Computer problem

[Is out of here]

Wondering if any1 could help me.......my pc isnt booting up for some reason it goes to a screen with 4 option (start in safe mode, start in last known mode etc) I have tryed them all but it keeps going back to this same screen with the options.........any ideas ty.

(yes i am using a different pc while typing this )

 

[Rui]

I presume Windows - does it boot off the install CD if you try that instead? It doesn't sound terrifically healthy. Any other symptoms?

R

 

[Is out of here]

No no other symptoms and i dont have the install cd............. this has happend before about 6 month ago but someone with pc knowlage had a look and sorted it pretty quick...........im guessing he went into the bios setup......i dunno.

 

[Zen 2nd]

This sounds like a problem with the harddrive. Maybe try going into the BIOS and make sure your harddrive is actually been selected to boot up.

 

[ayase]

It's a bad day for computers, clearly. My laptop is very dead. At least yours will turn on. :cry:

 

[MrChom]

If it was a hard drive problem then the machine wouldn't be able to see that there was a copy of Windows to boot from. Best advice is to find a windows disk and attempt to repair it from that.

It sounds very much like you've either hit some kind of horribly corrupt driver (at a guess a corrupt video or motherboard driver) or a bad windows update (they do happen). Without some kind of system restore point (which you can't get to) or system restore disk (which you don't have) your list of options is VERY limited

There is also the VERY unlikely option that your machine is overheating somewhere and is tripping a thermal cutout as the disc/processor activity rise to enter windows. Hideously unlikely but plausible. Same goes for a Power Supply failure or partial failure (Windows starts to boot, calls the graphics card, graphics card tries to take juice that doesn't exist, motherboard fails the boot and starts again).

My money's on a corrupted driver. You can get system restore discs from manufacturers for fairly low prices (or free sometimes if you can download/burn them to CD) but this can result in the loss of your data. A windows repair or reinstall is also possible but may not solve any underlying problems (forcing you into a cycle of the thing crapping out and being reinstalled) it may, however, give you enough time to get your files off, and do a clean reinstallation.

If you're really running out of options and need the PC back just for net browsing and messaging to try and fix it then downloading something like Knoppix may help you to get just enough use out of the PC to fix it http://knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html yes, your desktop will look different, but it doesn't install anything, and runs entirely off a CD, and depending on how you're set up it might enable you to get the internet back. Be advised, though, that this is really an option of last-resort at best, and I'm not doing tech support on Knoppix

Well, hopefully that helped, and good luck in fixing the PC.

 

[Tachi]

Sounds like you have a good understanding of PC maintenance MrChom

what courses have you done?

 

[MrChom]

Sounds like you have a good understanding of PC maintenance MrChom

what courses have you done?

Currently up to A Level, some programming in my spare time, a LOT of fiddling with my own computer (seriously the single BEST way to get to know how to fix a PC is to build it), and recently I've done some Microsoft Server 2003 Courses and am currently doing a CompTIA Security+ Fundamentals of Network Security course.

Having a family who know next to nothing about PCs and being the only geek is also a great way to get a crash course, you come home and find PCs dumped on your bed with a post-it saying "Fix Me" on them. It also helps that I've run/installed almost every OS out there right now on my home machine....that and the fact I now maintain a bank of spares so I can test broken machines for common faults (I HATE Power Supply failure, it breaks EVERYTHING).

Anyway, I'm sure I'm not the only resident computer geek here, just like to lend a hand if I think I can

 

[MaxonTreik]

I ordered all the internal stuff for building a PC yesterday, and the stuff should arrive tomorrow. It's my first time too. Maybe I'll be a computer geek in time.

 

[MrChom]

I ordered all the internal stuff for building a PC yesterday, and the stuff should arrive tomorrow. It's my first time too. Maybe I'll be a computer geek in time.

It is the best way to learn, some quick tips though:

1. Use the washers provided to isolate your motherboard from the case, the backside of the mobo must not be touching the case. I've seen some builders do this accidentally, almost did it myself once.

2. Make sure your fans are plugged in, and free moving before first boot. They'll save your PC if you've screwed up, they should move with a gentle finger push.

3. Don't screw the case closed until you've booted the machine. I HATE having to reopen mine because I forgot to power up the CD drive, or I'm a stick of RAM short.

4. Leave the machine PLUGGED IN but with the wall socket TURNED OFF if you need to change things. This may sound dumb but earthing the machine prevents static discharge from harming components.

5. Check twice, power on once. Powering on my first home-build scared the crap out of me, I was terrified something was going to blow because I didn't have the money to fix it. It all ended up working and now my PC (affectionately known as Spartan) is a real workhorse. Just make sure you check every cable, every fan, just EVERYTHING twice.

And good luck with the build.....personally I quite enjoy them, but then I am very geeky.

 

[MaxonTreik]

Thanks for the advice. I have a book to help me get through it all, and I've had an idea of the "Do's and Don't's" for a while. This PC is going to be a monster when it's running.

 

[Tachi]

Sounds like you have a good understanding of PC maintenance MrChom

what courses have you done?

Currently up to A Level, some programming in my spare time, a LOT of fiddling with my own computer (seriously the single BEST way to get to know how to fix a PC is to build it), and recently I've done some Microsoft Server 2003 Courses and am currently doing a CompTIA Security+ Fundamentals of Network Security course.

Having a family who know next to nothing about PCs and being the only geek is also a great way to get a crash course, you come home and find PCs dumped on your bed with a post-it saying "Fix Me" on them. It also helps that I've run/installed almost every OS out there right now on my home machine....that and the fact I now maintain a bank of spares so I can test broken machines for common faults (I HATE Power Supply failure, it breaks EVERYTHING).

