Computer Problems Thread

[Steve]

You can also perform a Hard Drive Check on each sector upon next startup, by click on "my Computer" and in the tools tab clcik on "check for errors" and then restart. When the computer boots up again the computer will do a thorough check on the sectors of the Hard Drive and then give the report on the health of the partitions.

Yeeeah, but that's a boring  way to do it , specially if you leave the pc sitting for a while. There are some programs that automatically give you the HD's health without running the window's scan. I personally use this scan when I do my weekly maintenance, but I still prefer the HD health program to give you a fast accurate reading on the "HP" left on your HD.

I'm still unsure if the problem was fixed, a couple years ago, I had the same freezing problem, and it apparently fixed itself for a while, but it came later again, even worse, dooming my laptop until I switched HDs.

[evilwaffles]

I have two problems for you guys:

1) A driver keeps failing on my laptop, it causes my mouse to lag (jumping from one spot to another instead of gliding) and eventually the screen turns off, it recovers but only to to do it again in five minutes time. Do I need to simply update the driver or is there another reason/solution for this?

Model: Acer TravelMate 4230

OS: Windows Vista

2) My desktop computer is in a startup loop, I turn it on, it will work fine up until the point after the XP logo loading screen finishes where the computer will just restart the whole startup process again right from the start. I tired starting it up in all the different modes with no result.

Model: Custom

OS: Windows XP

Any help would be highly appreciated. :)

[DZComposer]

1. Start with the video driver. Find out what Video card is in the laptop and download the latest driver for it. (risk level: MODERATE) Uninstall the old driver and install the one your downloaded. It should install like any other program.

2. Likely a driver issue as well, though it could be HDD. To find out which, we need to know why the machine is rebooting. (Risk level: LOW) When you boot you machine, before the Windows logo comes up, press "F8" repeatedly until you get a menu. One of the options should be "Disable automatic restart on system failure." On the next boot, instead of rebooting, you should get a BSoD (this is one of those rare instances in which we WANT to see a BSoD!). There are two pieces of information you need to troubleshoot further. The error message and (more importantly) the error hex code.

ANYONE WITH BSoD ISSUES: Post this information.

Here is a sample BSoD:

The error message in this is "PAGE_FAULT_IN_NON_PAGED_AREA" Yours may say something different, but it will be in the same place.

The hex error code is 0x00000050. It is the first one after "*** STOP: " under Technical Information. The ones in parenthesis do not matter for what we're doing.

I will need your error message, and especially the hex code, to help your further.

[evilwaffles]

The HEX code was: 0x0000008E

The error message was:

Check to be sure you have sdequate disk space. If a driver is identified in the stop message, disable the driver or check with the manufacturer for driver updates. Try changing the video adapters.

Check with your computer hardware vendor for any BIOS updates. Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. If you need to use safe mode to remove or disable components, restart your computer, press F8 to select Advanced Setup Options, and then select Safe Mode

What has me a little worried though is the message after the HEX code:

Beginning dump of physical memory

Physical memory dump complete.

Would it have something to do with my RAM, HDD or Drivers as they are all mentioned?

[Asper Sarnoff]

The HEX code was: 0x0000008E

The error message was:

What has me a little worried though is the message after the HEX code:

Would it have something to do with my RAM, HDD or Drivers as they are all mentioned?

It is indeed pretty serious. Your registry is corrupted somehow. While it can steem from malware running rampant and causing damage before your anti-malware could get rid of it, faulty drivers, or something else is uncertain.

I'll however refrain from giving any advice on how to fix this, in fear that it might do more damage than good. DZ is a lot better with computers than me.

[DZComposer]

The HEX code was: 0x0000008E

The error message was:

What has me a little worried though is the message after the HEX code:

Would it have something to do with my RAM, HDD or Drivers as they are all mentioned?

Firstly, the "dumping physical memory" part is a standard part of some BSoDs. What that means is that Windows placed a file on the HDD that contains the entire contents of your computer's RAM at that moment. That way software developers have a picture of what exactly was happening when it crashed so they can fix things if it was due to a software bug. It's nothing to worry about. In fact, if you're not an OS programmer, you don't need to care if memory was dumped either.

That said, an 0x0000008E error IS something to worry about. It generally indicates registry corruption. Since it was happening on boot, it makes me suspect HDD issues, though it could be a driver.

We need to see if we can boot into safe mode (RISK LEVEL: Very Low). After turning your computer on, immediately start pressing F8 repeatedly until you get a menu. Select "Safe Mode" and see if it will boot. If it does, then we are most likely dealing with a driver issue. IMPORTANT: boot without network first, as it loads fewer drivers.

If you can boot safe mode, then reboot, follow the same boot procedure, but this time boot "Safe Mode with Networking Support" so you can access the internet. If this fails, it's your network driver.

If network safe mode boots, the likely culprit is your video driver, and we will need to connect to the internet to download a new one.

[evilwaffles]

Couldn't get in using safe mode, with and without networking. Might be time to upgrade to a new computer.

