[MightyQueenCarolyn]

I don't know if it's XP sp2 or 3, but since I'm at home today, thought I'd give this issue a whirl.


This computer may have hard drive issues (we hear the occassional *click* ..... long pause *click*) and was making it all the way through this weekend and performing beautifully on-line etc, but effective today, will not boot, reboot or anywhere in between.

I'll get the prompts to:

1. start windows normally
2. last known configuration
3. safe mode with networking

and none work ... it keeps doing the loops and restarting thing.

Have not yet tried:

4. with command prompt because I don't know what that is.

I am now attempting:

5. safe mode, but it doesn't look promising. It appears to be stuck.

ETA: Not stuck, just "thinking' and it's doing the loop again.

I hope TST can help me. Please accept my gratitude in advance.

[Albert Lionheart]

Greetings Your Majesty.
It sounds like the drive is failing.
If you can download the drive diagnostics from the makers website, make a bootable floppy and run the diags this will confirm that. If the smart tag has been tripped, don't waste any more time on it and get a replacement.
Hope this is helpful
Your obedient fawning little creep of a servant.
Albert (I was once prince consort you know)

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

Originally Posted by Albert Lionheart

Greetings Your Majesty.
It sounds like the drive is failing.

Yeah ... my recollection is that we had this unit into the shop because the harddrive was failing. My recollection is that is was replaced with a new one, but named another letter; most of the stuff I had on it removed and transfered to the new letter drive, leaving, I believe the old one limping along.
Or something like that.

If you can download the drive diagnostics from the makers website, make a bootable floppy and run the diags this will confirm that. If the smart tag has been tripped, don't waste any more time on it and get a replacement.

I have no idea what you've said here. See below.

Hope this is helpful
Your obedient fawning little creep of a servant.
Albert (I was once prince consort you know)

*loves fawning creeps*

*checks his consort credentials*

Please explain the middle bit*.


*dumb it down, please, as if you were addressing a Mighty Daft Moo Dong.

[Blackmirror]

CAn you try number 4 you Mighty Daft Moo Dong.

if you get the command prompt up type

chkdsk /r

let it run please

[Albert Lionheart]

Your Majesty
Modern machines have a SMART feature built into drives and motherboards to detect drives that are failing. A dying drive will 'trip' and SMART will tell you.
Boot the machine into the BIOS and make sure this is set to ON - at the same time find out who made the drive. If SMART is off, reboot and see if it trips.
Your fawning little creep (FLC) awaits.

And don't listen to that flash baggage from S'ham. Has no sense of her proper position, that one.

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

42 loops laterz ..... it's working now.

Thread solved!
LOL But we obviously have issues, still, just not as urgent as long as I keep the machine running 24/7, now.

Originally Posted by Albert Lionheart

Your Majesty
Modern machines have a SMART feature built into drives and motherboards to detect drives that are failing. A dying drive will 'trip' and SMART will tell you.

Boot the machine into the BIOS and make sure this is set to ON - at the same time find out who made the drive. If SMART is off, reboot and see if it trips.
Your fawning little creep (FLC) awaits.

Listen FLC: Could you please tell me step by step, how to do the above?
I are really (truely wooly) dense about this stuff.

And don't listen to that flash baggage from S'ham. Has no sense of her proper position, that one.

Whatchootalkin'boutWillis, I hang on her every word.

Originally Posted by Blackmirror

CAn you try number 4 you Mighty Daft Moo Dong.

if you get the command prompt up type

chkdsk /r

let it run please

OK. Thanks, Sista, Am going to let it run for a few though ....

back in a bit.

[Albert Lionheart]

I want to know who Willis is first. Who is this interloper? Is he a FLC as well?
What sort of PC is it, O Queen?

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

Willis is this kid's big bro

Slumlord in the driveway now.
A pic may say a thousand words or in my case, 42.
Hopefully your answer in in these somewhere.






Sista, I have not attempted a reboot, nor done #4 as yet.

Back in about an hour. Thank you for your servitude.

[Albert Lionheart]

OK - given you have sorted the slum-major out, next time you reboot please go into the BIOS, find the hard drive and tell me what make it is please.
Or if you have Everest installed that should tell you as well.

[Dr Strangelove]

sys spec [which I see is being used] tells you under the drives tab at the top who the manufacturer is.
Also tells you if SMART is enabled without going into the BIOS.

edit:

[Albert Lionheart]

Your Majesty - if your machine is running multiple boot loops every time you start it, there is clearly something wrong! DD's idea of fixing the master boot record is a good one and I would try that first!

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

Originally Posted by Albert Lionheart

OK - given you have sorted the slum-major out, next time you reboot please go into the BIOS, find the hard drive and tell me what make it is please.
Or if you have Everest installed that should tell you as well.

