Re: computer won't boot
- From: Malke <notreally@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 05:03:49 -0800
catrambo wrote:
> I tried starting my computer (the second one) and I get it to open to
> where I get to the first page (Micron , which is a bit distorted) and
> the bottom
> line with Press tab, press delete. then my computer goes blank. I
> tried rebooting with windows xp boot disk and the floppy drive clicks
> for about 5 seconds and nothing happens.
> Can you tell me what is wrong. I.ve had this computer for about
> years. Thank you.
>From your description of the problem, some of your hardware has failed.
This is not an operating system issue (XP) since the failure occurs
before the operating system boots.
I will give you general hardware troubleshooting steps, but based on
your post I suggest the better course of action is to take the machine
to a professional computer repair shop or, if the machine is quite old
(perhaps upgraded from Win98 or ME) to simply replace it.
1) Open the computer and run it open, cleaning out all dust bunnies and
observing all fans (overheating will cause system freezing). Obviously
you can't do this with a laptop, but you can hear if the fan is running
and feel if the laptop is getting too hot.
2) Test the RAM - I like Memtest86+ from www.memtest.org. Obviously, you
have to get the program from a working machine. You will either
download the precompiled Windows binary to make a bootable floppy or
the .iso to make a bootable cd. If you want to use the latter, you'll
need to have third-party burning software on the machine where you
download the file - XP's built-in burning capability won't do the job.
In either case, boot with the media you made. The test will run
immediately. Let the test run for an hour or two - unless errors are
seen immediately. If you get any errors, replace the RAM.
3) Test the hard drive with a diagnostic utility from the mftr. Download
the file and make a bootable floppy or cd with it. Boot with the media
and do a thorough test. If the drive has physical errors, replace it.
4) The power supply may be going bad or be inadequate for the devices
you have in the system. The adequacy issue doesn't really apply to a
laptop, although of course the power supply can be faulty.
5) Test the motherboard with something like TuffTest from
www.tufftest.com. Sometimes this is useful, and sometimes it isn't.
Testing hardware failures often involves swapping out suspected parts
with known-good parts. If you can't do the testing yourself and/or are
uncomfortable opening your computer, take the machine to a professional
computer repair shop (not your local equivalent of BigStoreUSA).
Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
.
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