity in the BIOS to CD as 1 followed by hard drive as 2?

Can you boot to a Live distro of Linus Puppy ?

Here my canned speech for information on this:


Back up with Puppy and hardware check

There could be a number of reasons for the problems you are experiencing ...and some are very serious....

I think the first thing you should consider is checking your back ups and make sure everything that is important to you (stuff that you dont want to lose) is included and is accurate, comprehensive, reproducible and with at least one extra copy kept safe on removable media, offsite.

Once you are happy with your back up then you can go about checking your hardware for errors, and if that's OK then, looking at Windows itself to see if its a system problem.

If you go here:
http://puppylinux.or.....g Started.htm

you can download Puppy (Linux) and if burn to CD as an image (it must be an image, a copy won't do)
ImgBurn is good for this, available here:
http://www.imgburn.com/

Boot your computer from the Puppy CD (you may need to alter the boor priority in the BIOS if your machine does not boot to the CD) and if there are any items missing from your back up then you can use Puppy to copy them to a memory stick, or external hard drive.

Once you have done this you can explore the Internet using Puppy, look at your emails create docs, view photos etc.... give it a good workout, but do remember it will be running entirely within RAM with nothing being read or written to your hard drive unless you instruct it to... this will serve as a good check on some of your hardware..... if it works well and there are no problems then we at least know where to look and the next step will be to download the hard drive testing/repair utility from the maker of your hard drive.

Test the hard drive by booting from the CD you create from the download (available from here:)
http://www.tacktech....ay.cfm?ttid=287
(Make sure you download the correct utility for your make of hard drive)

Run firstly the short test and if OK then run the long test
(you can skip the accoustic test)

If this tests Ok without needing any repairs then its worth trying a simple chkdsk with the r switch from the Recovery Console, the command is:
chkdsk /r
you can also try with the f switch and the p switch
(note the space it needs to be there)
You may need to specify the drive that is your boot drive.... assuming this is C: then the command would be
chkdsk c: /f
More information available from here:
http://pcsupport.abo...sc/p/chkdsk.htm

Don't think of running chkdsk or the testing/repair utility until you are 100% happy with your back up.... (either of the tests could push a failing hard drive over the edge leading to complete failure...that's why there is so much emphasis on your back up being 100% watertight.

Post back and let us know how things are going and we will advise the next steps
Regards
paws

Edited by paws, 19 January 2013 - 01:31 PM.
typo

[loopi]

Hi Paws Unfortunately, I don't really have any idea what you are talking about. I don't understand the lexicon and so i probably don't even know what "boot up" means. I certainly have no idea what a BIOS is. If you could tell me to turn it on and then try to take some action, i could tell you what the computer does. Beyond that, I'm afraid I'm lost. I don't know what a bootable CD is, and if i had one, you'd have to tell me when to insert it and what to do with it.

[paws]

Hi Loopi, Its all pretty straight forward... if you don't understand a specific word or phrase then use a search engine to see what it means... Google is often used by folks but there are many others, just take your pick or use the one you usually use. . if you are still stuck then your options are a little limited. 1 You could ask a friend who understands the steps set out above to carry them out for you... or 2 Consult a local competent computer technician who will be able to advise you.... it's best in these situations to get a firm quotation for the work you want doing so both you and the technician you choose know where they stand. But do check your back ups before you do anything else. I would not like you to lose stuff that is on your machine and that is important to you. Regards paws

[loopi]

i may just have to give in and take it in for service it's been 1 step forward 2 steps back before i can download linux, i need cdburnerxp but that wont open a run file only a save file (issue 1 for a cd burn approach), the computer i am working with runs xp and doesn't have net.framework. this won't load because computer is out of memory.i am going backwards i know it seems straightforward for an expert but it really isn't for folks who don't do much other than use excel, word and browse the net i do appreciate the help though with a 3 year old on my hip and trying to read all these web pages of instructions, several hours later and things not doing what they are supposed to, it is overwhelming

[paws]

Hi Loopi, I do appreciate the issues you are facing. In a well equipped workshop these situations can be diagnosed fairly quickly and we also have the parts on hand to swop out suspect components if necessary. Sometimes it's the smart thing to do to take it to a competent technician.... However if you do decide to give it one last try and download the Linux Puppy then try burning it to a CD using ImgBurn (link in my previous post) as this makes it very easy to do. Good luck, and if you have a moment, post back and let us know how you get on. Regards paws

[loopi]

I will see what i can do before i throw in the towel. But can you instruct me on the following? 1. how do i set bios to accept cds? 2. if i get linux loaded, you say to give it a workout. I don't know what i am looking for or what i should expect from that? I don't really understand what it is doing at that point so not sure what to look for. If i had never seen a diamond and someone asked me to find one in a pile of rocks, i would never find it. That's really my point in that i don't have a greater understanding of the computer that i should know what to look for. If a problem was in front of me, i probably wouldn't know it. 3. I am a little confused about downloading linux and what the image burner process is. Why cant i just download linux and save it to a cd? Confused. 4. if i am working on an old xp right now and the broken system is windows 7, am i downloading products for xp or windows 7? thanks

[loopi]

i'm trying to load framework.net 4 on this old xp and it just gives fatal error message and wont load. what am i doing wrong?

[loopi]

this is the final line of the error message: Final Result: Installation failed with error code: (0x80070643), "Fatal error during installation. " (Elapsed time: 0 00:04:20).

[Ztruker]

Instead of CDBurnerXP, use ImgBurn. It does not require Microsoft .NET Framework.