hey,
my friend has a windows xp pc that boots to a blue screen everytime. It gets so far into the boot process and then just goes to the BSOD and shuts back down.
would you say this is a hardware fault or a OS fault ?
also, she no longers has the cd for the computer, could i make a bootable cd or usb flash drive from my I386 folder ?
It could be either or both Paul, will it boot in to 'safe' mode or 'Last known good configuration'?
This may help too http://www.computerhope.com/boot.htm
It sound a bit like the problem I had recently. Had he installed any MS updates?
last time she tried, it wouldn't boot into safe mode but i dont know if she did it correctly as she's not very good with computers, didnt try last known good config options.
If it's the same problem I had, Paul, neither safe mode not a last known good worked. :(
Quote from: Rik on Dec 09, 2009, 15:36:13
It sound a bit like the problem I had recently. Had he installed any MS updates?
The PC hasn't been working for over a year, but i guess she kept it upto date.
She wants to get it working again as she's giving it to her mum to use.
I had to re-install, luckily from an Acronis backup. Presumably she doesn't get time to read the blue screen message?
Quote from: Rik on Dec 09, 2009, 15:42:29
Presumably she doesn't get time to read the blue screen message?
Yeh, as soon as it appears its gone again :(
Do you know anywhere i can get XP from? Most require you to buy a hard drive with it if you get a OEM version.
I think it's only available OEM now. :(
PM me your address Paul, we have a lot of HP & Dell xp disks, I'll send you one.
Some machines have an option in BIOS that halts the machine on the blue screen and doesnt shut it down until you press a key ( have a couple of machines that have this option and a couple that dont ), it might be worth a look to see if its in there. If the machine has more than one stick of RAM you could try removing one and trying to boot, if no joy then swap the ram over and see if it will boot on the other stick, at least you could remove the RAM as the cause of the BSOD.
Quote from: Glenn on Dec 09, 2009, 15:52:08
PM me your address Paul, we have a lot of HP & Dell xp disks, I'll send you one.
Will they work on a packard bell pc though ?
PM sent.
To try to fix it yes, to re-install maybe not.
What is the model number of the PC? Pressing and holding one of the Fx keys during startup forces it to reload the OS if it is still on the hidden partition.
Quote from: Glenn on Dec 09, 2009, 16:00:01
To try to fix it yes, to re-install maybe not.
What is the model number of the PC? Pressing and holding one of the Fx keys during startup forces it to reload the OS if it is still on the hidden partition.
No idea lol. The model number is no where on the case when i looked :(
I will have to go and pick the tower up before christmas so i can work on it, telling her to do things and her doing something different that what i told her to do gets very stressfull lol.
We know the feeling, Paul. ;)
And the two things aren't necessarily the same.
Quote from: Fox on Dec 09, 2009, 15:53:08
Some machines have an option in BIOS that halts the machine on the blue screen and doesnt shut it down until you press a key ( have a couple of machines that have this option and a couple that dont ), it might be worth a look to see if its in there. If the machine has more than one stick of RAM you could try removing one and trying to boot, if no joy then swap the ram over and see if it will boot on the other stick, at least you could remove the RAM as the cause of the BSOD.
I will be running memtest86 on it but if that doesnt work or brings back errors, i have her old memory from when i upgraded it, i might just stick that in and try.
Would Event Viewer help, if there is one in XP?
If Paul can reach it, Noreen. I couldn't get into Windows at all if it's the same fault.
Now, if you had access to ERD Commander, it could be a different story.
Tell me more...
Quote from: Glenn on Dec 09, 2009, 17:29:12
Now, if you had access to nERD Commander, it could be a different story.
;D
:rofl:
How we all wish we had one of those. :karmic:
Quote from: Rik on Dec 09, 2009, 17:39:28
Tell me more...
http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=21154
Hmm, it looks like the link on that forum is broken
Interesting...
Right, Got the error message from the blue screen.
0x000000ED UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME
Likes like the file system has been corrupted. trying a repair now.
