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Any help here would be very appreciated. I woke up the other day and my Windows XP machine was cycling through booting up to the black screen, waiting 30 seconds and trying to bootup Normally, booting up to black screen, waiting 30 seconds, etc.
I then booted up in Safe Mode and when prompted to do System Restore, I chose to go through the System Restore process. However, this did not fix the problem and I have chosen multiple restore points in the past.
Can anyone advise me how to troubleshoot this problem?
Thanks,
Twine
SR wasn't designed to fix every problem users may experience. The symptoms you gave indicated that you may have had some hardware failure - HD? RAM?
i_XpUser
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Did the System Restore tell you that the restore was successful or Not successful ?
In safe mode run your virus scanner....if you don't have an up to date virus scanner then now you have your problem.
If you have Adaware or Spyware software then run this in safe mode also.
After all the bad things in life have been restrained, then re-boot and see what happens.
Looking at the age of your system "XpUser" is probably correct with HDD failure.
Good Luck !
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The system restore did tell me that it was successful.
I have an up to date virus scanner.
The system is about 3 years old. This wouldn't be old enough for a HDD failure would it? How would I verify that this is the problem. Is there anyway to fix the system?
Thank you!
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Check your hard drive.
I you need to, connect to another computer.
See the latter part of response 1 in this:
http://www.computing.net/windows95/...If you don't have a floppy drive, you can get a CD image diagnostic utility from most hard drive manufacturer's web sites, but obviously you would need to make a burned CD, preferably a CD-R for best compatibilty, on another computer if you need to.
If your system reboots even while doing a hard drive test.....
Failing power supplies are common and can cause that.
Check your PS.
See response 4 in this:
http://www.computing.net/hardware/w...Open up your case, boot the computer and make sure the cpu fan spins okay. If it doesn't spin do not use the computer until you have replaced it - your cpu can be damaged or fry in just a few minutes if the cpu fan is not spinning.
If the cpu fan or the heat sink is filthy, remove the AC power to the case and clean them - you may have to remove the fan to properly clean the top of the heatsink.
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I am not sure I have found the correct utility I should use to check my hard drive. I know its a WD drive, so would I use this utility?
http://support.wdc.com/download/ind...
Based on the instructions however, this doesn't appear to be a file to be used as a bootable CD, but rather a diagnostic to be run after Windows starts.
Should I be using this utility or have I looked in the wrong place on the WD site.
Also, there is a problem with my VirusScan, but one problem is that I also have Norton installed and VirusScan is having problems because of this. And of course, I get an error when I try to uninstall Norton in Safe Mode.
I am apt to try the hard drive diagnostic first since people here seem to feel it is the most likely, but also any guidance on fixing the virus scan would be helpful.
Thank you all for your help!
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When there is something wrong with Windows and it won't work properly you should download and use the Diagnostics for Dos listed there. Personally I always use a bootable Dos version - it can't be affected by Windows problems and works even on a blank hard drive. If you have a floppy drive get the floppy version; if you don't get the CD version, but you will need to make a CD-R on a burner drive.
Download the utility and make the bootable floppy or floppies, or the CD-R, on another computer if you need to.Your rebooting problem could be caused by hardware or software problems.
If the computer does not reboot on it's own in Safe mode, it is much less likely you have a hardware or power supply problem, and it is likely Windows is messed up, and/or the data or configuration or programs loaded and Windows uses when trying to use Normal mode is/are messed up, which may or may not be caused by a failing hard drive or some other cause corrupting data.
There's a possibility you could get Windows to display an error message instead of rebooting when in Normal mode.
Win XP is often set to reboot when it encounters an unrecoverable error.
To have XP possibly display an error message instead of rebooting:
In this case, start Windows in Safe mode.
1. Click Start, and then right-click My Computer.
2. Click Properties.
3. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under Startup and Recovery.
4. Under System failure, click to clear the Automatically restart check box.
5. Click OK, and then click OK.Try booting in Normal mode and see if you get an error message. If you do, tell us what it says.
.....If the computer still reboots on it's own in Safe mode, or when you try to boot with and run the Western Digital Dos Diagnostics, check your power supply and cpu fan and cpu heatsink, as in response 4.
In addition, see response 2 in this - try cleaning the contacts on the ram modules.
http://www.computing.net/hardware/w...
.....You are supposed to NEVER run two resident (ones installed on the computer) anti-virus programs at the same time - they are likely to conflict with each other and can cause all sorts of problems. However, you can usually run one online scanner at a time from the web with one resident anti-virus program running.
If you DO have two anti-virus scanners running in Normal mode, you might be able to disable either or both of them in Safe mode by changing settings in the programs, even if you can't un-install them in Safe mode.
