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Author Topic:   Computer help?
Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1444 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 1 of 297 (350861)
09-20-2006 10:41 PM


OK, jazzns says he is willing to give some advice, and Iano thinks I should ask, but my problem is I may not be computer literate enough to get the problem across. The computer has been freezing up and giving me blue screens when I reboot for a couple of weeks now.
I did the usual stuff, ran the disk cleanup program, the defragmenter, dumped a lot of old files, ran the virus program and the adware program etc. I downloaded a registry cleanup which helped some but wasn't a cure. A friend recommended HouseCall but I can't download it before it freezes up.
I'm thinking of reformatting the disk and reloading my now-rather-ancient Windows XP disk, and giving up internet access for a while, but I'm a little leery of not being able to get everything hooked back up right and I need the computer for my work, which I can do as long as I don't ask it to do more than one task at a time, and save very frequently. All advice appreciated.
Thanks.
Faith
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

Replies to this message:
 Message 2 by johnfolton, posted 09-20-2006 11:36 PM Faith has not replied
 Message 3 by DrJones*, posted 09-20-2006 11:36 PM Faith has not replied
 Message 4 by Taz, posted 09-20-2006 11:38 PM Faith has replied
 Message 5 by Jazzns, posted 09-21-2006 12:40 AM Faith has not replied

johnfolton 
Suspended Member (Idle past 5591 days)
Posts: 2024
Joined: 12-04-2005


Message 2 of 297 (350870)
09-20-2006 11:36 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Faith
09-20-2006 10:41 PM


All advice appreciated.
If your MX hard drive is ancient perhaps simply buy another hard drive and set its jumpers to master and format and load your MX to this hard drive. If your hard drive is ancient it might be having problems? I'd leave your old hard drive in your computer but leave it unhooked up so at your convience you can simply unhook the new hard drive and rehook it to the old hard drive to try to fix its problems with Norton System Works Utilities(or some other fix it utility program).
I'm not too computer literate but instead of first reformating the old harddrive (If a fix it program doesn't fix the problem) wouldn't it simply be better to first simply reload the Windows XP disk to your existing harddrive without reformating the old harddrive. Then after reloading but not reformating the hard drive to rerun the registry program to correct errors if your registry program does not correct errors perhaps purchase programs that fixes problems like (Norton System Works Utility Programs). Then running one of their fix problems utilities before ever even thinking of reformating your now ancient MX harddrive disk and losing all its information.
If your disk is failing you could save important files to CD's so not to lose important information if the disk itself is failing. Once you have saved all pertinent information only then ever think of reformating the old hard drive after this point in time.
If you finally decide to reformat you can reload MX software and pertinent programs so if your having computer problems you can shift to this hard drive while you trouble shoot the other hard drive.
I'm sure others here are much more computer literate, just throwing in stuff that you might try before erasing your now rather old an ancient XP hard drive.
I like having two hard drives so all I need to do is unhook the one having the problem and hooking up to the other hard drive.
This Worked for me might work for you?
Edited by Bret, : edit added: If you buy another hard drive get some canned air at the computer store to blow all the dust out of the fans and inner parts of the computer. (Not that your computer is overheating but just to make sure all the fans are all operating).

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Faith, posted 09-20-2006 10:41 PM Faith has not replied

DrJones*
Member
Posts: 2284
From: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Joined: 08-19-2004
Member Rating: 6.8


Message 3 of 297 (350871)
09-20-2006 11:36 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Faith
09-20-2006 10:41 PM


From what you've said, it sounds like wiping and reformatting the hard drive and then reinstalling the OS is the next solution. When yo do get it up and running again I suggest buying the Norton System tools suite or something similar.
I am not an IT professional so this may not be 100% correct.
edit: as the above post suggested, try reinstalling the OS without wiping the hard drive first.
Edited by DrJones*, : No reason given.

