Windows Vista Computer Problems.

[Koby]

Anyone know how to help with this?

My computer runs Windows Vista. It's a Compaq Desktop with a 320 GB Hard Drive and 2 GB Ram.

Anyways it wont load up Windows anymore. When I turn it on it starts at the Compaq logo screen where I can hit f10 for dos or f11 for system restore or it will go on to load Windows. However instead it often glitches up or freezes on that screen. If it does make it past it it either loads up System Restore (even though I haven't selected it to do so) or it pulls up a Blue Error screen.

If I actually try to do a System Restore (not just to a recent restore point, but the one that sets it all the way back to default like I just bought it or something) it ends up giving me a Blue Screen error in the process of reformatting the drive anyways. So no matter what, I end up at a Blue Screen error and Windows never succeeds in loading.

I have noticed on the Blue Screen while it doesn't display what the actual problem is or anything it often says one of two errors:

"IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL" or something about "acpi.sys".

When I look up either of them on Google it doesn't really have any helpful information as most of the suggested fixes are to change certain settings or repair certain programs after it actually loads Windows. However I cannot get it to load Windows for that to even be a possibility.

Any help is appreciated, till then I don't know what to do besides possibly buy a new Computer or send this one to a Computer Repair Shop (but they'll charge nearly what it'll cost to just buy a new one).

Either way it seems I'm going to lose all my stored data which is really needed and a lot of the text documents are not replaceable.

[Asch]

I am a bit confused, you mean that your PC just hangs up in POST, then try removing ram and reinserting it, if it hangs after post or at the time when windows boot, I mean if you can get past the Compaq screen, try any Live linux and copy the data to a safe location,

then format the partition on which windows is installed, and also,

can you tell me that if you can enter in bios or not ?

*Disabling memory caching of the BIOS(for that IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL)

BTW, this errors are most probably from windows itself, the blue screen of death, can you post some screen shots ? And any change you have done, last time that might caused this ?

For Back-up(if you are unable to run linux or any Rescue CD on your PC),

Just take your drive to a friends house, connect it to his/her PC internally, and make sure, that instead of windows, you use a live linux, if all is well, then linux should recognize and mount the partitions, then you can back-up the data.

[Koby]

I don't quite understand what you said, but I think you don't understand what I said either. I cannot get Windows to load at all, and I know absolutely nothing about getting Linux installed or running to do any of that stuff you said with Linux.

I can't post screenshots because I cannot access anything to be able to do that. I turn it on, it shows the Compaq screen then the error screen. I don't know how you expect me to get anything done or screens taken from that.

I have other computers to try the hard drive on, unfortunately when I opened it up it uses a new type of wires which none of the older PC's have plugins for so I could not plug the hard drive into any of the older PC's to save my data or anything.

[Asch]

Do you meant this type of ports :

Sorry for my language before, try pressing DEL key and if it works, try going to BIOS, then tell me, are you able to reach Bios or not ?

[Koby]

Do you meant this type of ports :

K, now, sorry for my language before, try pressing DEL key and if it works, try going to BIOS, then tell me, are you able to reach Bios or not ?

Yeah pretty much, and all my other PC's use the old cords similar to this picture I googled:

http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv322/jroepka/PC%20Parts%20LOT/DSCN0186.jpg

They do not have that red port on the motherboards to be able to use the cord on them so I cannot hook the hard drive up to any of my other computers.

[Nero D. Ace]

hmmmm, i had a problem like this once.

more than likely, it's just a glitch ... try keeping it off for half an hour or so and remove the batteries. just keep it isolated from power.

then, insert the batteries and turn it on again. thats what i did, and it started working.

[† Talena Mae]

Batteries for a computer? Umm... I dont know about your but I am quite sure the US computers (PCs) are like Australia's and run using a power cord, Koby is not using a laptop >.>

[Koby]

hmmmm, i had a problem like this once.

more than likely, it's just a glitch ... try keeping it off for half an hour or so and remove the batteries. just keep it isolated from power.

then, insert the batteries and turn it on again. thats what i did, and it started working.

Like Mae said, there are no batteries. Also I have tried over and over again on Sunday night, all day Monday, and now its early Tuesday. So it isn't just some glitch that will go away if I keep trying.

[Asch]

Well, if you can just tell me that you can reach to BIOS or not, then I might have a solution, If you can, then

Restart the computer again. When it turns on, you should see some text that says "BIOS Menu" or "CMOS" or "Setup" or something to that effect. Next to this should be the name of a key on the keyboard that you can press. It is commonly Escape, F12, or Delete(try the following keys in short, quickly after PC starts: Delete,F11,F12,F10,F8,F9,F2 , each after a restar). When you press this key, you will see a blue screen come up with things to choose. You want to go through the menus (there should be directions on how to do this on the bottom or top of the screen - typically you use the arrow keys and the Spacebar or Enter button). You will eventually find an option/options that says something like "Boot Device" or "Boot Sequence." You want to go the one that has "First"(for eg.First Boot Device) next to it. Select here, and find an option that will say "CD" or "CD-ROM" (maybe DVD or something)or something like that. Select this option. Make sure that "Second Boot" is set to whatever "First Boot" was, and so on. A good order for booting is typically:

1)DVD/CD-ROM (0)

2)Floppy (if present)

3)Harddrive (0)

When you restart the computer with the CD in the drive, it should now boot off of the Live CD.

Edited : Download live DVD from here if you wish : http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=69

And if all the thing work fine as above, you just need to insert the CD and then see it your self.

Small One : http://puppylinux.org/main/Download%20Latest%20Release.htm

[† ballard]

I had a laptop with a similar issue to the one you have. It turned out to be a problem with the ram. If you have more than 1 stick of ram remove one and see if your computer will boot up into windows... try this with each stick. I've also had close enough to the same problem on this laptop... simply put... it was a really nasty virus that forced me to reinstall windows.