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Thanks tubesandwires. The only thing I am still confused on is the file that is to go on the bootable CD. The diagnostics for dos file at the URL I posted is an .exe file that the directions tell me to click on to run. However, with a bootable CD, I there is nothing for me to click, right? It simply runs when I start the machine.
If I simply put this .exe on a CD (by burning it to a CD-R), does that make it a bootable CD? The file size was too big to fit on a floppy.
Thanks.
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In the case of the floppy version you download the file, then you click on it and it will make a floppy or two floppies - the floppy or the first floppy is bootable - you stick it in a floppy drive and boot the computer and it will load it's own operating system and start the program.
I haven't tried any CD version of any hard drive diagnostic program because ALL my computers have a floppy drive. Look on the web site for directions. Somehow or other you have to create (burn) a bootable CD-R with the diagnostic files on it, then you can use the CD-R as a bootable CD, yopu boot your computer with it (a CD drive must be before a hard drive in the bios Setup boot order) and it will run it's own operating system and start the program.
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Alright, interesting developments here. I ran the quick and full tests on the hard drive and no errors were detected.
All the fans seem to be working fine and I cleaned minor dust buildup.
I then restarted the computer and entered Safe Mode. I unchecked the Automatically Restart checkbox and restarted. Now, Windows is booting up in Normal mode.
I feel as though I haven't actually fixed the problem though. Any idea why unchecking the box is allowing Windows to start normally now? Any thoughts on how I can permenantly fix this problem?
Thank you again!
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Yes that's odd.
Often you get an error message that gives you something to investigate with when you uncheck that box. Software problems don't fix themselves, so the problem was probably not caused by software. A faulty power supply doesn't get better on it's own. The hard drive tests fine.
Maybe a loose connection, or the contacts on the ram in the slot(s) are giving you intermittant problems, maybe because they are electrically dirty (you may not be able to see anything on them)?
Try removing the power to the case, open up the case, and check that all connections are seated, remove/re-install the main connector from the PS to the mboard, remove/re-install the cards in slots.
See response 2 in this - you could try cleaning the contacts on the ram modules.
http://www.computing.net/hardware/w...
And the same for the contacts on the cards.
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Here is another piece of information. I ran a full scan overnight on the computer. When I awoke this morning, the computer was at a blue screen with the following message:
"Problem has been detected and Windows has shut down to prevent damage". The error message continues to tell me to remove any newly installed hardware of software (there isn't any).
Then under the technical information it says
STOP: 0x0000000A (0xFFFFFFE8, 0x00000002, 0x00000001, 0x804DA07F)
Is there a virus on the computer? Strange though that McAfee couldn't handle the file. Even if it couldn't fix it, it usually doesn't crash the computer.
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"STOP: 0x0000000A (0xFFFFFFE8, 0x00000002, 0x00000001, 0x804DA07F)"
The info in the brackets doesn't reveal much - that is specific to your computer, and may change each time you get the STOP: 0x0000000A error.
What is often more revealing is if there is something after that - the name of file, or another error message string.E.g. if you saw IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
You can get the IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error from many causes, but sometimes it can be just because the ram module contacts are not getting a good connection - this worked for me when I got that error:
See response 2 in this - try cleaning the contacts on the ram modules.
http://www.computing.net/hardware/w...Even if you're not sure if you saw IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL in yourb message, try that first - that may eliminate the problem.
.....Otherwise, you need to copy down more of what you see in the error message - otherwise there are a huge number of possibilities of what could be causing the error.
Searching using: STOP: 0x0000000A on the web will get you lots of "hits", such as these:
TROUBLESHOOTING WINDOWS STOP MESSAGES
http://aumha.org/a/stop.htmTroubleshooting a Stop 0x0000000A error in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=...
"Stop error 0x0000000A (Stop 0x0A) indicates that there was an attempt in kernel mode to touch pageable memory at too high a process internal request level (IRQL). Typically, this error occurs when a driver uses an incorrect memory address. Other possible causes of this error are an incompatible device driver, a general hardware problem, and incompatible software."
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I looked at the machine's internals (I am fairly novice though) and didn't see anything wrong. I can try to clean the contacts as you mention.
I do vaguely remember the IRQL message as well.
Is there any way to try to narrow down what is causing the error (like unchecking boxes, etc). The links you posted do have quite a few listings of what the problem might be so I am not sure where to start. I did not knowingly install any new HW/SW. Although back before when I was attempting to do System Restore, the most recent restore point was commented by something new installed. Maybe whatever was installed caused this. How can I check to see what may have been installed? I am assuming Add/Remove programs wouldn't have this information.
