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 Now online (1)dariusgriffin ...and 725 guests Last 5 registered Oplandisks nothingstar N_loop yipe foxtrotromeo Browse members... |
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So... I'm having some real problems getting my PC to even boot up: I'll have blue screen memory errors (which btw I'm starting to log) while I'm using Windows which force me to power off/power on. When I power on, the screen remains dead (it's still on standby) and the main PC emits that beeping sound a few times before seeming to load something (the load light is consistently on) while stopping to load. If I power off after this loading and power back on, the PC is USUALLY ok (although very slow - boot up just took 8 minutes where it's usually 4-5) but even then sometimes comes up with memory errors when I'm not even touching the PC at all. I've tried doing the Windows System Restore a couple of times (which didn't actually work...) and I also managed to install XP Service Pack 3 but neither has fixed anything - it seems to be that something is corrupted in the BIOS files? I'm really not sure what to do with it now - any advice would be appreciated. |
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Faultly hard disk probably - it's unlikely to be a software fault. Your options are get it repaired and allow the repair man to see all the filth you've been downloading, or back up everything onto a memory stick and buy a new PC. Alternatively, try Castle Cops, they give a lot of good advice on the forums. My PC broke on boot up a few weeks ago too, found it that it was Microsoft Windows Upate that caused it, stupid cunts. |
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Ok, I remember having a bad hard drive with my older computer and we had a few start up issues like these... mind they were a LOT worse. Just about to do another restart, Windows has updated itself once more. BTW these problems have only existed for a few days. I've had the odd blue screen a couple of times this year but nothing as frequent as this :\ |
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yeah sounds like a hardware problem. better buy a mac :p |
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you need to install a large lump hammer via the screen 3 times,then buy a mac.job sorted. |
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bugger,beat me |
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Open the box and disconnect everything except essentials, like screen, keyboard and perhaps mouse. See if a bit of hardware is causing it. I'd suggest you get a bootable linux cd and use that to do data recovery and stuff like that. Probably worth running memtest86 to see if your RAM is shagged. Here is a link http://www.livecdlist.com/?pick=All&showonly=rescue If you think the bios is corrupt then re-flash it. Usually the likely things are: * some crucial bit of windows crud is corrupt on hard disk * some bit of hardware is causing problems * RAM is dodgy There's a few ideas for you to try. |
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one this is for sure, as said before: this is certainly not a software/bios problem. to me it definitely sounds like a failed/failing hard drive with the intermittent nature of the bsods. i would recommend you stop using the computer until you buy a new hdd (which are fucking dirt cheap right now) and can copy the contents of the old drive over. another possibility is that the cable to the hard drive is loose. i've replaced a hard drive before checking this as the symptoms are nearly identical (either way the system suddenly cannot access some files), so double check the connections as well. (i suppose in a desktop it could also be the power cable.) if you really feel the need to make sure a failed hdd is the problem (if the cables turn out to be fine), try navigating through explorer quickly, if this seems to consistently get you bsods it's pretty safe to say that's it. |
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could also be bad memory. do some checks on your hardware. http://www.hiren.info/pages/bootcd |
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Cheers guys for all the advice. I'm going to Maplin Electronics in a few days so I'll have a look at getting a new HDD. I did do the little Explorer test but everything was fine, I opened up some pretty big directories (WINDOWS -> system 32) and they were fine. I've been going for quite a while now without and degree of BSoD. I've noted down all the error messages for future reference though heh. I know I'm not going to be able to use this PC much in the next week, so I guess that gives me time to think things over as to what to do with the HDD. It may well be a dodgy connection though. |
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i invented the [tech] tag :) |
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Before buying anything check RAM. |
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In fact... This morning I booted up this PC again, it ran CHKDSK (I had told Windows to do so) and half way thru came up with another BSoD - I noted it down and it's a - memory error. I thiiink I heard 3 beeps coming from the BIOS when it was that bad which equates to a - memory error Start up is very sluggish... this is either slow CPU speed (but nothing has touched the CPU and I never had this before...) or could be a - memory error So I believe that it actually could be a simple case of reseating the RAM modules... which is all fine and dandy :) I'm going to do that ASAP. Afterwards I'll probably run Memtest86 to check that everything's ok. It's sat on my external HDD waiting to be extracted :) |
