Computer Boot up

Retlaw · 30-12-2008, 12:41

Whats up with my computer.
It groans and moans, when starting up,

shows a screen wth choices of start,
last known good config or safe mode etc tried F8 just goes beserk

takes 5 or 6 reboots to get in.

Retlaw.

entwisi · 30-12-2008, 13:13

Hi Retlaw

Walk me through teh exact startup,

You get BIOS screen first,

then do you get a Grub bootloader or have you removed this from your attempt with Ubuntu?

I'm assuming you then get a "Windows didn't start correctly" type screen with options of last known good config and a selection of "Safe modes"

What are you choosing at this point.

Is this XP we are talking or an older OS

do you get teh black loading screen with teh horizontal side to side progress bar thing?

At what point does it fail

Does it just automatically reboot or does it hang and you have to reset it?

When it does go in are there any error messages?

when you mention it 'moaning and groaning' where from, teh CD drive? teh Hard disk, teh fans inside teh base unit?

Ian

Less · 30-12-2008, 13:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retlaw

Whats up with my computer.
It groans and moans, when starting up,

shows a screen wth choices of start,
last known good config or safe mode etc tried F8 just goes beserk

takes 5 or 6 reboots to get in.

Retlaw.

It sounds like your hard drive could be on it's way out if it's rumbling a bit and not letting you boot up straight away, I have a spare hard drive you could try I think it has xp on it, if you want to try it I'm down town this afternoon and you can borrow it.

Retlaw · 30-12-2008, 14:06

Hi Retlaw

Walk me through teh exact startup,

> You get BIOS screen first,

Not until I have stopped and started 3 times. checked bios everythings ok.

> then do you get a Grub bootloader or have you removed this from your
> attempt with Ubuntu?
Don't know what a Grub bootloader is.

> I'm assuming you then get a "Windows didn't start correctly" type
> screen with options of last known good config and a selection of "Safe .
> modes"

Yes
> What are you choosing at this point.

Everything one after the other, (keeps coming back to that screen), till it suddenly decides to boot up then crash, next bootup its ok
> Is this XP we are talking or an older OS
WINXP service pack 1

> do you get teh black loading screen with teh horizontal side to side
> progress bar thing?
Yes then it some times freezes
> At what point does it fail
After 3rd run across
> Does it just automatically reboot or does it hang and you have to reset
> it?
Hangs up and I then reset.

> When it does go in are there any error messages?
Not seen any.

> when you mention it 'moaning and groaning' where from, teh CD drive?
> teh Hard disk, teh fans inside teh base unit?

Hard to tell where the noise comes from, but its not the fans, had the cover off, cleaned out the dust, checked all connectors, unpluged and plugged back in a few. Checked the on board battery, that shows 3 volts.

Ive also done a non destrutive restore from a separate partition 4 times, but it does'nt rewrite the registry properly. I have a set of CD's which I created when I bought it, that is a destructive restore to the day I purchased it.

I'll await your reply before I do that.

Retlaw.

Ian[/quote]

entwisi · 30-12-2008, 16:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retlaw

Hi Retlaw

Walk me through teh exact startup,

> You get BIOS screen first,

Not until I have stopped and started 3 times. checked bios everythings ok.

You sure? the BIOS/POST ( POWER ON SELF TEST) is the very first thing your PC does on startup before it even knows anything about an OS. If you have issues getting this far then its a fundamental hardware fault.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retlaw

> then do you get a Grub bootloader or have you removed this from your
> attempt with Ubuntu?
Don't know what a Grub bootloader is.

When you installed Ubuntu, did you get an 'extra' menu asking if you wanted Windows or Ubuntu when you started up. This is Grub.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retlaw

> I'm assuming you then get a "Windows didn't start correctly" type
> screen with options of last known good config and a selection of "Safe .
> modes"

Yes
> What are you choosing at this point.

Everything one after the other, (keeps coming back to that screen), till it suddenly decides to boot up then crash, next bootup its ok
> Is this XP we are talking or an older OS
WINXP service pack 1

> do you get teh black loading screen with teh horizontal side to side
> progress bar thing?
Yes then it some times freezes
> At what point does it fail
After 3rd run across
> Does it just automatically reboot or does it hang and you have to reset
> it?
Hangs up and I then reset.

Interestingly, Julie WinXP started doing this some time ago, we found we had to constantly go into recovery mode and go back a day even though no updates had been installed in that time. Never got to teh bottom of it and she now uses Linux

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retlaw

> When it does go in are there any error messages?
Not seen any.

> when you mention it 'moaning and groaning' where from, teh CD drive?
> teh Hard disk, teh fans inside teh base unit?

Hard to tell where the noise comes from, but its not the fans, had the cover off, cleaned out the dust, checked all connectors, unpluged and plugged back in a few. Checked the on board battery, that shows 3 volts.

