Windows... MIA

DLoney · 19-June-06, 07:12 PM

Ok everyone. I was hoping someone here could help me out… I could use all the help I can get at the moment.

One of my families computers decided to stop working yesterday… here is what happened:
The computer would boot like normal and then flash on over to the screen you get when there is an serious error, asking you to boot in safe mode, normal mode, ect… But here is the strange thing; no matter what mode you try to do, the computer never actually loads up windows, and always reboots… an continuous cycle…

So, since windows would not load I just assumed that one of the registry files were missing, and inserted the OEM OS disk. Booted into the windows setup screen, (I have done this before) But, instead of seeing an already established partition for windows XP Home edition (from which you can click the “repair” option), I see an “unknown” partition, from which there is not the normal repair option, only an option to do an blank install of the OS. Ok, not what I wanted, so I went ahead and exited windows setup (F3) and went to the recovery console, and preceded to use the “chkdsk command”…. It could not find windows and said that it was either not there, or too corrupted to recognize…. (not looking good at this point), so I tried to use the directory check command (“dir”), from which, it found nothing.

Any ideas on what happened? How could the entire OS be gone in an instant? The computer was running fine before the problem occurred…

Any Ideas on how to approach this?

Edit:
Maybe a bad boot sector?

FunkyStickman · 19-June-06, 08:03 PM

Honestly, sounds like hard drive failure. See if you can put the drive into another computer and mount it. You could also possibly run chkdsk -f on it like that, too. Eliminate possibilities.

DLoney · 21-June-06, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FunkyStickman


	Honestly, sounds like hard drive failure. See if you can put the drive into another computer and mount it. You could also possibly run chkdsk -f on it like that, too. Eliminate possibilities.

Ok.. thanks for your help. I will try that tonight.

PS: Sorry for the late reply, my cable went out right after I posted this message, and it took them till today to send someone down and fix it...

ranger1033 · 21-June-06, 07:58 PM

Well it sounds like you got a bad boot sector or registry file missing , my guess would be to do a full format and reload windows that to me would be a safer way to fix your problem vs having it and trying to repair it, because sometime doing a repair does not really always fix the problem and the error could always present it self later on down the road.

Sn0wMan · 21-June-06, 08:11 PM

If you discover that the HDD is infact good, then I would definately go with ranger1033's suggestion. He is right on the money.

THRiLL KiLL · 30-June-06, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ranger1033


	Well it sounds like you got a bad boot sector or registry file missing , my guess would be to do a full format and reload windows that to me would be a safer way to fix your problem vs having it and trying to repair it, because sometime doing a repair does not really always fix the problem and the error could always present it self later on down the road.

i agree... but i would place my money on the driver for the hard drive getting courrupted...

DLoney · 02-July-06, 08:07 AM

OkÃ‚â€¦ we have tried hooking up the hard drive to another windows system, and browsing its contentsÃ‚â€¦ no luck. So last night, I decided to let the years of photos/videos go, and reinstall the operating system. In hopes that this program will work (as I have heard it does from a few friends) and recover any lost files after the clean installÃ‚â€¦

So, I was installing windows, and had about 5 mins left, when the computer just stopped. Screen went blank, and there was no responseÃ‚â€¦ As of that time, the computer will not even boot into the bios, and is lifelessÃ‚â€¦ Any Ideas?

THRiLL KiLL · 02-July-06, 12:46 PM

unplug the hard drive.... (both power and data)

i bet the system will boot into bios...

its rma time for that hard drive....

ariesjj · 02-July-06, 03:47 PM

One last option before RMA'ing it... low level format. There are a few good free utils out on the market to handle this.. best ones I've dealt with are WD and Maxtor. Good Luck.

DLoney · 02-July-06, 06:06 PM

RMA?

PS: Thanks for the advice everyone.

Monsignor Funkibut · 02-July-06, 06:15 PM

RMA=Return of Merchandise Authorization

When you return the hard drive to the manufacturer, the will give you an RMA number that has to be listed a couple of places. Helps them track your stuff and get you a new drive.

-MF

ariesjj · 02-July-06, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monsignor Funkibut


	RMA=Return of Merchandise Authorization When you return the hard drive to the manufacturer, the will give you an RMA number that has to be listed a couple of places. Helps them track your stuff and get you a new drive. -MF

Yeah.. like 500 times on the outer box on at least 3 sides... is it just me or are the RMA requirements getting more and more rediculous?

