Windows won't start - help please

valve90210

valve90210

valve90210

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17 Jan 2006
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4,313
Hi all

This evening I have been asked to take a look at my girlfriends sister computer which has stopped working.

She tells me that the other day she was on the computer when a message about a Java update popped up. It had been doing it for ages so she decided to click on it. It seemed to start doing something and she continued to use the computer but everything was really slow.

She tried to cancel dialogue box relating to the Java update but it didn’t seem to do anything.

It was late and she was tired so she just turned the computer off. Now, I don’t know if she used shutdown or off at the switch...

When she tried to switch the computer back on the next day it started ok but then stopped at a screen saying something like “for the Inconvenience, but Windows Failed to Start Successfully”

She is then presented with options of start in safe mode, safe mode with networking, and a couple of others. SHe has tried them all but none works. She says that with any of them, a few screens falsh up to quick to read (which I’m assuming is the screens with the IRQ info and stuff like that) and then it goes back to the Sorry for the inconvenience screen.

I’m gonna head round there with various disks of tools and windows disks and the like and fingers firmly crossed!!!

ANy one got any ideas what the problem might be? Also any idea what might be the easiest way to fix it?

Valve
 
Well, after lots of messing about with various tools, windows disks etc etc I had no luck in reviving the computer.

Everytime you tried to start windows it's look like it was doing it, then a blue screen with some writing on it would flash up, for less than a second, had absolutely no chance of reading any of it, then it'd go back to the sorry for the inconveniece screen.

Tried with the XP disk but it would't repair the installation.

Tried hard drive tool to check disk was ok, came back with no errors

Decided that best thing to do would be to backup what files I could to an external hard drive using acronis. Which I have now done. I basically backed up everything in the documents and settings folder, so all the my documents, cookies, favourites application data etc for all users.

I also used a Knoppix live CD to copy across the my documents from the main user seperately as it contained loads of photos etc which they wanted to make sure are saved.

I'm going to test the backup archive by extracting it to another computer before I go ahead and format the comp I'm trying to fix.

However before I do anything more, is there anythig else I can save which will be useful when it comes to setting up the comp from scratch. Is it possible to back up internet settings or anything? I would normally just write them all down but as I can't get windows to run at all I can't get to anything to find out any details. Are they stored in a file anywhere which I could backup and be able to find them from?


Would be a lot of help cos otherwise I think it's going to be a call to their ISP to try to recover their details etc!!!

Any help much appreciated!!!

valve
 
If you boot up knoppix again and goto c:\windows\minidump and copy those files to look at elsewhere. If you can workout the driver causing the issue from the dump file its possible to disable it under the recovery console with 'disable drivername' and perhaps get a working system back!

Theres a free app you can use to diagnose crash dumps for you but i just cant remember the name right now :o I'll have to check my sysinternal dvd to find out again.

Got it -windbg is what you are after and it is a part of the debugging suite from http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/installx86.mspx
 
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If you go ahead with the re-install make sure you have all the driver disks.

Sounds obvious but your'd be amazed at the amount of people who lose/misplace those disks.

Yes you can download them again but its a pain/delay whilst you garner all the info then go hunting.
 
If you have acronis make a backup of the whole disk - get her to spring for a small USB disk if necessary as she can always use it for backups in the future.

Then reformat/reinstall and use acronis to pull back those files that she wants from the USB disk.
 
Thanks for all the help guys, I'll give the minidumps a go, see if I can find what the problem is.

Sadly they don't have any of the driver disks etc so I'll probably run belarc advisor and then have to download all the drivers but it's not too much of a problem as I have the comp at my house so can have my comp downloading while I do other bits and pieces.

Valve
 
yep, if selected safe mode, it started to boot, showing everything that was loading, then it'd stall, a blue screen flashed up and then it went back to the menu again.

wasn't a BSOD type screen looked more like a blue back ground with white writing like you get when it wants to check the hard drive if comp shuts down unexpectedly, but I have no idea what it said cos it literally flashed up and off in an instant!!!

Valve
 
I have my mates old P3 here thats been doing that.
I finally persuaded the tight git to fork out and buy (assemble) a new one.. With me guiding him... pleased as punch he was..

Then came round with this damn thing and asked me to wipe it and stick win 98 back on it as it only has 2 x 128mb ram ( Pc100) and it keeps falling over when running XP so his youngest daughter can play basic games.
( Ex Tiny computers)

I wiped it and started to put 98 back on it but the installer just keeps bombing out at the beginning of the install. I think I've now memorised the license key !! (How sad is that).

I even tried booting EdUbuntu on it but it instantly said the BIOS was pre 2000 (1998) and unsupported.

Sometimes having experience with computers aint a good thing !!
 
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