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have you checked if its bad memory? |
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w00t. glad to hear it's not a hdd fail. |
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DUDE, Take out your ram, try one stick at a time. One of them might be fucked. If not that, it might be the HD. Happened to me not to long ago. I formatted needlessly, installed linux windows etc etc. Still froze and or Blue screened. I ended up taking a stick of ram out of my laptop. Same problem. So I tried taking out the other stick, and putting back the first one. IT WORKED ! So I went to fucker shop, bought a 2 dig stick for like way less then I Though ($40). All is well .... FOR NOW! |
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get yourself a decent . Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional |
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Update:- A few minutes ago I reseated the two 512MB RAM modules in there but I don't think it's made any difference. Start up failed first time with Windows stalling just before the log in screen and I'm in a very slow Windows at the moment running on the "Last Known Good Configuration"... I'm going to run MemTest to see if anything is DEFINITELY up with the RAM. I still think it's a RAM issue, but I'm looking at the important software on my HDD and thinking of how I can get it all back (which should be easy if need be). Obviously then if there is a RAM error, I'll take out one module, try one, try the other if that one is slow, etc. etc. Just a question on module speeds: If you're running with several RAM modules, they both have to be the same speeds right (otherwise you get lagging etc.)? The memory speed doesn't relate to CPU speed though does it? |
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"They" always recommend that you use RAM of matching speeds, but the truth is that you can run any combination of speeds just fine. This is because the faster sticks will down-clock to match the speed of the slowest stick. The 'lag' in that case would be the difference in speed that you lose in downclocking, I suppose. |
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get your bootable linux cd and a USB external disk. fire up the linux cd and run up a terminal use dd to copy the internal harddisk to a bit for bit image on the external disk. something like: dd if=/dev/hda of=/dev/hdb/diskimage.img your mileage may vary. That way you get an EXACT replica of your hard disk so when it dies just get a fresh disk and plonk the image on that. |
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I ran Memtest... it found nothing in one pass, which was complete within 30 minutes - is that necessarily slow or just standard? Report is below: L1 Cache = 16k | 20927 MB/s L2 Cache = 1024k | 18359 MB/s Memory = 1022M | 2720 MB/s Settings: RAM: 199 MHz (DDR398) CAS: 3-3-3-8 Dual channel (128 bits) Chipset: Intel i848/865 (ECC: Disabled) FSB: 199 MHz PAT: Disabled Boot up of Windows from power on to "all loaded" is about 8-9 minutes (about double what it should be), though the boot up seems normal speed (1.5 minutes) til it reaches the log in screen, where things get rather slow. I haven't had BSoDs for a while now. Odd... but then again they're pretty much random anyway. I expect next time I try to power on (which will probably be Saturday) I'll get a shitload. My computer case WAS full of dust which I've now cleared up, so everything should run a little more smoothly if all of that was affecting anything. REALLY STUPID QUESTION: Memory DIMMs had "512MB" labels on them - that's 512MB to one module, not one side of one module? If it IS one side of one module, then MemTest tells me that I'm only running with half the memory I should be, but I severely doubt this is the case - that's the most fucked up labelling system I've ever seen if so. |
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Well, I've been running for a couple of days now without any BSoDs or startup errors. Startup is pretty slow, but as long as nothing is slowly dying (which it no longer appears to be) it's ok. I seem to be able to run pretty big memory consuming tasks without anything going ape on me, so touchwood everything's alright. |
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I suggest backing up your stuff and doing a fresh install of something. Try to use a legit copy of your OS ;) |
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on his computer |
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lmfao, that's so true :P Oxygen: Yeah, I might well do that. I've got everything majorly important (schoolwork + music files) backed up and I'm thankful I've moved over to my laptop for making music now - if I lost that, I really would be screwed. If everything stays stable until Xmas, I'll probably keep this computer like it is. If things gradually detiorate, I'll start acting on it. |
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having a wonderful time ... |
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