Just a monkey in a long line of kings.
If "elitist" just means "not the dumbest motherfucker in the room", I'll be an elitist!
*not an actual doctor

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Faith, posted 09-20-2006 10:41 PM Faith has not replied

Taz
Member (Idle past 3291 days)
Posts: 5069
From: Zerus
Joined: 07-18-2006


Message 4 of 297 (350872)
09-20-2006 11:38 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Faith
09-20-2006 10:41 PM


What kind of computer do you have? What you have already described could either be hardware or software problem.
Specifically, when do you get the blue screen and does it say anything on the blue screen?
Has the computer been lagging for the last several months? In other words, have you been noticing your computer running slower and slower everyday?
Added by edit.
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT reformat your harddrive just yet. Tell me the specific things I asked. If need be, I'll walk you through step by step.
Have you tried asking the big guy upstairs? Hehe, just joking
Edited by gasby, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Faith, posted 09-20-2006 10:41 PM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 6 by Jazzns, posted 09-21-2006 12:44 AM Taz has not replied
 Message 7 by Faith, posted 09-21-2006 12:50 AM Taz has replied

Jazzns
Member (Idle past 3911 days)
Posts: 2657
From: A Better America
Joined: 07-23-2004


Message 5 of 297 (350887)
09-21-2006 12:40 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Faith
09-20-2006 10:41 PM


Start with the easy things.
The first thing to do is assume that it is software. To that end what you want to do is run your system with as little additional software running in the background as possible.
Try this:
1. Click Start
2. Click Run
3. In the 'Open' dialoge type 'msconfig' and click okay
4. Click the startup tab.
5. Uncheck everything
6. Click okay
7. When prompted restart your computer
8. After restart it will warn you that you made changes to start up, click the check to say you don't want to see that message anymore and select the option that says you do NOT want to open the system configuration utility. If you accidently click the other option, all that will happen is the screen you were at when you ran msconfig will appear again and you can click cancel.
Now just trying doing your normal tasks. Things may seem faster and you may stop your crashes.
Note though that what you really did was turn off a bunch of software that may have some side effects on the rest of your system. For example, certain application will take longer to start the first time you launch them. Some of those applications you disabled are partial loaders. They sit in memory so that the next time you use a certain application, it will load up a bit faster. Common applications that this effects are Adobe Acrobat, RealPlayer, CD Burning software, Print assistance softare, anti-virus software.
Some of the other things you are potentially turning off are applications that live in the system tray, the icons located next to your clock. These are often present to allow quick access to configuration items like your mouse, monitor, network card, etc. These only exist for convienence and if you never change these settings they only eat up space, memory, and potentially cause problems.
I run with no startup items and I have no problems.
If you do have problems with an application because of this, very unlikly because most apps will simply restart the necessary processes, you can go back to that list and look for an entry related to the software in question and re-enable it.
Also, you may need to make sure that your computer is patched as best it can be. Make sure you have XP Service Pack II. If you are not sure that you do you probably do not. Go to Windows Update: FAQ to get it. If you cannot stay online long enough to download it then you may need to borrow a friend's computer, download it and burn it onto a cd to take it to your computer for installation.
Past that you are probably looking at a problem with windows itself or a hardware problem.
Reinstalling windows is not all that bad. I do it regulary because windows often becomes bloated with crap the more you do on it. Even for a very novice user you should be able to do it in a couple of hours. Just make sure you have any essentials backed up to a cd-rom and pop in your XP cd. It may first ask you to try a 'recovery' which you should try first. If that doesn't work you can try again and IIRC there should be an option to say reinstall rather than recovery.
Vendors restore CDs vary. I am basing my explanation of the install process off of how it works for a standard windows installation cd.

Of course, biblical creationists are committed to belief in God's written Word, the Bible, which forbids bearing false witness; --AIG (lest they forget)

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Faith, posted 09-20-2006 10:41 PM Faith has not replied

Jazzns
Member (Idle past 3911 days)
Posts: 2657
From: A Better America
Joined: 07-23-2004


Message 6 of 297 (350889)
09-21-2006 12:44 AM
Reply to: Message 4 by Taz
09-20-2006 11:38 PM


Yea the contents of the blue screen may be important but I fear that it is only a sign of memory problems (hardware). Blue screen errors are often quite cryptic though simply stating that there was a fatal error or just plain giving you a memory dump.
XP rarely blue screens. The only time I have ever seen XP or 2k blue screen was when a stick of ram was not properly seated or the stick of ram was bad.

