Re: Studying abroad, devastating weird laptop problem
- From: "Ed O'Brien" <edward.j.obrien@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:08:02 +0100
Definitely looks like you've been got at. I am assuming you are okay with voltage as this would cause different problems. (All this applies when on battery too, yes)?
A clean install seems your only option. Get it right first time and it should only take a couple of hours. Hunting for malware etc could take days.
Two things...
1: I suggest disabling Autorun. Any viruses etc are often self loading and Autorun does the job for them.
2: So you don't have to go hunting on your slow machine, I have copied the instructions here.
Good luck
Ed
Perform a clean installation
There are two ways to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista. The first method is to install Windows Vista by running the Setup program from the current version of Windows on your computer. The second method is to start the computer from the Windows Vista DVD. First, try method 1. If it does not work, try method 2.
Warning In a clean installation, existing data on your computer is deleted. This data includes personal data, settings, hardware driver information, and software programs. After you install the operating system, you must also reinstall all programs. Make sure that you back up personal data to disks or other external storage devices before you perform a clean installation.
Method 1: Perform a clean installation of Windows Vista by running Setup from the current version of Windows
To perform a clean installation of Windows Vista from the current version of Windows on the computer, follow these steps:
1.. Start the computer and make sure that the current version of Windows has started.
2.. Insert the Windows Vista DVD into the DVD drive and then close the drive tray. Wait a moment for the Setup program to start automatically.
3.. If the Setup program does not start automatically, follow these steps:
1.. Click Start and then click Run.
2.. Type Drive:\setup.exe and then click OK.
Note Drive is the drive letter of the computer's DVD drive.
4.. When the Setup program starts and the Install now screen appears, click Install now.
5.. When the Which type of installation do you want? screen appears, click Custom (advanced). The follow the instructions to install Windows Vista.
If Windows Vista is now running on your computer, you have completed the installation successfully.
If the installation does not finish or you receive an error message, and you are comfortable trying to troubleshoot the problem, go to the "Troubleshooting" section for more information about common issues and their resolutions. If you are not comfortable trying to troubleshoot the issue, go to the "Next Steps" section.
Method 2: Perform a clean installation of Windows Vista by starting the computer from the Windows Vista DVD
Note The computer must be configured to start from the DVD drive. For information about how to configure the computer to start from the DVD drive, see the documentation that is included with the computer. Or, contact the computer manufacturer.
To perform a clean installation of Windows Vista by starting the computer from the Windows Vista DVD, follow these steps:
1.. Start the computer.
2.. Insert the Windows Vista DVD into the DVD drive and then close the drive tray.
3.. Restart the computer.
4.. When you receive the "Press any key to boot from CD" message, press a key.
5.. Follow the instructions to install Windows Vista.
If Windows Vista is now running on your computer, you have completed the installation successfully.
"popular" <brenden.cline@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:38e0d86fd227861645d313c0351a4495@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm studying abroad in China and my laptop has a really weird problem,
so I apologize in advance but this is a bit long.
I moved in with a host family last week, and 5 minutes after getting
the internet to work and beginning to Skype chat people (without video)
my computer (Gateway laptop model MT3423 I think, Vista Premium, Dual
Core AMD Turion, ~2 years old in good condition) froze and hasn't been
the same since. Now, booting brings me to the recovery screen (of course
- Normal Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, etc.), but no Safe Mode works
- I can get to the login screen but after signing in the Welcome screen
with the loading circle stays up indefinitely. Normal Mode works though,
but it has major issues. After successfully signing in programs begin to
load but it quickly slows down to a crawl, and takes about a minute to
close the two program warning boxes that pop up (just the usual 'this
program is unregistered' sort of thing). After this, Windows Calendar
inexplicably loads, again painfully slow, and if the computer hasn't
crashed by this point then it does shortly thereafter. And the crash
varies - a few times it started with a "Server Busy - this action cannot
be completed" error message but it usually says euphemistically
"Microsoft Windows - this application is not responding."
I've tried several things but I haven't had any success. During this
loading window, I've tried running msconfig and unchecking nonessential
programs, but even after clicking Save Changes and Restart the changes
are not saved, and it'll still proceed to crash and load the programs
again next boot. I've tried loading the control panel, but it becomes
unresponsive after I try to click anything in it. I tried opening
accessories under the Start Menu and it bugged out, and instead of
showing the folder icon it showed a searching icon and wouldn't open.
The Command Prompt loaded but was too slow to execute anything. I also
tried opening Task Manager, even through Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and after a
few minutes it successfully loaded once but didn't show anything unusual
and then crashed.
I'm not sure what the problem is - the only things I can think of are
that I had just setup 3 identical automatic broadband internet
connections as I was troubleshooting the connection, the room was really
hot (about 90 degrees F), and I had an SD memory stick in when I booted
up the last few times before this. Also, I installed a Logitech Quickcam
a few weeks before (whose software loads in the tray automatically) and
one of the 2 popups that load is new, bugging me about registering
EarthDesk. It seem to me like any of this should cause my problem, but
it seems to me that it's a software problem, in part because I don't
have any real evidence of hardware failure (although it does get really
hot, but the fan is still working) and because while Windows will be
crashing and I can't use the Start Menu, I can still hover over programs
in the tray and have their name popup (but the battery status and volume
control won't).
Anyone have any advice/input? I'm going to try to get a copy of the
recovery CD, but that'll take at least a week and there are no
authorized Gateway repair centers in China, not to mention the language
barrier and risk involved, especially if I don't know what's wrong...
Thanks a lot everyone!
--
popular
.
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