Ouch! :fingers:
attempted a repair. only gave a full restore (dont wanna do that yet as i wanna try save the files)
now when i boot, i dont get the BSOD i get
NTLDR missing
press ctrl + alt + del to restart
Quote from: psp83 on Dec 16, 2009, 11:04:34
attempted a repair. only gave a full restore (dont wanna do that yet as i wanna try save the files)
now when i boot, i dont get the BSOD i get
NTLDR missing
press ctrl + alt + del to restart
Start by reading NTLDR is Missing (http://tinyempire.com/notes/ntldrismissing.htm)
The other option is to start xp from the install disk and go into the recovery console, come back if you need to do that
Quote from: kinmel on Dec 16, 2009, 11:09:42
Start by reading NTLDR is Missing (http://tinyempire.com/notes/ntldrismissing.htm)
The other option is to start xp from the install disk and go into the recovery console, come back if you need to do that
Read that site, burned the disk. None of the options worked just gave errors.
She lost the original disk for the pc so the one i've only got is the one glenn sent me (hp oem xp pro disk) the pc has xp home on it.
copying ntldr over now.
if this doesnt work, i will try fixing the MBR and if that doesnt work, a full reformat.
Have you also tried FIXBOOT from the rescue command line. When I have had this problem I use the rescue disk and type in FIXMBR then when that is done type in FIXBOOT. Normally afterthese twocommands the machine oots ok. If there is still problems thenpossibly only a complete re-install will work unless the hard drive is failing.
Just tried fixboot command, copied the ntldr and ntdetect.com over and now getting the following.
Invalid Boot.ini file booting from C:\windows
then comes up with the following
windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
<windows root>\system32\hal.dll
Everytime i seem to fix one thing another thing gets in the way :rant2:
now rebuilding the boot.ini file. :wall:
Argh, i give up lol.
Boot.ini rebuilt. Restarted the pc and get the following.
windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\minint\system32\config\system
:rant2:
I suspect something is badly wrong with the MBR, and as you cure each issue, the next file on the list pops up as an error.
I'm going to put a linux live cd in and boot from that and try save the files that way before i reformat.
That's probably your only option, Paul. :(
Windows are fine until they are shut. ;D
Except on cold days, Alf, when it's quite nice to have them shut. :)
like today. bloody freezing out there!
-3 overnight and it's climbed to the dizzying heights of +2 now. Still, by this time next week, the days will be getting longer again. :thumb:
this computer is doing my head in. I've booted the PC from a Knoppix 6.2 live CD and it still cant see the windows files i need to backup.
screen shot (http://www.psp83.co.uk/pics/knoppix.jpg)
as you can see by the pic, theres alot of unallocated space i cant get to :(
i know theres alot of files on there, theres about 90gb of files on the HD. I really need to backup the pictures as she wont be very happy if i dont, She wants the pics of her dog that died a few months ago.
any help/suggestions would be grateful to get the files of this drive. i'm not the biggest linux user but i know some. So any help from a linux geek user would be great aswell.
i've been on this all day and had no luck :(
If you don't get an answer here, Paul, pop across to PC Pals (see Simon's profile) and ask there, we have a resident Linux guru.
Are you able to slave the drive into another PC?
The only PC i've got with IDE connectors doesn't power up.
I've got a IDE to USB thingy, When i connect the drive to that i only see a hidden AVG folder and the drive is 32gb, when in fact the drive is 150gb+. It also hangs my computer when trying to access this drive.
I've just ran a disk health check on it and it has 35 bad sectors.
I've tried run FSCK on it but it just moans about it.
Seriously stuck here.
Are you able to boot off the CD I sent?. If so, then go into repair, once at the dos screen run c:\chkdsk /r to run a checkdisc on the drive?
Looks like the partition table's up the creek, professional data recovery??
Quote from: Glenn on Dec 16, 2009, 18:14:39
Are you able to boot off the CD I sent?. If so, then go into repair, once at the dos screen run c:\chkdsk /r to run a checkdisc on the drive?
