Help

[Patrick]

:eek:

My No 2 computer has now gone down, this house hold at the moment is a technological catastrophe.
A computer down a month ago another today and the mobile phone is playing silly buggers as well.

The computer has been running funny of late, booting up OK but then after a few minutes it would not load any selected programs, got the hour glass that would disappear then nothing, try again same again try another program nothing. Then after 10-15 minutes all would happen all at once everything selected would load, after that smooth as silk. Until the next time I switched on, I believe it to have locked.

Well this morning it wouldn’t recognise the keyboard a USB type so I connected a PS/2 type keyboard, it worked so I thought now is the time to do an XP repair (yes I know failure of the keyboard is a BOIS problem).Backed up the system with Powerquest and set about the repair, that’s when the troubles really started, I get a floating window saying my screen is not recommended 1280x1024 optimum and nothing will display so I have no idea how the repair is going. I beleive it to have locked.

Help please


Patrick

[Patrick]

:eek:

My No 2 computer has now gone down, this house hold at the moment is a technological catastrophe.
A computer down a month ago another today and the mobile phone is playing silly buggers as well.

The computer has been running funny of late, booting up OK but then after a few minutes it would not load any selected programs, got the hour glass that would disappear then nothing, try again same again try another program nothing. Then after 10-15 minutes all would happen all at once everything selected would load, after that smooth as silk. Until the next time I switched on, I believe it to have locked.

Well this morning it wouldn’t recognise the keyboard a USB type so I connected a PS/2 type keyboard, it worked so I thought now is the time to do an XP repair (yes I know failure of the keyboard is a BOIS problem).Backed up the system with Powerquest and set about the repair, that’s when the troubles really started, I get a floating window saying my screen is not recommended 1280x1024 optimum and nothing will display so I have no idea how the repair is going. I beleive it to have locked.

Help please


Patrick

If any one has read this and can help with some advice please reply, this is my work computer and I nead to get it started very urgently.


Patrick

[Ian]

If any one has read this and can help with some advice please reply, this is my work computer and I nead to get it started very urgently.


Patrick

Are you able to try a display card driver update?

If you boot up in safe mode (can you do this) what happens?

Ian

[Stephen]

Hi Patrick, clutching at straws here, but could it be the graphics card thats playing up, maybe needs replacing ???

[Patrick]

Are you able to try a display card driver update?

If you boot up in safe mode (can you do this) what happens?

Ian


Hi Ian
Thanks for replying

I haven't tried safe mode, I can't find a way to do so now as the OS is half way through the repair but would appear to be locking up but with no screen I don't know where.
I am trying to create a bootable external H/D with a restored setup to run on my laptop, which hopefully with the correct BIOS settings will boot from the external drive. if this works I may stick with it as it would keep work and leisure apart but using one machine and without using the smaller capacity laptop H/D.

It doing the restore now we shall see.

Patrick

[Patrick]

Hi Patrick, clutching at straws here, but could it be the graphics card thats playing up, maybe needs replacing ???

If that the case its a shared graphics and no provision on this machine for an independent card.
It does show the opening screens as fare as the first one goes with the bit at the bottom that runs along, then tells me setup is resuming and the screen closes with the message I have quoted.

Thanks Stephen anything is worth trying

Patrick

[rogleale]

Hate to say this Patrick but if you backed -up the system after the problem started you have also backed-up the problem! Your best hope is system restore if you can get to it, the earliest restore point possible.
If you can get into safe mode I would recommend running a system file check using sfc /scannow because it looks as if you have some corrupted XP files.

Roger

[Patrick]

Hate to say this Patrick but if you backed -up the system after the problem started you have also backed-up the problem! Your best hope is system restore if you can get to it, the earliest restore point possible.
If you can get into safe mode I would recommend running a system file check using sfc /scannow because it looks as if you have some corrupted XP files.

Roger

Its a catch 22, I know I have backed up the problem but it works eventually and will allow me to work until I can put a more permanent solution in place.
My fanciful idea of working from an external drive doesn’t work the BIOS wont support such a thing.

I am now going to restore it all to the laptop and do a windows repair from there and see how that goes.

Patrick

[Patrick]

Its a catch 22, I know I have backed up the problem but it works eventually and will allow me to work until I can put a more permanent solution in place.
My fanciful idea of working from an external drive doesn’t work the BIOS wont support such a thing.

I am now going to restore it all to the laptop and do a windows repair from there and see how that goes.

Patrick

Those that replied to my screams for help, may be interested to know after a great deal of work trial and error, I have retrieved my data.
I had made a Powerquest backup but that didn't work properly nor did the saved file & settings using Windows.
Anyway through Powerquests browser function I was able to retrieve most date a step by step. The rest was retrieved because I had also made a copy
of the drive. Belt and braces pays in the end.

The amazing thing despite all my precautions I still found myself in this position.:confused:

Looking forward now to the new laptop.:)

Patrick

[vlarcombe]

Hi Patrick,

I'm sorry that you were having so many problems and I'm very pleased that you have now resolved them but your difficulties have highlighted a very common problem: It is not enough to make backups, you also need to make sure you can restore them. This may seem obvious but I know of several companies that had very strict backup procedures in place only to find that their backup tapes were actually unreadable when the crunch time came.

Vernon

[Patrick]

Hi Patrick,

I'm sorry that you were having so many problems and I'm very pleased that you have now resolved them but your difficulties have highlighted a very common problem: It is not enough to make backups, you also need to make sure you can restore them. This may seem obvious but I know of several companies that had very strict backup procedures in place only to find that their backup tapes were actually unreadable when the crunch time came.

Vernon

Exactly, but how can we check our backups will restore we only find out when they don't work, and its too late then.

Patrick

[vlarcombe]

A fair point.

In the absence of a second machine I "sample" the back up, restoring 1 or 2 files and checking the backup logs to make sure there are no errors or warnings. I have to admit that I was very nearly caught out myself last year having changed to backing up just my data, knowing that I can re-install everything else. What I forgot to backup was my mail files where all my registration numbers etc. were stored! (I do have them all on paper "safe" but finding them in a searchable mail-box is a lot easier than finding them in my paper filing system :B)). Luckily I had a mother board failure and not a hard disk failure so I could quite recover what I was missing.

Vernon.