[DZComposer]

I wouldn't declare this machine dead just yet.

Now we need to do a filesystem check.

Do you have a Windows disc?

[CrypticQuery]

My laptop will ALWAYS overheat, unless it is being held up.  If even part of the fan is blocked for a moderate amount of time, it will shut down.  :compcrash:

[Steve]

My laptop will ALWAYS overheat, unless it is being held up.  If even part of the fan is blocked for a moderate amount of time, it will shut down. 

I'm a laptop man, so I can help you with this. 

First of all the computer will shutdown to prevent hardware loss, and second, if your fan isn't working properly , you should perform a cleaning maintenance (HIGH level of risk , so take it to a tech dude). The fan probably has a lot of dust or stuff blocking it. I need to take mine to a tech center to get it fully cleaned every 8 months cause my fan tends to gather fur from my dog  . Also, some laptops (specially vaio) have a sucky cooling system, it's even worse if you have a laptop that has a mid-upper range gfx and it's not really designed for heavy gaming. You could also download software to check the temperature of your laptop, NORMALLY, the cpu shouldn't go over 80-90`C and the gfx above 110`C (taking it to the very limit).

A good way to keep your laptop pretty cool is with laptop coolers, they are special pads that go below the laptop, some of them have fans that will effectively reduce the heat for 30% ( I have one and I use it whenever I do heavy gaming on my laptop, it's really easy to notice the difference), if you can't afford one, use a book or something below the laptop if you are going to use it on surfaces that gather too much heat, like your lap or bed.

[CrypticQuery]

I'm a laptop man, so I can help you with this. 

First of all the computer will shutdown to prevent hardware loss, and second, if your fan isn't working properly , you should perform a cleaning maintenance (HIGH level of risk , so take it to a tech dude). The fan probably has a lot of dust or stuff blocking it. I need to take mine to a tech center to get it fully cleaned every 8 months cause my fan tends to gather fur from my dog  . Also, some laptops (specially vaio) have a sucky cooling system, it's even worse if you have a laptop that has a mid-upper range gfx and it's not really designed for heavy gaming. You could also download software to check the temperature of your laptop, NORMALLY, the cpu shouldn't go over 80-90`C and the gfx above 110`C (taking it to the very limit).

A good way to keep your laptop pretty cool is with laptop coolers, they are special pads that go below the laptop, some of them have fans that will effectively reduce the heat for 30% ( I have one and I use it whenever I do heavy gaming on my laptop, it's really easy to notice the difference), if you can't afford one, use a book or something below the laptop if you are going to use it on surfaces that gather too much heat, like your lap or bed.

Thanks for the tips! I'll be picking up a laptop cooler soon, and I'll also be taking it to Geeksquad . 

[Eagle Kammback]

we got the Vista back today, but it had to be wiped clean, which means I lost the few songs I purchased on itunes, and I have 88 CDs to upload, I'm doing it onto my mac now, I hate Vista, I miss my old Windows 98

[Guest FoXXX]

Thanks for the tips! I'll be picking up a laptop cooler soon, and I'll also be taking it to Geeksquad .

Geeksquad is a joke, just a waste of money, believe me :|

[Steve]

If the laptop has warranty, make sure that it won't be broken if a third party opens it.

[CrypticQuery]

If the laptop has warranty, make sure that it won't be broken if a third party opens it.

Thanks! (Warranty expired, so I'm good  )

[DZComposer]

If it's old enough to be out of warranty, if you take it to Geek Squad they'll try to sell you a new one...

[CrypticQuery]

If it's old enough to be out of warranty, if you take it to Geek Squad they'll try to sell you a new one...

Haha, Oh wait, I never thought of that 

[evilwaffles]

I just found my windows xp disk.

[CrypticQuery]

I'm a laptop man, so I can help you with this. 

First of all the computer will shutdown to prevent hardware loss, and second, if your fan isn't working properly , you should perform a cleaning maintenance (HIGH level of risk , so take it to a tech dude). The fan probably has a lot of dust or stuff blocking it. I need to take mine to a tech center to get it fully cleaned every 8 months cause my fan tends to gather fur from my dog  . Also, some laptops (specially vaio) have a sucky cooling system, it's even worse if you have a laptop that has a mid-upper range gfx and it's not really designed for heavy gaming. You could also download software to check the temperature of your laptop, NORMALLY, the cpu shouldn't go over 80-90`C and the gfx above 110`C (taking it to the very limit).

A good way to keep your laptop pretty cool is with laptop coolers, they are special pads that go below the laptop, some of them have fans that will effectively reduce the heat for 30% ( I have one and I use it whenever I do heavy gaming on my laptop, it's really easy to notice the difference), if you can't afford one, use a book or something below the laptop if you are going to use it on surfaces that gather too much heat, like your lap or bed.

I just bought a cooling fan, and WHAT AN IMPROVEMENT! I can't believe I did without one of these things! Now I don't have to hold my laptop up! Thanks Steve!  :D