Broken Puter

[Speedy Claire]

Wonder if any computer geeks can help me.

My home PC knackered, it loads as far as the Windows XP screen and then stops and re boots... doesn`t sound too healthy either, lots of clicking type noises. Have tried starting it in safe mode but that doesn`t make any difference, it still just loads as far as XP screen then reboots. I`ve done the usual switch it on and off 3 times but still nothing :D

Any help would be greatly appreciated

[suzsv650]

did u switch it off when it was installing updates?

[fizzwheel]

doesn`t sound too healthy either, lots of clicking type noises.

Clicking noises that it didnt make before ?

If so it sounds, possibly like that the hard disk drive has gone wrong. Its difficult to diagnose over the t'internet that would be my first suspicion, but if its booting into windows and then failing it might not be the hard disk.

Sorry can't be much more help, best thing to do is to turn it off and take it a local independant place that can help you. IMHO avoid big places like PC world etc for repairs. Take it to an independant specialist.

[suzsv650]

woop didnt read the clicking bit

id go with HDD too

[kwak zzr]

yep i have to agree with fizz with the faulty hard disk drive, while a machine boots the HDD can be heard but when they go faulty they can make clicky scrapy noises:( HDD's arnt made to last like they used to be, ive had 2 go in the past 3 years.

[SoulKiss]

Sounds like the HDD to me too.

Heres a trick to try.

When you boot it, keep tapping the F8 key.

This SHOULD allow you to select "Safe Mode"

See if you can boot into Safe Mode.

This MAY allow you to get data off the HDD before you replace the HD.

But its also worth going into Safe Mode, then rebooting.

Could just be a bad sector too - so reformatting the HD and re-installing may fix it as the reformat will mark bad sectors on the disk and avoid using them.

you can probably get a much larger HD than you have in there now for not a lot of money I got an email through today about a 250GB disk for ?20 + VAT + P&P

[kwak zzr]

i got a samsung 80gig for ?40 off ebay with a 3 year warranty.

[SoulKiss]

i got a samsung 80gig for ?40 off ebay with a 3 year warranty.

You got ripped off then :P

500GB drives are only about ?50 with 1TB ones at around the ?100 mark.

Personally I wouldnt look at anything under 500GB now, although I use 200GB ones for system drives.

File Server currently has 2x500Gb, 2x200GB and 1x300GB drives in it - with 2x400GB drives currently under a Warranty RMA :)

[kwak zzr]

i only use about 10 - 15gig of my hdd anyhow hehehe! i dont buy anymore cus i dont use it.

[SoulKiss]

But where do you store all your Pron ????

[kwak zzr]

Redtube:rolleyes:

[Luckypants]

If it is a bad sector, will one of the 'old' utility programs like CHKDSK help to re-assign the sector? or is the data lost?

As Speedy posted, it won't boot in safe mode either.

[SoulKiss]

You could put the drive on another machine as a second disk and run chkdisk etc that way.

[Luckypants]

You could put the drive on another machine as a second disk and run chkdisk etc that way.

But will it help? :) I suppose we can recover the stuff she needs if we do that, but I would expect that the part of the OS is toast if there is a bad sector and it won't boot.

[fizzwheel]

Its probably corrupted bits of windows and thats why it wont boot.

I'd echo what Soulkiss says, put it in another machine as a 2nd disk and stream any data you want off it that way. Then junk the disk and replace it.

If its clicking and whiring it might stay up long enough to do this, Sometimes taking the disk out and giving it a good thump fixes stuff like this, but I'd only do that if you are 100% confident that its past the point of no return and you have nothing else to loose.

I have got disks up and running long enough to get data off them by using the thump technique though.

[SoulKiss]

Its probably corrupted bits of windows and thats why it wont boot.

I'd echo what Soulkiss says, put it in another machine as a 2nd disk and stream any data you want off it that way. Then junk the disk and replace it.

If its clicking and whiring it might stay up long enough to do this, Sometimes taking the disk out and giving it a good thump fixes stuff like this, but I'd only do that if you are 100% confident that its past the point of no return and you have nothing else to loose.

I have got disks up and running long enough to get data off them by using the thump technique though.

To further refine the "Thump" technique (or Percussive Maintainence as I like to refer to it as)

I usually just hit it dead centre on the shiny side of the HD with the knuckle of my right middle finger.

Doing it that way ensures a solid tap, but not too hard , as too hard and it hurts :)

Other recovery tricks include putting the drive in a zip-lock back in the freezer overnight - the contraction of the different metals in the drive can free a stuck/wonky spindle bearing :)

[markmoto]

When my hardrive went pop last year that started making scratching, clicking noises, started working realy slow then just got worse and in the end wouldnt switch on, the only other thing i can add is this--

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YRgNOyCnbqg (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YRgNOyCnbqg):D

[Speedy Claire]

thanks for the above everyone but does it all mean that it`s knackered? and i need a new hard drive?

[fizzwheel]

thanks for the above everyone but does it all mean that it`s knackered? and i need a new hard drive?

Yes & Yes, but dont take my advice on it as in order to make a proper diagnosis I'd need to see / hear the problem.

If I was you I would take it in somewhere and get them to confirm it, or if you have a geek on your doorstep ask him or her to have a look at it for you first.

[Viney]

i only use about 10 - 15gig of my hdd anyhow hehehe! i dont buy anymore cus i dont use it.
My software takes up more than that.

[Blue_SV650S]

It could be the HD, or it could be just the software.

If you have the XP install disc, then slap that in an boot off that (it should be set up to boot from CD first, but if it doesn't you will need to go into the BIOS).

If it fails to boot/repair, then the HD is fecked.

Hoped you back everything up regularly ;)