I'm not done with them yet.
They are mooching around in the attic, viewing the damage that the un-roofers did this summer. I can smell the mildew from the living room at the other end of the attic entry.

Anyhoo, I installed Everest and have 2 more prettyish pics for you.

Originally Posted by Dr Strangelove

sys spec [which I see is being used] tells you under the drives tab at the top who the manufacturer is.
Also tells you if SMART is enabled without going into the BIOS.

edit:

Yes ... I saw a little while ago ... that SMART was NOT working.
Now where did I see that??? Back shortly ...

I kinda wish I'd never ventured here, but will persevere, now that I am.

Thank you, Gentlemenz.

Yikes! My monitor is shaking and picture is rattling ... I think a screw is loose. Crap.

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

Originally Posted by Albert Lionheart

Your Majesty - if your machine is running multiple boot loops every time you start it, there is clearly something wrong! DD's idea of fixing the master boot record is a good one and I would try that first!

Okie dokie, I'll do that shorty.
Um .... is that the #4 run command thing she requested?
Thank you, Albert.

ETA: re SMART... not what I saw earlier that said something else, but it looked bad, but Everest found this:




Something real life has come up. If there are no further instructions, I'll do the run command later today.

[Rik]

MQC, get speedfan from here - |MG| SpeedFan 4.35

Install and run it and click on the S.M.A.R.T. tab at the top. Then click on the hard disk box and select your hard drive, if you have 1 hard drive then it will be the only option. You can do a screenshot of what it shows. You can also click on the "Perform in-depth online analysis" button for even more information.
I'm not %100 sure but I think you will be able to post a link to your results for us to look at.

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

Hi, Rik and thank you.

2 screen shots, one for each drive?



Here's the link for the one that have a red "x" (hope it works)

Now, I really gots to go for a bit.

Thanks all and will catch up laterz

[Albert Lionheart]

Your two drives are a seagate and a maxtor - both covered by the same set of tools as seagate bought maxtor last year (I think).
If DD's fixmbr doesn't work I would download and run the tools here:

Seagate Technology - SeaTools

cheers
FLC

[Rik]

The speedfan screenshots and link don't show any serious problems at all. There is 1 bad sector and 36 re-allocated sectors which are all hard disk errors but i have had hard drives work for may may years with ten times the amount of problem sectors.

Do as Albert says as a precaution but i doubt that will find anything. I suspect it could be a minor power issue. I strongly suggest you use a mains surge protector if you don't already have one and also try to have your pc and anything else to do with it (monitor etc.) plugged into the wall socket with no other appliances (tv's, washing machine, vacuum cleaner, etc.) running from that same socket.

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

Originally Posted by Albert Lionheart

Your two drives are a seagate and a maxtor - both covered by the same set of tools as seagate bought maxtor last year (I think).
If DD's fixmbr doesn't work I would download and run the tools here:

Seagate Technology - SeaTools

cheers
FLC

Dear FLC:

I have bad news .... Seagate wouldn't install.




The missing .NET thing means something, I gather.

... and possibly worser news. See below.

Originally Posted by Rik

Do as Albert says as a precaution but i doubt that will find anything. I suspect it could be a minor power issue. I strongly suggest you use a mains surge protector if you don't already have one and also try to have your pc and anything else to do with it (monitor etc.) plugged into the wall socket with no other appliances (tv's, washing machine, vacuum cleaner, etc.) running from that same socket.

My computer is plugged in directly to a power bar with (supposed) surge protection as well as the monitor and that is all that is plugged into that wall socket, no other outlets are on that wall, however, I do share electical wiring with the neigbour downstairs (the house wiring is a nightmare ~ my bathroom and her kitchen at the other end of the house, share a fuse) so I wonder if that socket is giving it's all? Perhaps have it tested?
Is there a test to see is the computer's "juice" is sufficient?

I need to have something to eat (I forgot, today ) but am going to try a reboot and the run command, Blackmirror suggested later on this evening.

Food first.

Thanks, everyone.

[Blackmirror]

Time to try my suggestion

safe mode with command prompt ( fingers crossed)

chkdsk /r

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

I did last night, Sista.
Thank you.

The chkdsk /r went surprisingly (to me) well.
It ran it's course and I tried, I really did to make notes, but could not keep up.
I have camera shots, just in case they are useful:












I have not heard a single *click* from this machine since then and have rebooted 3 times with no issues at all. It's a little slower to start up than my machine, but not by much.


As for this .NET thing requiring 2 or higher: is this something I should address?
I tried again to download Seagate, but no joy, still.

I'm off to work, but will check back later today.

Thank you, all.