GrandpaNoob72 · 02-July-06, 10:04 PM

Playing the devil's advocate here for a sec... How much money do you think the manufacturers would actually make in a year if they RMA'd every single piece of hardware, regardless of whether the end user is at fault (overclockers and warranty voiders especially)?

Aside from examining the goods once they arrive, to determine whether or not it was operator headspace and timing or parts failure, they probably make it as scary as they can on the side of the box, so folks will think twice before trying to do something to / with the hardware that it wasn't designed for, and then send it back for a new one...

The Dragon Reborn · 03-July-06, 01:51 PM

I'd run Memtest86+ (Freeware) to check if your memory is still ok.... nothing like bad memory as to
seriously messing up things!! I've expierienced things like this before....I too thought it was the hdd...
but it was the memory... hope you can 'nail it down!

TDR

DLoney · 05-July-06, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Dragon Reborn


	I'd run Memtest86+ (Freeware) to check if your memory is still ok.... nothing like bad memory as to seriously messing up things!! I've expierienced things like this before....I too thought it was the hdd... but it was the memory... hope you can 'nail it down! TDR

Thanks for that. I just downloaded it, and will give it a shot today.
I Tried unplugging the hard drive and booting into just the bios, but no luck. I think it might have something to do with the computers graphical output being processed by an dedicated ATI Radeon Card ( no motherboard built in option )

DLoney · 07-July-06, 05:14 PM

Ok... I have Memtest86+ running ... One Question though... How many passes is required/needed?
I am on pass number 8, and it has been scanning for over 5hrs.

reflux · 07-July-06, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DLoney


	Ok... I have Memtest86+ running ... One Question though... How many passes is required/needed? I am on pass number 8, and it has been scanning for over 5hrs.

I think you should leave it for as long as possible to confirm 100% stability, but frankly when I tried it I got bored after 2 hours so I gave up.

19-June-06, 07:12 PM	#1 (permalink)
DLoney Apex Master Tech Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 385	Windows... MIA Ok everyone. I was hoping someone here could help me out… I could use all the help I can get at the moment. One of my families computers decided to stop working yesterday… here is what happened: The computer would boot like normal and then flash on over to the screen you get when there is an serious error, asking you to boot in safe mode, normal mode, ect… But here is the strange thing; no matter what mode you try to do, the computer never actually loads up windows, and always reboots… an continuous cycle… So, since windows would not load I just assumed that one of the registry files were missing, and inserted the OEM OS disk. Booted into the windows setup screen, (I have done this before) But, instead of seeing an already established partition for windows XP Home edition (from which you can click the “repair” option), I see an “unknown” partition, from which there is not the normal repair option, only an option to do an blank install of the OS. Ok, not what I wanted, so I went ahead and exited windows setup (F3) and went to the recovery console, and preceded to use the “chkdsk command”…. It could not find windows and said that it was either not there, or too corrupted to recognize…. (not looking good at this point), so I tried to use the directory check command (“dir”), from which, it found nothing. Any ideas on what happened? How could the entire OS be gone in an instant? The computer was running fine before the problem occurred… Any Ideas on how to approach this? Edit: Maybe a bad boot sector? __________________ Past PCApex Project Logs: [Done] Last edited by DLoney; 19-June-06 at 07:22 PM.

19-June-06, 08:03 PM	#2 (permalink)
FunkyStickman Linux Warrior Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: New "Ho"rleans Posts: 637	Re: Windows... MIA Honestly, sounds like hard drive failure. See if you can put the drive into another computer and mount it. You could also possibly run chkdsk -f on it like that, too. Eliminate possibilities. __________________

21-June-06, 07:58 PM	#4 (permalink)
ranger1033 Imperial News Bounty Hunter Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: In a Galaxy Far Far Away Rouses Point, NY Posts: 8,014	Re: Windows... MIA Well it sounds like you got a bad boot sector or registry file missing , my guess would be to do a full format and reload windows that to me would be a safer way to fix your problem vs having it and trying to repair it, because sometime doing a repair does not really always fix the problem and the error could always present it self later on down the road. __________________ Last edited by ranger1033; 21-June-06 at 08:14 PM.