I think crow was refering to the cmos battery on the motherboard (it's small flat and round).... Your new computer is using sata (serial ata) for the hard drive while the older ones are using ide. If what I suggested doesn't work let me know and I'll help you figure out whats going on . Also, to what snow said... If you burn ubuntu onto a cd you will be able to boot into it directly from the cd.

Blue screens usually have an error code similar to something along the lines of this 0x0000002E... if there is something like that please let me know what it is . It would help very much.

[Asch]

I agree with ballard, as I mentioned in first post, try changing RAM sticks or swaping slots, it solves most of the post problems, and tell me if you can boot using live CD or not.

CMOS batteries, well, they don't effect much other than storing your BIOS info and time/date, But who knows, they can be a problem(although chances are 1.111%).

But as he is getting Blue-Screen of death, I am sure he is able to get past POST, So chances are high he can restore data, and format the HDD.

Chances are high that he is getting 0x0000000A I agree with ballard, as I mentioned in first post, try changing RAM sticks or swaping slots, it solves most of the post problems, and tell me if you can boot using live CD or not.

CMOS batteries, well, they don't effect much other than storing your BIOS info and time/date, But who knows, they can be a problem(although chances are 1.111%).

But as he is getting Blue-Screen of death, I am sure he is able to get past POST, So chances are high he can restore data, and format the HDD.

Chances are high that he is getting 0x0000000A

And I guess, I got it, it is happening at the time when, windows try to reinstall itself, So its fairly possible, that back-up partition is corrupted.

So that narrows, if you are able to use live CD, then back-up all the data, and then clean-sweep your HDD, even of any back-up partion, and then install it new.

Other than that, you can also try putting BIOS ACPI settings into basic mode (Usually called S2)

Alternately, You can try booting with a windows vista disk, and then select recovery option from the disk(the procedure for booting disk is same as the Linux live CD one)

[† ballard]

And I guess, I got it, it is happening at the time when, windows try to reinstall itself, So its fairly possible, that back-up partition is corrupted.

So that narrows, if you are able to use live CD, then back-up all the data, and then clean-sweep your HDD, even of any back-up partion, and then install it new.

I agree with snow... it could very easily be that the partition is corrupt.

[Asch]

Koby, BTW how much RAM is installed in it, if it is 4GB, then try reducing it to less than 3 GB by removing 1 of the stick.

[Nero D. Ace]

might i suggest that when you've fixed this problem, you install a linux program like ubuntu on the side along with vista.

that way, if your windows starts acting up, you won't be locked outside your own computer.

[Renzourin]

if nothing else works bud and you REALLY need that data back Mail the HD to me my computer uses SATA so i can hook up and back up your data and since we live only 9 hours apart the mailing fee shouldnt be terribly bad either

[Koby]

if nothing else works bud and you REALLY need that data back Mail the HD to me my computer uses SATA so i can hook up and back up your data and since we live only 9 hours apart the mailing fee shouldnt be terribly bad either

It's got passwords to all my accounts everywhere including bank accounts, paypal, game logins, as well as music, anime, movies, and tv shows, along with text documents such as poems, max stat plans for pso, and lots of other things including pictures etc.

[seirachan]

if nothing else works bud and you REALLY need that data back Mail the HD to me my computer uses SATA so i can hook up and back up your data and since we live only 9 hours apart the mailing fee shouldnt be terribly bad either

Why didn't that cross my mind? Yeah your Hard Drive is save able. Hopefully you haven't cleared it all yet. Good luck with the computer Koby, I am not a computer expert lol'

Mike says you've probably got a part failure, He says your parts seem pretty old.

Well I want to say harddrive failure, since he's getting that error when he's starting up the actual harddrive, and it's apparently so old it doesn't use the standard cable.

Could seriously just be a combination of weak parts and Vista though

[Koby]

Mike says you've probably got a part failure, He says your parts seem pretty old.

The computer is around 2 years old or less. Not a whole lot has been done with it and I haven't swapped out any internal parts so as for being old that couldn't be it. The cables it uses are the normal ones new computers seem to use. Such as this screen Snow posted:

I have an old computer (almost 10 years old now) that aside from running slower than the newer ones and being unable to handle some stuff it still works alright, but the internet doesn't work well with it is the reason I'm not using it. Like it starts to overload or something when on flash type sites, youtube, etc.. and as far as videos it can't play anything over 396 xvid.avi

Hence the reason I'd like to get this newer PC fixed as it can handle everything I've thrown at it except 1080p videos.

[seirachan]

The computer is around 2 years old or less. Not a whole lot has been done with it and I haven't swapped out any internal parts so as for being old that couldn't be it. The cables it uses are the normal ones new computers seem to use. Such as this screen Snow posted:

I have an old computer (almost 10 years old now) that aside from running slower than the newer ones and being unable to handle some stuff it still works alright, but the internet doesn't work well with it is the reason I'm not using it. Like it starts to overload or something when on flash type sites, youtube, etc.. and as far as videos it can't play anything over 396 xvid.avi

Hence the reason I'd like to get this newer PC fixed as it can handle everything I've thrown at it except 1080p videos.

Well he says even if the parts are new they can still die, but it's either that or you got a virus that fucked everything up

My old power supply failed after about a year or two

And I had a friend who had their harddrive fail after 2 months

[Renzourin]

It's got passwords to all my accounts everywhere including bank accounts, paypal, game logins, as well as music, anime, movies, and tv shows, along with text documents such as poems, max stat plans for pso, and lots of other things including pictures etc.

shit.... wow well hmm idk if i can hook it into my system i may be able to install vista over gain idk well either ways i hope this gets fixed