At what point should I take this to a computer repair shop? And if you do recommend this, should I go to Geek Squar or FireDog or are these services overpriced?
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"I looked at the machine's internals (I am fairly novice though) and didn't see anything wrong."
See the the stuff in response 10. "Seated" means all connectors all the way down on pins or inserted all the way in sockets, ram and cards all the way down in their slots.
"I can try to clean the contacts as you mention."
"I do vaguely remember the IRQL message as well."Then cleaning the ram contacts as in the response 10 reference is a good thing to try.
"Is there any way to try to narrow down what is causing the error (like unchecking boxes, etc). The links you posted do have quite a few listings of what the problem might be so I am not sure where to start."
That's exactly why it's important to note what comes after the Stop message as well - that info can narrow down what you need to investigate.
"I did not knowingly install any new HW/SW."
If that's the case, then it is more likely to be a ram contact probem.
"Although back before when I was attempting to do System Restore, the most recent restore point was commented by something new installed. Maybe whatever was installed caused this. How can I check to see what may have been installed?"
If you don't remember I can't help with that. Maybe the comment would give you clue.
"I am assuming Add/Remove programs wouldn't have this information."
I doubt it, but the date of the system restore point with the comment might. You could look for files added on that date by using Search and advanced settings in that to specify on or before and after dates on the same day.
"At what point should I take this to a computer repair shop?"
That's up to you - whenever you get fed up with fiddling. Personally I always plug away until I solve the problem, even if I give up after a while on a particular day.
If I were you I would do everything in response 10 first - that may be enough.
If you do get another blue screen after that, make sure you copy down the stuff after the Stop error as well."And if you do recommend this, should I go to Geek Squar or FireDog or are these services overpriced?"
Those names are not familiar to me, and I don't know where you are - most people who post here are in the US, but they can be in anywhere, and I'm in Canada. Phone around and ask what their rates are. Smaller places are likely to have lower rates that repair services in big box stores. References are always a good thing. If you know anyone who has had repairs done, ask them what they think of the price they paid and service at that place.
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Hi again,
I have been able to continue working on this and have uncovered the following. It seems that on the date my computer stopped working properly, 2 Microsoft Updates were installed. I found this out by looking at the System Restore checkpoint and seeing that "Software Distribution Service 2.0" was listed as a comment. Then in looking at the ReportingEvents.log in C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution, 2 MS updates are listed on the date my computer started acting strange.
The 2 updates are:
1. Update for Windows XP (KB929338)
2. Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool - March 2007 (KB890830)I can't seem to find these on the computer in Add/Remove Programs (with updates turned on). I assume this is because I did a System Restore to a previous point.
In looking at the MS site for KB929338, it seems it is meant to correct Stop errors like the one I am getting now. Seems strange that I am getting the Stop error after this update was installed.
Any ideas on how I can correct my system? Does a registry edit need to occur?
Thanks!
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"I can't seem to find these on the computer in Add/Remove Programs (with updates turned on). I assume this is because I did a System Restore to a previous point."
They aren't necessarily in Add/Remove
and some cannot be uninstalled. If you look at the details in the info for those two on the Microsoft Update site, it will often tell you whether they can be un-installed or not. Using System Restore can only load a previous registry - whatever files were installed or modified by those updates are still on the computer."In looking at the MS site for KB929338, it seems it is meant to correct Stop errors like the one I am getting now."
That is only ONE of many possible fixes for the IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error.
Did you try cleaning the ram contacts yet?
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I have looked inside the computer but I am not sure which ones are the RAM modules. How can I tell which ones they are? And then how do I unlatch them from its socket? Can I just pull up on them or is there some type of unlocking/locking mechanism?
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Every HP computer has at least an owners manual that probably has info about how to install and remove ram in it. It may aleady be in your Programs somewhere, or you can download one from the HP site in the manual downloads for your model.
Short video - click on the arrows
http://www.kingston.com/support/how...Tutorial -
There's a picture available on each page - click on see image enlargement.
Select the next page at the bottom of each page
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,1...Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9wi...Also see response 2 in this - how to clean the contacts on the ram modules.
http://www.computing.net/hardware/w...
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It seems the problem is gone. I went to the MS site and had it check my system for any new downloads I needed. It installed a new security patch and now it all seems to be working fine. I am a bit skeptical on it being this easy a fix, but it has been stable for a few days now.Thank you everyone for your help, especially Tubesandwires!
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Thanks for posting again.
I'm glad to hear you problem seems to be resolved.
Did you clean the ram module contacts?
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