Of course, biblical creationists are committed to belief in God's written Word, the Bible, which forbids bearing false witness; --AIG (lest they forget)

This message is a reply to:
 Message 4 by Taz, posted 09-20-2006 11:38 PM Taz has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 9 by Faith, posted 09-21-2006 1:31 AM Jazzns has replied
 Message 21 by SuperNintendo Chalmers, posted 09-21-2006 2:27 PM Jazzns has not replied

Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1444 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 7 of 297 (350890)
09-21-2006 12:50 AM
Reply to: Message 4 by Taz
09-20-2006 11:38 PM


What kind of computer do you have?
Many parts put together over the years by various computer geek types who are not available any more for this and that reason. Last time got an Intel Celeron and Windows XP and Office XP about four years ago. No problems until recently.
What you have already described could either be hardware or software problem.
Yes, I figure if a complete reformat doesn't help then it's a hardware problem.
Specifically, when do you get the blue screen and does it say anything on the blue screen?
Sometimes I get one that interrupts what I'm doing, usually when I'm online and says it's dumping physical memory. I forget what else it says. If I remember I'll post it. I'm hoping I won't lose what I'm writing now.
Otherwise when I reboot - a few dozen times a day, I get a screen about checking a disk which usually finds things wrong and tells me it has corrected them. It's always something new. It tells me how many allocation somethings -- units? -- I have. I have no clue what that means.
Has the computer been lagging for the last several months? In other words, have you been noticing your computer running slower and slower everyday?
Yes. I run Ad-aware and AVG virus every day and it's been gradually slowing down anyway. I know I've had a Trojan for a few years I couldn't get rid of but it didn't seem to be doing anything much so I've ignored it.
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT reformat your harddrive just yet. Tell me the specific things I asked. If need be, I'll walk you through step by step.
OK.
Have you tried asking the big guy upstairs? Hehe, just joking
Oh yeah, all the time. I thank Him for all the help I've gotten so far.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 4 by Taz, posted 09-20-2006 11:38 PM Taz has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 10 by Taz, posted 09-21-2006 1:48 AM Faith has replied

Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1444 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 8 of 297 (350891)
09-21-2006 12:51 AM


Thanks to everyone. I'm copying out the posts to answer later.

Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1444 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 9 of 297 (350898)
09-21-2006 1:31 AM
Reply to: Message 6 by Jazzns
09-21-2006 12:44 AM


So if I'm getting blue screens I could assume it's a hardware problem?
A friend mentioned something called "Ghost" to fix a hard disk problem. What can you tell me about that option. He says he can send it to me.
I'm going to try the msconfig thing you suggested.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 6 by Jazzns, posted 09-21-2006 12:44 AM Jazzns has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 11 by Taz, posted 09-21-2006 1:49 AM Faith has not replied
 Message 14 by Jazzns, posted 09-21-2006 8:46 AM Faith has not replied

Taz
Member (Idle past 3291 days)
Posts: 5069
From: Zerus
Joined: 07-18-2006


Message 10 of 297 (350899)
09-21-2006 1:48 AM
Reply to: Message 7 by Faith
09-21-2006 12:50 AM


Do what Jazzn told you to do. If it comes to it, just reformat it. The reason I didn't want you to reformat immediately is because it could be a pain for someone who's not fluent enough with computers. I do it regularly, but that's just me.
But here is the thing. I suspect very much that after years of usage your harddrive is finally going bad. It is a problem rarely addressed by technicians for some reason. If this is the case, I'm afraid the only thing you can do is save all your vital data on a cd or something before your harddrive crashes completely. Get another harddrive and put it in.
The blue screen happens when one more more parts of the computer is no longer recognized by the motherboard. This is usually due to faulty hardware. In laptops, the most common part to cause this kind of error is the cpu, which tends to overheat. But a regular PC shouldn't have this problem unless you shoot a phaser at it.
When the ram is bad, the most common way to tell is the computer should consistently not start correctly and may shut down randomly. If your harddrive is giving in, you should experience (1) gradual increasing lag, (2) strange noises like someone is trying to speak with a dead animal in his throat, (3) more lagging, (4) some of your documents may start having jargons where there were coherent words before, (5) random shutdowns, and (6) that blue screen error.
So, in all honesty, I really think you have a hardware problem and it is likely to be your harddrive giving into its old age.
Do you know how to replace a harddrive?
Added by edit.
On second thought, if you begin to experience these problems on a regular and consistent basis, start in safe mode. If you continue to have these problems, it's definitely a hardware problem.
Edited by gasby, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 7 by Faith, posted 09-21-2006 12:50 AM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 12 by Faith, posted 09-21-2006 1:54 AM Taz has replied
 Message 15 by Jazzns, posted 09-21-2006 8:54 AM Taz has replied

