Re: Multiple XP Start-Up Problems - Looking for Help with Prioriti

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If you mean your PC's (and not Windows') boot up process, I would say no
(unless you somehow introduced a virus to your BIOS, which I highly
doubt!). One thing that *may* help (probably a longshot, though) is to
clear your CMOS. I worked on a PC recently, and that did the trick. If
you don't have the documentation for the method, I'm sure you'll be able
to find it online.

If you have access to another CD drive, you *could* swap it and see if
your problems go away. But I wouldn't sink any money into your laptop;
it's too old, and other parts will surely need to be replaced soon.

YW and good luck. And make sure your next PC comes with Windows 7!


Jeff wrote:
Hi Dave,

This may sound like a pretty ridiculous question, but, I would like
to make sure of the answer before making a decision about buying a
new notebook computer.

Being that my current notebook computer will not read from the CD
during boot-up (at least not most of the time), I would believe that
this would be a hardware problem as you have suggested (motherboard,
cabling, or the CD drive).

Is there anything that may have been caused by a virus or malware
that would interfere with the boot-up process?

If this is a hardware problem, I should probably just bite the bullet
and buy a new notebook. I just want to make sure I look at everything
before placing an order.

Thanks for your help.

Jeff

"Daave" wrote:

Addendum:

I just realized you didn't fully respond to this bit:

Which CDs have you tried to boot from? It sounds like a problem with
the CD itself or the CD drive.

If you have tried booting off only one CD, there's a chance there's
just something wrong with the CD. I would try booting off a Knoppix
or Ubuntu Live CD if you haven't done so already.


Daave wrote:
If the CD drive itself is still good, my guess is that it's the
cabling or the motherboard. And that just addresses the difficulty
you have booting off a CD. Then again, you could try another CD
drive...
Although you paid several thousand dollars for this laptop seven
years ago, it is worth only a couple hundred dollars now. I
wouldn't waste any money paying somebody to try to repair it.

YW and good luck.


Jeff wrote:
Hi Daave,

I have tried removing and reseating the CD drive from the chassis
several times, with no success. The connection between the receiver
plug for the CD device and the motherboard is internal to the
notebook, I'm not sure of the cabling.

For the last few years the computer seems to run hotter than I
remember... the fan runs quite often.

I paid almost $4,000 in 2002, so it's a little hard for me to just
trash it; but, that may be the best option. With Gateway out of
business for this model (as well as a high end workstation I have),
getting parts and service is kind of hit or miss.

Thanks again for your replies.

Jeff

"Daave" wrote:

If you configured your PC to boot off the CD and if only two boots
out of fifteen are successful, you have hardware problems. Could
be the CD drive is almost gone. Maybe the cable connection isn't
good. Maybe there's something wrong with the cable. Or the
motherboard.

Spending money to get this laptop repaired isn't wise, I agree. If
the fix isn't easy (new CD drive or cable), it's time to get a new
PC, I'm afraid.


Jeff wrote:
Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your input.

My reference to a modular CD drive is one which can be plugged
into the Gateway notebook computer chassis. It can be removed and
replaced with a different peripheral.

Unless I am missing something, there is no real logical pattern
to what I am seeing.

Concerning events in the Event Viewer and Device Manager, when
booting into Safe Mode, nothing will display.

Regarding the timing of when I press F12, I generally press it a
half dozen times as I see text on the screen indicating that the
system is starting. During the boot process, I hear the CD drive
spin; but, it doesn't appear that the CD is taking priority over
the HDD.

This evening, for example, I have rebooted the system
approximately 15 times. Twice during that time I was able to
boot from the CD. Unless I did something wrong (which I'm pretty
certain that I didn't), when I was prompted for the disk ID when
entering the repair console, nothing happened. I ended up back
at the drive prompt. I attempted to reboot from the CD
approximately 8 more times; but, I was not able to get the
start-up CD to start again.

Regarding the splash screen status bar... the status bar keeps
revolving in spite of the fact that no hard drive activity is
going on. I have left it running for approximately 45 minutes
just to make nothing is happening.

There are a few things going on that really seem random, or at
least not interrelated. The CD drive works great from within
Windows, I just can't boot from it. Not being able to boot into
Windows normally is troubling... espcially in light of the fact I
was able to do it several times yesterday, and yet today I can't
.... with no other changes having been made.

