On 9/5/2010 9:31 AM, David J Brooks wrote:
On Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 9:17 AM, eckinator<eckina...@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Dave
(comments interspersed)
Well my 2001 PC is acting up again. Not allowing me to boot. I seem to
be able to get into it via the safemode, F8 key.
First things first, do you have a backup of all data on the system?
Yes i do.
Also, have you tried logging in as a different user? Same problem?
Can't. I turn it on and get the Intel splash screen then a Dos promt
saying boot failure.
I upgraded the HD in 2006, i think, and it was about a year later i
started getting these boot failure prompts. Usually a few retries and
i was in. I had it looked at last Oct, and the computer guyone mane
show) found nothing wrong, out of the ordinary, and suggested several
things. However due to the age of the PC we both agreed it was a waste
of money and if it happened again and new PC would be cheaper in the
long run, It has been working fine until Saturday and now i can only
get intro windows with the F8 key.
Dave
Try reseating the hard drive cable, on the drive and the MB before
anything else. If that doesn't work try replacing the cable with a new
one. A lot of failures that look really bad are caused by bad cables,
and connections. The computer guy might not have even checked the
cables if the machine booted. I've had hard failures that looked much
like the symptoms that you're describing. If it;s the drive well it's a
good thing you have backups, (if they're good). At the next level the
Drive might have been cooked by a failing power supply, and it starts to
get complicated....
- I am trying to restore my system to a previous good date. I am now
into to hour two waiting for it to do so, how long should this take.
If you mean F8 and boot to last known good it should be a matter of
seconds. Last known good only means loading a different, older
registry portion for certain settings. These are overwritten upon
logon completion so usually they are pretty worthless after a half
complete login failed on the profile level.
If you mean XP system restore two hours aren't normal either.
Basically you can let it run for a while yet without harm assuming it
isn't a thermal issue. Can you take off a side cover and check air and
hard disk temperatures? The HD is OK to be hot to the touch but you
should be able to leave your hand on there as long as you like. Also,
while you're in there, listen for very regular ticking/scratching
noises from the hard disk. If it is a persistent pattern, it usually
means your disk is mechanically defective and cannot reach a certain
sector.
It could of course just be Windows XP that is dodgy. (I take the
liberty to assume you're no longer running 2000 if you speak of a
system restore). Have you tried a repair install/in-place upgrade? The
XP setup disk needs to be the same service pack level as your current
install. If yours isn't, you can use a different computer and nLite
(great tool) to create one. The process is called slipstreaming and
officially supported by Micro$oft.
I won't comment on your buying advice request as I am all about server
hardware, I haven't owned a computer since 2004, all I ever have is
work laptops.
HTH Ecke
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