Taz
Member (Idle past 3291 days)
Posts: 5069
From: Zerus
Joined: 07-18-2006


Message 11 of 297 (350900)
09-21-2006 1:49 AM
Reply to: Message 9 by Faith
09-21-2006 1:31 AM


If it is what I think it is, I don't think it will help you in this case.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 9 by Faith, posted 09-21-2006 1:31 AM Faith has not replied

Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1444 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 12 of 297 (350901)
09-21-2006 1:54 AM
Reply to: Message 10 by Taz
09-21-2006 1:48 AM


No I don't know how to replace a harddrive but I guess there's a first time for everything. I've never handled the stuff inside the CPU except to blow dust out of it.
I did the msconfig thing jazz suggested and it did speed things up some.
I'll try a total reformat soon, but I have to get some work done first -- if I can. I'll keep checking in here if possible.
thanks for advice.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 10 by Taz, posted 09-21-2006 1:48 AM Taz has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 13 by Taz, posted 09-21-2006 2:00 AM Faith has not replied
 Message 16 by Jazzns, posted 09-21-2006 8:54 AM Faith has replied

Taz
Member (Idle past 3291 days)
Posts: 5069
From: Zerus
Joined: 07-18-2006


Message 13 of 297 (350902)
09-21-2006 2:00 AM
Reply to: Message 12 by Faith
09-21-2006 1:54 AM


Faith writes:
I did the msconfig thing jazz suggested and it did speed things up some.
That still doesn't sound good.
The reason your computer lags when the harddrive is going bad is because the lazer eye is having trouble reading data on the harddrive. Less things to start at startup means less things to read and less procedures to execute. In other words, it could still go either way.
No I don't know how to replace a harddrive...
Ha, you will find that there is nothing to it. Just remember this. If it fits, stick it in. If it doesn't fit, don't try to force it in.
Here is a funny story. One time I got a call from somebody that thought he could fix his computer but ended up killing it. I went over to his place and began to examine. It turned out that this guy, in order to make certain things fit, decided to start cutting off some pins. It's like trying to make a AA battery fit in a AAA slot by slicing pieces of it off. Just not a very smart thing to do

This message is a reply to:
 Message 12 by Faith, posted 09-21-2006 1:54 AM Faith has not replied

Jazzns
Member (Idle past 3911 days)
Posts: 2657
From: A Better America
Joined: 07-23-2004


Message 14 of 297 (350950)
09-21-2006 8:46 AM
Reply to: Message 9 by Faith
09-21-2006 1:31 AM


So if I'm getting blue screens I could assume it's a hardware problem?
No. I have just seen more blue screens related to hardware problems then I have software problems.
A blue screen is usually a fatal memory error in windows. This can be because the memory is bad or because windows is bad. Windows can go bad when a piece of software starts misbehaving.
Norton Ghost is a program that can take an image of your hard drive. I am not sure why your friend recommended it unless he meant a different program called Ghost.

Of course, biblical creationists are committed to belief in God's written Word, the Bible, which forbids bearing false witness; --AIG (lest they forget)

This message is a reply to:
 Message 9 by Faith, posted 09-21-2006 1:31 AM Faith has not replied

Jazzns
Member (Idle past 3911 days)
Posts: 2657
From: A Better America
Joined: 07-23-2004


Message 15 of 297 (350951)
09-21-2006 8:54 AM
Reply to: Message 10 by Taz
09-21-2006 1:48 AM


Ive not seen a blue screen because of a bad disk although there is always a first for something.
The constant needing to run a disk check is symptomatic of a bad disk and because of that should be targetted first. It could be that the windows binaries are corrupted on the disk and causing the memory dump.
Replacing a disk is painful enough for a novice that I would recommend that someone else do it. If money is an issue, you may want to look up some hardware tutorials online before diving in.
By the age I can guess that a regular ATA drive is needed. It can be easy for someone who doesn't know to go out and by an SATA drive since that is the new standard and get frustrated when there is no way to connect it to the MB.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 10 by Taz, posted 09-21-2006 1:48 AM Taz has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 17 by Taz, posted 09-21-2006 12:39 PM Jazzns has not replied
 Message 18 by nwr, posted 09-21-2006 12:54 PM Jazzns has replied

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