Any other thoughts would be appreciated. I am about ready to
trash the hardware as I have spent too much time trying to
diagnose the problems. I really hate to do that; but, I don't
have many options other than paying to have it repaired. I have
backups of all the data, so that isn't an issue. My only
heartburn is with having to reload all of the programs again.

Thanks again for your help.

Jeff

"Daave" wrote:

What is "a modular CD player/recorder"?

Which CDs have you tried to boot from? It sounds like a problem
with the CD itself or the CD drive.

If you haven't done so already, save all your data! This
includes e-mails and browser favorites. I recommend copying the
data to an external hard drive. If necessary, boot off a live
Linux distro like Knoppix or Ubuntu (hopefully you will be able
to do this!).

When you press F12 "at startup," exactly how early do you do
this?

Is your PC free of malware? What anti-malware programs do you
use and are they up-to-date?

You mention the progress bar. Does it ever freeze? Or does it
just scroll in an unending cycle?

If you suspect a hard drive problem, in addition to Spinrite, I
would use the utility provided by the manufacturer.


Jeff wrote:
Hi,

I had posted a message several days ago about problems I was
having with XP on a desktop system after the installation of
Acronis TrueImage. (I will update that thread to reflect the
events that followed after my last post.)

This is a new problem related to XP not starting on a Gateway
Solo 9550 laptop. The laptop is old; but, it was a solid
machine in its day, so I am not ready to kick it to the curb
just yet. I would really like to work my way through the
issues I am having if possible. I know the problems that I
will list may not be related; but, hopefully they will point
to the real problem. I'll try to be brief and then answer any
questions you may have in more detail. 1. Presently, when I
try to start Windows XP SP3 normally, the
boot process takes me to the Windows XP splash screen where the
scroll bar continues to scroll, even after the drive access
light goes dark. The only way I can get out of this condition
is to do a hard reset.

2. The computer has a modular CD player/recorder. With the CD
drive installed, when I start up the computer, with a bootable
CD in the drive, I am not given the option normally to boot
from the CD drive. The CD drive is the first device in the
BIOS boot options. I have tried pressing F12 at start-up as
well. About one time in every 20 restarts I see the message
telling me I can hit any key to boot from the CD drive. The CD
drive does read and write without problem when Windows is
running.

3. Windows XP will start and run in Safe Mode.

4. I have disabled all non-Microsoft services from within
Msconfig, as well as all startup items. I even selected
General/Diagnostic Start-Up. None of these modes would allow me
to boot into Windows normally.

I ran Spinrite on the hard drive two days ago to correct some
bad black errors that were indicated in the event viewer. After
Spinrite ran and corrected the problems, I was able to start XP
normally without problems. However, that only lasted for a day.
(No new programs or other system changes have been made since
that time.)

I am stumped. I guess I don't really understand why Windows
will start in Safe Mode; but, not normally when all services
(other than those by MS) and start-up items have been taken
out of the equation.

The thing that really puzzles me the most is the CD drive and
the fact that it won't recognize any type of start-up disk (at
least a majority of the time.)

Any thoughts on how I can troubleshoot this problem, or any
other sites that might be able to help troubleshoot these
problems will be appreciated.

Thanks

Jeff


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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Multiple XP Start-Up Problems - Looking for Help with Prioriti
    ... Being that my current notebook computer will not read from the CD during ... Twice during that time I was able to boot from the CD. ... Windows, I just can't boot from it. ... I have tried pressing F12 at start-up as well. ...
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  • Re: Multiple XP Start-Up Problems - Looking for Help with Prioriti
    ... I would try booting off a Knoppix or Ubuntu ... Twice during that time I was able to boot from the CD. ... Windows, I just can't boot from it. ... I have tried pressing F12 at start-up as well. ...
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    ... Twice during that time I was able to boot from the CD. ... Regarding the splash screen status bar... ... The CD drive works great from within Windows, ... tried pressing F12 at start-up as well. ...
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  • Re: Multiple XP Start-Up Problems - Looking for Help with Prioriti
    ... plug for the CD device and the motherboard is internal to the ... Twice during that time I was able to boot from the CD. ... The CD drive works great from within Windows, ... I have tried pressing F12 at start-up as well. ...
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