Ive also done a non destrutive restore from a separate partition 4 times, but it does'nt rewrite the registry properly. I have a set of CD's which I created when I bought it, that is a destructive restore to the day I purchased it.

I'll await your reply before I do that.

Retlaw.

Ian

How loud is this 'noise', loud enough to worry or a gentle moan? ( You have checked its not the missus asking you something haven't you?

)

Ian

Retlaw · 30-12-2008, 17:56

You sure? the BIOS/POST ( POWER ON SELF TEST) is the very first thing your PC does on startup before it even knows anything about an OS. If you have issues getting this far then its a fundamental hardware fault.

Thought it might be the vid card acting when I don't get the screen right away. After that I get the F1 & F10 options.

When you installed Ubuntu, did you get an 'extra' menu asking if you wanted Windows or Ubuntu when you started up. This is Grub.

It did once or twice but only showed the Windows line.

Interestingly, Julie WinXP started doing this some time ago, we found we had to constantly go into recovery mode and go back a day even though no updates had been installed in that time. Never got to teh bottom of it and she now uses Linux

It wouldn't let me use recovery, tried umpteen different dates

How loud is this 'noise', loud enough to worry or a gentle moan? ( You have checked its not the missus asking you something haven't you?

)

She'd better not speak when I'm messing with the computer.
It sometimes sounds like chattering teeth, after a while you hear the drive start up then the dvd spins.
Every 12 month since I got this thing it does a wobbler, I think Gates has lines of code saying its time for a new computer, lets have some fun.

Ian[/quote]

Less · 30-12-2008, 18:57

Hope you get your computer fixed soon, please let us know, in simplistic terms what was wrong.

Retlaw · 30-12-2008, 20:05

Hope you get your computer fixed soon, please let us know, in simplistic terms what was wrong.

So do I, its been at it slowly getting worse, this past fortnight, did 3 non destuctive restores before it dawned, that Roxio was acting up, it was always the last prog I reinstalled, tested every program as I reinstalled, there was a line of code in registry starting with {4D36E965-11, that had a fault in it, then had to do another restore, & it started to get really daft, I dont think restores really do fully restore, I think theres sumat in the registry I don't fully understand. System Suite has checked the Drive and every thing else, says theres nowt wrong.

If no one comes up with a solution, soon I'm going to do a restore from the CD roms I made when I got it.
All my History & Military stuff is backed up every day to a 20gig portable hard drive.
Retlaw.

Neil · 31-12-2008, 01:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retlaw

All my History & Military stuff is backed up every day to a 20gig portable hard drive.
Retlaw.

Do you sometimes burn it to a DVD or CD as well just in case? I would not trust just a portable hard drive for something that important.

lancsdave · 31-12-2008, 09:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

Do you sometimes burn it to a DVD or CD as well just in case? I would not trust just a portable hard drive for something that important.

Given the value of your information Retlaw I would take Neils advice. We got a portable hard drive and it went within a couple of months.

entwisi · 31-12-2008, 09:53

Online storage, its the future!!! ( well, actually its the past for a lot of us

)

emamum · 31-12-2008, 16:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Less

Hope you get your computer fixed soon, please let us know, in simplistic terms what was wrong.

its broken

so is mine

Retlaw · 31-12-2008, 19:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

Do you sometimes burn it to a DVD or CD as well just in case? I would not trust just a portable hard drive for something that important.

Yes Neil.
Every thing is backed up to DVD and on a 16gig memory stick as well.
I've backup DVD's all over the house, some are locked in a filing cabinet in the library.
One thing for all DVD & CD users, watch where you store them, when you write to these disks, the laser changes the colour of the dye on the disk.
I tried an experiment, left a disk on the window ledge for a week, and it was unusable, even the plastic boxes you get DVD's in wont protect them for long in bright light.

Experts reckon the life of a CD or DVD is around 5 years, checked some backups I've had for 6 years in a drawer, & there Ok.

Retlaw

Retlaw · 31-12-2008, 20:01

Did a complete restore to day one of the computer, at 0100 hrs when I switched off it was working Ok. This morning I could'nt get in, kept giving me the run around, After more than a dozen attempts I finally got in ran diagnostics from Systen Suite, could'nt find any thing wrong with the drive or the monitor, memory etc, switched off and tried again , nil, bought a new computer in PCWorlds sale, just one thing, cant use my key board, I need a ps2 to usb adaptor, Maplin have run out, PCWorld don't do adaptors, so I'm scratting away on the midjet keyboard, and its a pain in the you know what.

This Bl@@@y Vista, made a mistake in seting up my email account and can't get back to the setup to change smtp settings.

AND ACCYwebs Changed, the opening screen is all wrong, dammed great google bar along the top, colours are different, can't find any button to click on that gives me a choice to go to what I'm used to.

Retlaw

Less · 31-12-2008, 20:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retlaw

cant use my key board, I need a ps2 to usb adaptor,

Retlaw

I take it it's a usb keyboard? if so I've got an adapter you can have.