Puter help!

Help! (Please)

My main PC fails to boot up properly, all I get is a blank screen. However, I saw that I could put it onto standby by using keyboard shortcuts, so even though I can't see anything, something is working there. It tells me there are errors on 'one of' the disks, which presumably means the hard drive. It dutifully runs a repair programme, but in never gets past being 9% complete before the screen goes blank again. (perhaps I should just wait several hours to see if anything happens?)

There is hope though, because I managed to start it successfully in Safe mode. But I don't really know what to try to do next.

Thanks for your time.

Is there anything you could suggest as a possible reason for its apparent demise? It hasn't been moved and knocked perhaps? Had you just installed a new program or updated something, then it wouldn't start up again?

That it starts in Safe Mode is a reasonably good sign, otherwise the symptoms sound rather ominous and would point me to suspect a case of hardware failure - probably the drive.

I hate computers! Good luck fixing it.

I'm useless at fixing PCs so wait for someone more knowledgeable then me to comment! But perhaps it's a corrupt graphics card driver and re-installing the graphics card in safe mode would help.

Quote: Aaron @ September 15 2010, 7:39 AM BST

Is there anything you could suggest as a possible reason for its apparent demise? It hasn't been moved and knocked perhaps? Had you just installed a new program or updated something, then it wouldn't start up again?

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Well I had tried and failed to install a LG program for my daughter's phone, but that was a couple of days ago. And the computer was working OK...although it had been 'quirky' for a few days, too. Could a failed installation progressively affect the boot-up?

It could, yes, but it strikes me as unlikely to have had such an extensive effect so quickly.

When you say that the screen is blank, is it black? Blue? White? Is the monitor on or does it turn itself off (you should be able to tell a clear difference between the grey 'black' (on) and a proper black black (off))?

How old is your computer? Is the hard drive nearly full and has it been slowing down over recent months? What is its operating system (Windows XP or newer - or Mac)? Can you run the Bios when you turn it on? If you can start in Safe Mode, can you go to a System Restore point (if you have ever set a restore point)? Or just try uninstalling the LG phone program?

Quote: Aaron @ September 15 2010, 9:48 AM BST

When you say that the screen is blank, is it black? Blue? White? Is the monitor on or does it turn itself off (you should be able to tell a clear difference between the grey 'black' (on) and a proper black black (off))?

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I have it connected to my TV, and it appears 'blue', which is the colour of 'no signal'. It doesn't turn itself off; but it wouldn't I suppose, being a TV. Maybe I should hook it up to a monitor to see what happens.

Quote: Kenneth @ September 15 2010, 10:09 AM BST

How old is your computer? Is the hard drive nearly full and has it been slowing down over recent months? What is its operating system (Windows XP or newer - or Mac)? Can you run the Bios when you turn it on? If you can start in Safe Mode, can you go to a System Restore point (if you have ever set a restore point)? Or just try uninstalling the LG phone program?

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2 years old, hard drive still not nearly full, no appreciable loss of performance in recent months, Windows Vista, dunno what a Bios is, sorry; I don't appear to have system restore points, my bad (my old XP used to automatically set them), I've now uninstalled the LG thing, to no avail.

Quote: Nogget @ September 15 2010, 10:46 AM BST

2 years old, hard drive still not nearly full, no appreciable loss of performance in recent months, Windows Vista, dunno what a Bios is

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BIOS is the Basic Input-Output System, which can be run when you turn on your computer, by hitting one of the f keys or escape key a combo of other keys (depends on the model). It's not at all important - it's just reassuring that when your comp won't boot but you can run BIOS, then it means your comp isn't 100% screwed.

As for your problem, have you tried these instructions? http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

Tried wiggling the monitor cable?

Quote: Kenneth @ September 15 2010, 11:02 AM BST

As for your problem, have you tried these instructions? http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

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Interesting, I followed the instructions, but I can't do a clean reboot, as it just starts telling me about a disk which needs to be 'checked for consistency' before it gets to normal start-up. So I guess that means the problem is not with any of those start-up programmes which I disabled.

Quote: Leevil @ September 15 2010, 12:45 PM BST

Tried wiggling the monitor cable?

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Yes thanks, I've been wiggling all manner of things; but I can see things on 'safe mode' anyway, so it can't be the lead.

Yeah, it's sounding more and more like you've got a hardware failure - most likely the hard drive. Your local computer shop should be able to replace it for you for a reasonable fee; they may charge more if you want them to reinstall Windows, attempt data recovery, etc. Could get pretty pricey if you want said bells.

I'd recommend anyone with a slightly rickety computer to get themselves a Linux Live CD, so if ever you can't get into Windows because of a Windows error, you can always access your files instantly.

Ubuntu send you CDs for free. I ordered one a few years back and it came quite sharpish. Whilst it's a slick looking operating system, it's a bit bloated and runs slowly on older computers - http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/cds

Puppy Linux though is amazing. It looks like Windows 95, although it's getting better. But it really is the fastest thing known to man. You can run this on your casio watch it needs so little power - http://puppylinux.org/main/index.php?file=Overview%20and%20Getting%20Started.htm

With these Live Linux CDs you can run them straight off the disk without installing OR you can even install them to USB stick and SD cards, effectively carrying your whole computer around in your pocket.

Whilst neither of them are as slick or as compatible with software as Windows or Mac. For a temp solution to computer issues, they are frickin amazing.

This might be a stupid question...but you haven't left a memory stick or anything plugged in have you? My old pc used to do all sorts of odd things if I started it up with a memory stick still plugged in. I'm not sure I ever got the same weird error message twice.

I've just spent £250 on a pc with:

AMD AM3 quad core X4 635 processor
nVidia 8200 GeForce 1gb motherboard
500gb SATA 2.0 HDD
4gb Kingston DDR 800 RAM

I don't want it for gaming, I want it for general stuff. I might do a bit of video editing at some point or Photoshopping very large photos.

Does it sound reasonable? It all sounds a lot better than the current pc which handles most stuff, even if quite slowly.

That sounds like a flipping bargain. Where did you get it?

A seller my brother pointed me towards on eBay. The pc was £250, I paid £50 on top of that for extra fans, to upgrade the memory from DDR2 533 to the Kingston stuff, postage and to upgrade the postage to next day and push the build of the thing forward from 10 days to next day.

I kept saying no to the upgrades so they offered them cheaper and cheaper until it was worth it.

The reserve price was obviously somewhere betwenn £225 and £250.

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/megapc/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340