Running now.
Quote from: stevethegas on Dec 16, 2009, 18:22:23
professional data recovery??
Not worth the cost :laugh:
How the hell do you stop it booting into Packard Bells Recovery Program ???
Its no use yet, only gives you the option to reformat back to factory default.
Been searching MS and found this : http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb%3Ben-us%3B307545
But that doesn't even work!
Time for beer!
Round 2 tomorrow!
;D
Would you like to borrow my hammer, Paul?
Yes please!
Computers do know how to get to you! ;D
Tip to anyone else with this problem or gets it..
just reformat & learn to backup.. its easier lol
It's much easier. :) I learnt the hard way that not backing up can be very expensive - lost a day's work and had to work all night to re-do it. :(
Yeh, know what you mean.
Where i do freelance work i keep all mine backed up.
This PC gets backed up to a 1TB drive, that 1TB is mirrored.
Home Server gets backed up to another 1 TB drive that is also mirrored.
Other computers are also backed up to smaller drives but not mirrored.
I don't do paid work anymore, Paul, but I can't lose the habit - every critical piece of data exists on at least three, usually four, backup drives. It only takes a few minutes...
Quote from: Rik on Dec 16, 2009, 19:45:33
It only takes a few minutes...
Except for the very first backup, that takes alittle longer ;)
I take snapshots of the backup drives every month. I keep about 4 months then start again.
ok, things are getting desperate, try this freeware PC Inspector Data Recovery (http://www.pcinspector.de/Sites/file_recovery/faq.htm?language=1) - it may not get your data back, but it is worth at try.
Good luck :thumb:
Looks like all of the work done on the HD today actually done something. I've reconnected it by the IDE to USB and i can now browse the HD without it hanging my pc.. not got the files in it when i browse thou
Quote from: kinmel on Dec 16, 2009, 20:12:02
ok, things are getting desperate, try this freeware PC Inspector Data Recovery (http://www.pcinspector.de/Sites/file_recovery/faq.htm?language=1) - it may not get your data back, but it is worth at try.
Good luck :thumb:
But this app has found over 50 thousand lost files.
Thanks :thumb:
Now gotta wait over 400 mins for it to save them all to my computer :eek4:
Hope its the files i'm looking for.
Quote from: psp83 on Dec 16, 2009, 19:49:49
Except for the very first backup, that takes alittle longer ;)
True. :) The daily backups, though, take about 5 minutes.
QuoteI take snapshots of the backup drives every month. I keep about 4 months then start again.
A month is a long time in lost data. :(
Quote from: kinmel on Dec 16, 2009, 20:12:02
ok, things are getting desperate, try this freeware PC Inspector Data Recovery (http://www.pcinspector.de/Sites/file_recovery/faq.htm?language=1) - it may not get your data back, but it is worth at try.
Good luck :thumb:
Ok this software is good but it crashed when saving the files.
I used Test Disk in the end, much faster and recovered over 80 thousand files.. Time to look through them to see if its the right files.
Quote from: Rik on Dec 17, 2009, 08:58:32
True. :) The daily backups, though, take about 5 minutes.
A month is a long time in lost data. :(
Well i have 2 drives with the same backup, if both fails at the same time then i deserve to be in trouble ;D
That's why I have disks 3 & 4. ;D
Quote from: psp83 on Dec 17, 2009, 12:34:26
Well i have 2 drives with the same backup, if both fails at the same time then i deserve to be in trouble ;D
Primary (Working) copy on server
Secondary (Backup copy) on my PC
Tertiary (Is that the word?) copy on external HDD
Fourthly (I made that one up) copy on DVD if it's something I really don't want to lose (Such as photos)
And/or
A copy zipped and emailed to a dedicated googlemail address for smallish files that I need to keep
Edit: Fixed typos!
You're nearly as bad as me, Inky. First backup to dedicated internal HD, second, third and fourth to external USB HDs, a subset of the most crucial data to a daily set of DVD-RWs and finally a weekly backup which is then stored offsite.