Anyway, I'm sure I'm not the only resident computer geek here, just like to lend a hand if I think I can

Nice
im just starting the A+ so im pretty much the family+friend techy :lol:
lemme know if you want to talk about pc's sometime

 

[Tachi]

I ordered all the internal stuff for building a PC yesterday, and the stuff should arrive tomorrow. It's my first time too. Maybe I'll be a computer geek in time.

It is the best way to learn, some quick tips though:

1. Use the washers provided to isolate your motherboard from the case, the backside of the mobo must not be touching the case. I've seen some builders do this accidentally, almost did it myself once.

2. Make sure your fans are plugged in, and free moving before first boot. They'll save your PC if you've screwed up, they should move with a gentle finger push.

3. Don't screw the case closed until you've booted the machine. I HATE having to reopen mine because I forgot to power up the CD drive, or I'm a stick of RAM short.

4. Leave the machine PLUGGED IN but with the wall socket TURNED OFF if you need to change things. This may sound dumb but earthing the machine prevents static discharge from harming components.

5. Check twice, power on once. Powering on my first home-build scared the crap out of me, I was terrified something was going to blow because I didn't have the money to fix it. It all ended up working and now my PC (affectionately known as Spartan) is a real workhorse. Just make sure you check every cable, every fan, just EVERYTHING twice.

And good luck with the build.....personally I quite enjoy them, but then I am very geeky.

ESD you can avoid with a strap. or cut open a plastic bin liner and use that to build on.

i've built loads of Pc's in the past and its really fun i agree ^^

 

[Zen 2nd]

Anyway, I'm sure I'm not the only resident computer geek here, just like to lend a hand if I think I can

Yeah, I'm actually going into my third year of software engineering

I don't build PCs though, I don't really have the time for that aspect and for fixing PCs well mine never break.

 

[MrChom]

Yeah, I'm actually going into my third year of software engineering

I don't build PCs though, I don't really have the time for that aspect and for fixing PCs well mine never break.

If I could go back and choose my degree again I'd probably choose programming or something similar. As it is I'm a drop out, and aside from self-teaching getting into stuff like C would just be a pain in the arse right now. Still, it's nice to dream

 

[Zen 2nd]

Yeah, I'm actually going into my third year of software engineering

I don't build PCs though, I don't really have the time for that aspect and for fixing PCs well mine never break.

If I could go back and choose my degree again I'd probably choose programming or something similar. As it is I'm a drop out, and aside from self-teaching getting into stuff like C would just be a pain in the arse right now. Still, it's nice to dream

Well if your going to learn a programming language its better to start off with Java. It helps you get used to the layout of programming and there it lots of things that you can use in other languages too.

Though yeah, it takes time to learn it and loads of practice.

 

[Tachi]

Yeah, I'm actually going into my third year of software engineering

I don't build PCs though, I don't really have the time for that aspect and for fixing PCs well mine never break.

If I could go back and choose my degree again I'd probably choose programming or something similar. As it is I'm a drop out, and aside from self-teaching getting into stuff like C would just be a pain in the arse right now. Still, it's nice to dream

Well if your going to learn a programming language its better to start off with Java. It helps you get used to the layout of programming and there it lots of things that you can use in other languages too.

Though yeah, it takes time to learn it and loads of practice.

Okay being a programmer i presume batch files would be easy,

In sept i have a exam on batch files. i know how to write them and find then pretty easy, i have a ace in the hole that the rest of my class don't...i know how to write VBScripts. So what im planning on doing is writting a batch file that creates 2 directories and then action a VBScript to form as a completion box, the aim is that i'll score higher marks for using techniques that haven't been taught in the course but will show how developed my skills are.

I've wrote afew basic games in java....but to be honest they were boring :lol:
So if either of you guys think of anything i could encorp into my batch files it'd be much appreciated ^^

 

[BlackWolf]

Yeah, I'm actually going into my third year of software engineering

I don't build PCs though, I don't really have the time for that aspect and for fixing PCs well mine never break.

If I could go back and choose my degree again I'd probably choose programming or something similar. As it is I'm a drop out, and aside from self-teaching getting into stuff like C would just be a pain in the arse right now. Still, it's nice to dream

Well if your going to learn a programming language its better to start off with Java. It helps you get used to the layout of programming and there it lots of things that you can use in other languages too.

Though yeah, it takes time to learn it and loads of practice.

Okay being a programmer i presume batch files would be easy,

In sept i have a exam on batch files. i know how to write them and find then pretty easy, i have a ace in the hole that the rest of my class don't...i know how to write VBScripts. So what im planning on doing is writting a batch file that creates 2 directories and then action a VBScript to form as a completion box, the aim is that i'll score higher marks for using techniques that haven't been taught in the course but will show how developed my skills are.

I've wrote afew basic games in java....but to be honest they were boring :lol:
So if either of you guys think of anything i could encorp into my batch files it'd be much appreciated ^^

lol that's a more complicated way of doing batch files in my second year we were just told to open note pad write about two lines and then be done with it :lol:

I don't get on well with Java, i could never seem to get my head around it, probably wasn't helped that on the course we had to go from two lessons to learning the basics then dive straight in to the networking aspect and had to have a fully working chat sever ready using datagram packets -_-

 

[Zen 2nd]

Yeah don't do anything complicated with batch files as they shouldn't be complicated in the first place.

Though since you actually know whats coming up on the exam you could do that but be always sure to do what the question asks.

 

[Tachi]

We are only told to write batch files in wordpad, but im adding VBScripts to get higher marks.

Edit to Zen 2nd: Yeah weve had all the course questions from the start of the course, first thing in the first lesson to be exact :lol: