Tom's Guide | Tom's Hardware | Tom's Games
 |
 |
 |
Help, i was using windows xp as normal this morning until my screen froze up. i then re-started it u and during load up a blue screen came up saying there was a system error. i have tried running safe mode and the same screen keeps coming up. My biggest concern is that i have family photo's on there that a very precious to me. Is there anyway i can start windows up so that i can back up my pics at least. or if anyone know's of any other way thta i would be able to get my photos back.
Please help anyone it would mean alot.
Rgds Grant
There are thousands of errors. You need to post the exact error you are seeing. In the meantime don't try anything until you have some solid help. Post the exact model of Dell inspiron and what you were doing when the computer froze up.
I would guess that right now you realize the value of backups.
There MAY be ways to recover your personal files but you need to post the error message.
0 
ok the error message that i am getting is:
A PROBLEM BEEN DETECTED AND WINDOWS HAS BEEN SHUT DOWN TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER.
IF THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU'VE SEEN THIS STOP ERROR SCREEN, RESTART YOUR COMPUTER. IF THIS SCREEN APPEARS AGAIN FOLLOW THESE STEPS.
CHECK TO BE SURE THAT YOU HAVE ADEQUATE DISK SPACE. IF THE DRIVER IS IDENTIFIED IN THE STOP MESSAGE. DISABLE THE DRIVER OR CHECK WITH THE MANUFACTURER FOR DRIVER UPDATES. TRY CHANGING VIDEO ADAPTERS.
CHECK YOUR HARDWARE VENDOR FOR ANY BIOS UPDATES. DISABLE BIOS MEMORY OPTIONS, SUCH AS CACHING OR SHADOWING. IF YOU NEED TO USE SAFE MODE TO REMOVE OR DISABLE COMPONENTS. RESTART YOUR COMPUTER . PRESS F8 TO SELECT ADVANCED STARTUP OPTIONS AND THEN SELECT SAFE MODE.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
***STOP: 0X0000008E (0XC0000005.0X82F2A1E2.0XF4AEFBFC.0X00000000)BEGINNING DUMP OF PHYSICAL MEMORY
PHYSICAL MEMORY DUMP COMPLETE.
CONTACT YOUR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR OR TECHNICAL SUPPORT GROUP FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE.ok that's the full message that i get on a blue screen. i have tried safe mode but it just gives me the same error message.
I have a dell inspiron 5160 laptop. I was checking the weather forcast on the BBc site. But i did notice that my AVG anti vurus was not on. i didn't disable it, not sure how that happened.
thanks Grant
0
I hope nobody minds me chiming in, but my suggestion is you could connect your laptop hard drive to a desktop computer using a USB Hard Drive Enclosure from your local PC shop and get your pictures off. Then you could put the same hard drive back in your laptop and attempt a repair install of XP on the laptop. If you don't want to use a hard drive enclosure, you could try the repair install anyway because your files will be retained anyway. Just my 2 cents.
Jesus can change your life for the better!
0
"and what you were doing when the computer froze up" This information may be important. The error messages are reliant on what was being done. Were you downloading, installing, surfing, what?
The first error MAY relate to a virus called HaxDoor virus.
g.burrows
Do you have any idea how many GBs of files you need to recover?
0
I was checking the weather forcast on the BBc site. But i did notice that my AVG anti vurus was not on. i didn't disable it, not sure how that happened.
0
if you mean gig it's about 1 gig at the most as all the rest are backed up. Just a thought, could i restore my laptop using dell system restore utility and then use a file recovery program to recover the files??
0
Gigabytes of files.
Great care must be taken when performing a repair install. I would suggest that you attempt recovery of the needed files prior to attempting a repair. Someone more familiar with Dell Laptops could probably better advise you concerning the repair. Do you have any restore disks for the Dell?
If you have access to a fast internet connection and a means to burn a CDR I would suggest you download Knoppix. Knoppix is a live version of Linux. Knoppix installs to and runs from a CDR. It can configure most hardware so you should be able to copy the pictures and other files to whatever dedia is avialable. CD, external drive, flash drive, network, etc. Google for Knoppix. Removing the Laptop drive is another option. It would require an adapter to allow internal connection to another PC or an external USB enclosure to intall the drive into. The adapter is much cheaper and faster, if you have a desktop computer you could connect to. In the meantime repairing the windows installation is a possibility but if the pictures are very important copying is the safest route.
0
yes i have access to a internet connection. If i download this program and burn it to a cd-r from my other pc will i be able to boot it from start-up because my laptop will not let me go into windows.
0
Knoppix CDR is bootable. If it doesn't boot to the CDR then you may need to change the boot order in the BIOS.
When booting to the CDR you may get a screen stating "hit any key to boot from CD" Do so to boot from the CD. Knoppix will need to install a small amount of files to the Laptop HDrive. This is necessary in order to access the hardware in the laptop.
You may want to look a the read me files on the CDR prior to using.
0
ok thanks, i am downloading knopix version 5.1 onto a cd-r now and i will give it a try.
its 85% complete so will keep you posted:-)
0
Update
Did a little more ressearch on your problems.I would recommend you attempt reseating the memory in your Laptop before proceeding further. There is some indication of RAM issues with the last error. Reseating will scuff up the contacts and possibly fix any memory errors. If your laptop is like most you may have RAM in two different places. You should consult your manual on how to change RAM prior to attempting it. If on the off chance one of the RAM sticks has actually gone bad you might try running with only one at a time, if you have two.
This whole RAM thing MAY be a red herring too.
I see your post about Knoppix.
0
ok have reseated the RAM chips in the back of the laptop. shall i run the knoppix now??
rgds
0
just another question. shall i burn all the files that come with the download or just the ISO file (biggest) there are other files ASC,MD5,SHA1 and text files in the folder.
what do you think?
0
Been awile since I did mine but if I recall the directions are fairly straight forward. Did you see any instructions?
0
no good chap i have started it up as normal and still i get the error screen. is it worth trying safe mode again?
0
I thought it would be worth atry to check the RAM. I forgot to post the link about the Virus. Here it is.
0
going to try just the iso file alone on the cd-r. i have a few blanks so it don't matter if it dont work first time.
0
I am having trouble copying the ISO files to a cd-r. Am I right to be using alcohol 120% and burning it as an image file. I am guessing that the iso file is an image file??
I am going to try it on another pc tomorrow cos i think the one i am using is not the best.
Thanks
0
Do you have Nero or Roxio burning software? Either will burn an iso. If you have either on the machine you are using post back which one and what version.
0
Did you try booting will tapping the f8 key?
if you can get into safe mode you could use system restore to revert it to a previous state. More than likely you got a driver update that caused your errors . You can go the knoppix route if you have the time to learn how to mount your drive etc....
This seems to be a common problem with dells ..gateways etc ... regular windows updates for video drivers don't seem to play well with them. you might do a spyware scan if your antivirus got turned off I've seen quite a bit of that lately also it usually indcates a infection of some sort.
0
replying to whodat, yes i have used the f8 function to get the menu's for safe mode and last state etc yet still i get the error message.
in reply to Othehill, i have managed to do the cd-r on my in law's laptop so when i get home tonight i will give it a bash.
I will change the boot sequence so that it boots the cd first. Is there anything else i need to do before that.
so you say this program will let me burn my photo's to a cd or storage media??
thanks Grant :-)
0
Figure out where you will copy/ burn any files you wish to copy. Not sure how burning might work with only one optical drive. If an external harddrive is available, Knoppix should be able to access external HD, flash drive, network connection, etc.
Keep in mind if files are large that FAT32 has a 4GB file size limit. Most external drive and flash drives are formatted using FAT32 for maximum compatibility. They can be reformatted using NTFS if necessary.
One last item worth mentioning. Copying a file is safer than cutting and pasting. When cutting and pasting if anything goes wrong during the transfer there is risk of losing the file.
The downside of copying is that you need to keep track of what you have copied so you don't duplicate or miss files. A list is good. Taking them as they show in the folder helps too.
0
I hope that works for ya, but if not, I would do the following:
- Remove every PCI and USB device, leaving nothing but the mouse, keyboard, and monitor and try booting Windows
- If that doesn't work, download MemTest from here, burn it to a CD and boot with it.... http://www.memtest.org/download/1.7... Burn it and boot with it just like you did with the Knoppix. The RAM test will begin immediately. Let it test atleast 12 hours in my opinion. Bad RAM can cause the symptoms you described and so can PCI and USB devices that have gone bad.
Neither of the above suggestions will damage your files.
Jesus can change your life for the better!
0
RWD1996, the computer in question is a Laptop. Using Memtest86 is a viable troubleshooting tool.
I suggested the Knoppix route because of your major concern about family pictures. You should have had backups of those files prior to this incident but that is history.
Your first concern seems to be retrieving the files. Considering the issue with your computer is unknown it is prudent to proceed with Knoppix if you can.
0
It is a viable troubleshooting tool, which was my reason for suggesting it. But if the OP booted with Knoppix, but the problem was indeed a hardware problem, the OP would probably not be able to get her pictures anyway because of the system freezing or some other error. That is why I said "I hope that [Knoppix] works for ya, but if not...". If she still can't use even Knoppix due to it freezing or a blue screen, then we all know it's got to be a hardware problem which is why I suggested removing the PCI/USB devices *after* attemping Knoppix and it is unsuccessful. If the OP removed the USB/PCI devices or changed her RAM due to one of them being bad, and she was able to get into Windows, then her pictures are saved. Hope this helps.
America needs to realize that there's a God in Heaven that's one day going to have her citizens give an account for their actions.
0
RWD1996
The OP can't remove cards. The computer is a Laptop. I had suggested removing the RAM, one by one and also reseating. Don't know if that was done. I know the thread is long but the OP stated the machine just quit in the middle of viewing a site on the net.
0
Guys thanks you very much especially "OtheHill"
I have done it and saved everything i needed to save. that program is a life saver i tell you.
I saved everything to my (4gb) flash stick. The program wouldn't let me eject the cd to insert a blank.
Anyway all sorted now. I will keep everything backed up more frequently in the future.
Thanks again for all your help.
Kind rgds Grant :-)
0
Yeah I keep forgetting about it being a laptop (embarrased, lol), but it was still possible something USB could have been plugged in including a PCMCIA card. I'm so used to working on desktops I forgot. Anyway glad the OP got it sorted. Sometimes reseating the RAM isn't all that needs to be done, sometimes it is. The RAM could've have been bad which in that case reseating wouldn't have worked. That's why I said test the RAM.
Anyway, as always, thanks, g.burrows for posting
America needs to realize that there's a God in Heaven that's one day going to have her citizens give an account for their actions.
0
Glad you were able to save the files. Don't be in too big a rush to reinstall. Everyone forgets an important file the first time around. You might want to surf around to drive for a bit. When you start the computer watch the POST screens to verify the correct amount of RAM is still present. Because there is a possiblility of a virus present, you may be better off re-installing, or performing a destructive restore.
0
Have restored my laptop back and everything is pukka. Ran my virus checks and updated everything.
I think this is a big lesson to learn to make sure backups are done regular.
Thanks again
Grant
0
Glad all is finally well. I am currently working on burning stuff to disk and it can be tedious but it is necessary if you value the files.
If you have irreplacable pictures I recommend you burn two or three copies of the disks and store them in safe places. Relatives house for one copy is good.
Verify the burned disks are good.
0
Yes good idea, i think i will do that.
he he funny you say that, my folks are always moaning that they don't have any pics of the family.
0  |
 |
 |
This post is quite old and has been locked from receiving new replies. Please create a new posting instead.
| Ads by Google |
