My old PC won't load again .. it was fine yesterday but today when I turned it on, it said that a file is corrupted and gotta load from the cd rom. I put it in but it still won't load .. I tried going into the bio thing but can't even do that .. what's up? How do I correct the prob? I don't wanna erase everything and reconfig the comp .. I still have something on it that haven't transfer to a backup .. please help .. thx.
We can only help if you provide the exact error messages. Otherwise it is going to be a bunch of guess work for us. It's also not clear which OS you are using, is it MS DOS, Windows 3.11, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows 7 ? Or maybe it's some Linux or UNIX flavor ? I think you get the point So please provide as much info as possible.
Use the All-in-One Hiren's BootCD and start in savemode (mini) Windows. Backup all your things to your externals: usb-sticks, HD, etc. There are more utilities on the CD: partition, backup, recovery, MBR, password, startup, antivirus tools, etc. Use the antivirus tools, like Kaspersky, Spybot, SuperAntiSpyware, etc. and blast away the virusses AND reboot windows. If still nogo, use the MBR tools to fix things <-- ehrm, never used these utilities before.. What is Hiren's BootCD? Download the Hiren's BootCD And also search for the bootcd forums for more detailed informations on howto use and where to dl, etc Note: I've got an older version, so above dl link has not been confirmed yet. Pls dl at own risk!
it's window xp .. prob .. it doesn't load up .. it just stop right after I turn on the cpu .. the stage where you can enter bios by pressing the del button .. i tried recovery and boot up from disk .. doesn't seem to work. i just unplugged everything and redo everything but nothing seems to work. i am not hearing any beep sound too. i can't enter bios .. nothing .. it's like frozen .. nothing reads .. help plz.
i am leaning towards a completely dead hard drive...you can put your hand on top of the hdd during turn on of the pc and see if you can feel it spins... well you can put your hdd into an external enclosure and see if other computers can see it...if it doesn't then too bad...if other computers can see it, backup your data... after thats done, use scan disk and look for errors/bad sectors... better yet if the drive is under warranty, then go thru an RMA if it doesn't you can try the freezer method, i have tried it at work, it works (but you must be quick) your next build should use windows 7, install windows and drivers, + your preference and use the image creator on windows and create an image of your OS/drive...a < 14GB space used should be able to fit in a dual-layer disc
If it was the hdd he should at least get a message that no boot device was found. Also he should still be able to enter the bios. I think your best bet is to reset the bios. Check your motherboard or PC manual for the instructions on how to do that. I have seen this before on an old PC and that was the solution. If a reset of the bios does not help, then install your hdd into another PC to back up your data (as mentioned by noasian). I would declare your motherboard dead then. I have a question though, what did you do to get at this point where it hangs during bios power-on self test (POST) ? In your original post you mentioned that you got an error about corrupted file.
maybe its your cpu. if youre not hearing a beep its possible the cpu is dead or not getting (enough) power, in which case it might be psu problem.
I believe most systems won't even do the BIOS POST if there is no CPU. I'm still waiting on negiqboyz to reply though. He went from a corrupt file to a hanging BIOS ... something does not add up.
i don't know anymore .. again .. turned on .. stopped at the page where you see "press del if you wanna access Bio" .. tried but doesn't read .. i don't know what or how to deal with it anymore. i can't access bios, can't scan, can't boot from disk .. nothing .. sigh
Take a deep breath and relax Now did you do any of the things that we suggested ? Like resetting the BIOS, or moving the hard disk to another PC, etc etc etc.
Hmm..have you tried the oldest way? Boot from floppy disk (that is if you still have those drives)? And that is hopefully set as first read drive? Quoting racebannon: Perhaps/sounds like a psu=powersupply unit problem? I got that one time too..Once I've replaced the psu (from a very old system, that was still lying in the basement =P), it worked/loads fine again. Never heard of it, but sounds neat! I'll try it out whenever get hold on those =)
I can't even enter bios .. so can't do anything. I don't have another pc to test the hard drive .. I have 4 laptops now .. sigh .. Power source .. what do you mean? where .. a pic of location?? i am not exactly com savvy here .. so gotta elaborate .. thx.
the live CDs sounds like Linux are you sure you are pressing the "correct" button to enter the BIOS? if you don't know how to reset the BIOS, find the user manual to your motherboard that came when you bought the PC ... OR find the model online... if it is an OEM PC (like from Dell, HP, Compaq, go to their website and type in your computer model)...if you build it on your own then check the board's manufacturer's website that is why i said go grab an hdd enclosure, put the hdd in and connect the hdd to your laptop via USB; you can scan the drive, backup data and do whatever you want on it =0
Here is an example of how you would reset the BIOS on the motherboard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdp_L5IxaNI . Your PC or motherboard manual should have the proper instructions though. To be honest, I suggest you get a friend or someone who is a bit more knowledgeable with computers to help you out. I don't think there is an easy way out for you, so you need to get your hands dirty. So for that you need to know your ABCs about PCs though.
even if someone here does have the answer doesn't seem like the OP has the tools to carry out the repair. might end up costing him/her an arm & leg to figure out exactly what's wrong, given that he/she doesn't have another pc to test. sorry, don't mean to be pessimistic... I'm just saying.
Okay .. I managed to reset the cmos (thx Phantom) .. when I turned it on .. this is what it said: "Window could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt. /window/system32/config/system You can attempt to repair this file by starting Window Setup using the original set-up CD Rom . Select "r" at the first screen to start repair" I put in the window cdrom in and press r but nothing ..
You can try this article I've found on www http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;Q307545 (Try at own risk!) So far seen/IMO, this can only be fixed by a reinstall of WinXP/OS. But if you want to backup your precious data before reinstalling. You'll need to enter the BIOS, changed your primary bootdisk from harddrive to CD/DVD-rom drive. And use the Hiren's bootCD or anything similar (not WinXP CD). And from there enter the savemode (mini)Windows.