21-June-06, 08:11 PM	#5 (permalink)
Sn0wMan Apex Tech Demi-God Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,502	Re: Windows... MIA If you discover that the HDD is infact good, then I would definately go with ranger1033's suggestion. He is right on the money. __________________ Check out my Custom Etches Project Purple Aspire Project Tsunami Dream MY First Mod on a HP Pavilion 533w ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe Opteron 165 @ 2.7 3GB Corsair XMS DDR500 Corsair HX620 PSU EVGA 8600 GTS

02-July-06, 08:07 AM	#7 (permalink)
DLoney Apex Master Tech Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 385	Re: Windows... MIA OkÃ‚â€¦ we have tried hooking up the hard drive to another windows system, and browsing its contentsÃ‚â€¦ no luck. So last night, I decided to let the years of photos/videos go, and reinstall the operating system. In hopes that this program will work (as I have heard it does from a few friends) and recover any lost files after the clean installÃ‚â€¦ So, I was installing windows, and had about 5 mins left, when the computer just stopped. Screen went blank, and there was no responseÃ‚â€¦ As of that time, the computer will not even boot into the bios, and is lifelessÃ‚â€¦ Any Ideas? __________________ Past PCApex Project Logs: [Done]

02-July-06, 12:46 PM	#8 (permalink)
THRiLL KiLL PcApEX's PuNK ROckER Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 4,589 Blog Entries: 2	Re: Windows... MIA unplug the hard drive.... (both power and data) i bet the system will boot into bios... its rma time for that hard drive.... __________________ www.xmb-psp.com

02-July-06, 03:47 PM	#9 (permalink)
ariesjj Apex Master Tech Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Harrison, Arkansas Posts: 496	Re: Windows... MIA One last option before RMA'ing it... low level format. There are a few good free utils out on the market to handle this.. best ones I've dealt with are WD and Maxtor. Good Luck. __________________ A true modder imagines the unimaginable, sees the unseeable, and does the undoable. You know what you want.. now go out and do it. Enjoy and look to the sky for inspiration, for the ground has already been troden till it's dirt once more.

02-July-06, 06:06 PM	#10 (permalink)
DLoney Apex Master Tech Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 385	Re: Windows... MIA RMA? PS: Thanks for the advice everyone. __________________ Past PCApex Project Logs: [Done]

02-July-06, 06:15 PM	#11 (permalink)
Monsignor Funkibut Master VB Pr'hoe'grammer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Tucker, Ga Posts: 1,886	Re: Windows... MIA RMA=Return of Merchandise Authorization When you return the hard drive to the manufacturer, the will give you an RMA number that has to be listed a couple of places. Helps them track your stuff and get you a new drive. -MF __________________ The Danse, The Parfum, The Man .....

02-July-06, 10:04 PM	#13 (permalink)
GrandpaNoob72 Eleven-Bravo Sitrep Writer Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Fort Riley, KS (Back home where I BELONG!) Posts: 3,367	Re: Windows... MIA Playing the devil's advocate here for a sec... How much money do you think the manufacturers would actually make in a year if they RMA'd every single piece of hardware, regardless of whether the end user is at fault (overclockers and warranty voiders especially)? Aside from examining the goods once they arrive, to determine whether or not it was operator headspace and timing or parts failure, they probably make it as scary as they can on the side of the box, so folks will think twice before trying to do something to / with the hardware that it wasn't designed for, and then send it back for a new one... __________________ A veteran - whether active duty, retired, national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America", for an amount of "up to and including my life". That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country, who no longer understand that...

03-July-06, 01:51 PM	#14 (permalink)
The Dragon Reborn Apex Elite Expert Tech Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: NL Posts: 1,267	Re: Windows... MIA I'd run Memtest86+ (Freeware) to check if your memory is still ok.... nothing like bad memory as to seriously messing up things!! I've expierienced things like this before....I too thought it was the hdd... but it was the memory... hope you can 'nail it down! TDR __________________

07-July-06, 05:14 PM	#16 (permalink)
DLoney Apex Master Tech Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 385	Re: Windows... MIA Ok... I have Memtest86+ running ... One Question though... How many passes is required/needed? I am on pass number 8, and it has been scanning for over 5hrs. __________________ Past PCApex Project Logs: [Done]