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Computer keeps restarting
Reynolds
Gone Fishin'Registered User regular
Gone Fishin'Registered User regular
I asked in another thread here, but I don't want to poke at it and see if anyone noticed this, because I'm not sure it was the right thread anyways. So if making my own was bad, just yell at me. Here goes...
My older computer, not the one I'm using now, is having a problem. Someone else was using it, and when it started up, it went to a blue screen with white text. It said something about checking NFTS (NTFS?) and then begain a 0-100% check of...I believe they said...software, hardware, security. When it got to 100% on all three, it just sat there.
Turning it off/on again gave the same thing. Then after a few rounds of that, it came up to the black and white screen where it asks if you want to open in safe mode (with a few options), normal, or use the last working configuration. If you pick any option, or pick nothing and let it continue by itself, it goes to the Windows XP startup screen (black with the logo and the blue loading bar) and then restarts and works its way back to the black and white options screen.
I hit F8 and went into the config and tried to 'scan for errors' (it said) but it just hung there for more than an hour. So we've given up and put the tower in the corner. But if y'all can help, it'll be better than throwing it away and buying a new one.
Does it have some sort of virus? Did the person using it screw it up somehow? What should I do now? I'm sure I could virus scan or find something online to fix it/find the problem, but I can't do that if it won't start Windows at all.
My older computer, not the one I'm using now, is having a problem. Someone else was using it, and when it started up, it went to a blue screen with white text. It said something about checking NFTS (NTFS?) and then begain a 0-100% check of...I believe they said...software, hardware, security. When it got to 100% on all three, it just sat there.
Turning it off/on again gave the same thing. Then after a few rounds of that, it came up to the black and white screen where it asks if you want to open in safe mode (with a few options), normal, or use the last working configuration. If you pick any option, or pick nothing and let it continue by itself, it goes to the Windows XP startup screen (black with the logo and the blue loading bar) and then restarts and works its way back to the black and white options screen.
I hit F8 and went into the config and tried to 'scan for errors' (it said) but it just hung there for more than an hour. So we've given up and put the tower in the corner. But if y'all can help, it'll be better than throwing it away and buying a new one.
Does it have some sort of virus? Did the person using it screw it up somehow? What should I do now? I'm sure I could virus scan or find something online to fix it/find the problem, but I can't do that if it won't start Windows at all.
Reynolds on
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Earlier this year one of my hard drives started doing something very similar, because I had run the Windows 2000 installation repair option off of a bad disc. I believe your problem is just a corrupted operating system and so all of the hardware is salvageable.
What can I do to fix it? I know this computer has another drive, C and D. But it's old, and we got it from a rent-to-own type place, so we don't have all of the papers/discs that would go with it. But we bought a new computer later, so I might have Windows discs with that, if I look.
So is there a way to get this computer up and running that I will understand?
If you find a windows installation disc, use that. Make sure you don't install a new operating system over the old one. What version of windows will you be installing? If possible, you'll be wanting to delete the partition the operating system resides on, and then install windows again. The menus should make it pretty obvious what is where, and how to do it.
If you want I can help you while you're installing it, through IM or something.
Start up the old computer. While it is booting put the Windows install CD in the drive. The computer should boot from the CD and not the hard drive. The install program should auto start. One of the options it will give you is a repair option. If it does give that a shot first. Just follow the on screen instructions.
If that fails or your install disc is a different version of Windows then a reinstall is the best bet. Make sure you wipe out the old version of Windows first. The install program for Windows includes a format feature that will wipe the hard drive partion clean. Just make sure you're formatting the correct drive.
Thanks guys.
XP uses a file system that keeps track of what it does, and can fix itself without a scan (a terribly oversimplified explanation of a journaling FS, but it'll do). It seems unlikely that this is the cause. :P
As suggested, Installing over the current install should fix it without removing your user data and installed programs (though I don't think any settings will be retained, and programs that depend on their registry entries will need a reinstall). The only problem is that the permissions on your old user data folder (c:\documents and setting\user) will be set to the old user. You won't be able to get to it. :P*
You might want to boot with a linux livecd (I recommend Ubuntu - it's very kind to beginners) and see if you can move the files to another computer. The linux NTFS driver doesn't care about permissions, so it should work without problems.
*-XP uses a long string of numbers to identify each user. Even if the name is the same, the ID number won't be.