ok this is the first post for me, so if I leave anything important out please be understanding.
problem:
My pc was working fine, I purchased it in 2003, not sure the exact model of PC, but I purchased it from SHOPNBC, I think its name is V2 Premier, Intel Pent. 4, CPU 2.40 GHz, DVD & CD-RW.
My son installed Half-life PC game & steam (which enables him to play with others online) I assume. When my daughter went to go online, she said it stopped working, so I told my son to shut down & restart, which he did. He never told me until AFTER I came upstairs to the den that he messed up the PC! So I asked him what exactly did he do & this is what he told me:
He tried to fix it, he told me he used the System Recovery Utility, on the floppy disk it clearly states that "it should be used only under the instruction of a trained technician".
So he told me that he tried to reboot it, and the message said "Missing Operating System Information"
I tried to use the boot floppy that I created for emergencies such as this, but it said that the partitions were corrupt, then I decided to try and boot in safe mode, there was no operating system at all. The monitor just kept asking for a boot disk or boot cd.
I got it to start up, put in the system recovery disk, (the same one my son used to "fix the pc" and it would start to load the partitions, but would freeze.
Keyboard wouldn't work, mouse would not work, it just froze.
The only was I was able to shut down the computer was to turn the main power switch on the back of the terminal.
So I left it sit for a day so I could do some reasearch and possibly find a cause & a solution on my Gateway PC *which is slow but always reliable* I found this forum along with several other sites with great help, I even created a hard drive diagnostic test disk, but it won't read that. Then I went back after trying to find something to help me understand a reason why it keeps on freezing, even when I tried to re-install Windows XP. It gets to the agreement page of the setup, it downloads all the files, but again it freezes. So there it sits, my fast, beautiful baby naked & in need of repair! I need help please. And mind you that I am somewhat PC illiterate, I understand some basic stuff, but not sure what to do. If I can repair it myself I would like to do that, if it comes down to it I will take it a shop.
thanks in advance for all your help. But if there is any more info that you may need let me know & I will try & provide that for you. I am ready to just buy a new pc if I have to.
Peace & Love
TC

Are you interested in trying to see if there's any info left on your hard drive, or have you decided to just reinstall Windows XP and count it up as a loss? The answer to this question will determine, in large, to how we can/should proceed.

BTW, welcome to the PC Guide Discussion Forums!

These are the steps you need to take:

1) Open the case and make sure all of the ribbon cables that connect the motherboard to the hard drive and floppy drive are firmly seated. Unplug them and plug them back in if you are not sure. Be carefull about which end gets the red stripe. While you are in there, check for large amounts of dust on the memory sticks and the motherboard. Remove with canned air if necessary.

2) Download memtest or memtester. I would provide the link, but my ISP is having a problem with their DNS servers and I can only get me e-mail and get on PC-Guide. Run the memory tester for about 8 hours and see what happens. Bad memeory can cause Windows Installation to fail.

3) Determine by looking at the drive or checking the bios, what the manufacturer of the hard drive is and download their diagnostic software. test the hard drive.

I Think the game installation was a coincidence and what happend was you had a hard drive or memory failure shortly thereafter. What your sun did was wipe the hard drive clean and try to install the OS again.

Follow steps 1-3 & report your results

To be honest I can deal with the loss of what was on my PC, I won't mind starting fresh either, I just want to be able to get that PC up and running again. I mainly used it for being online, chatting, printing pics & games. Anything that was important I have saved on both CD's and/or Floppy discs. So that's not really a concern.
Classicsoftware, I will proceed with the steps given and go from there.
Thank you both, I will try and take a look inside and see whats happening. Although, I am sort of nervous about playing around inside. I will follow up once I have completed the steps from Classicsoftware first, then if everything goes good I will wait to hear from either one of you to help me with the rest!
THANK YOU BOTH VERY VERY MUCH!

Here are Donn's Clean-out Tips--often immitated but never duplicated. For now or in the future.

First go to the computer store and buy two cans off compressed air,
they're about $5--$6 each. DO NOT SHAKE THE CANS. very
important. This is going to SOUND a lot harder than it is . . .once
you do it, it'll be second hand to you.

Buy a dust mask or two, get an (preferrably) unsharpened pencil, and two or three Q-Tips.

1. Shut it all completely off, all switches to 'off'

2. After it shuts down wait a while, half hour or so

3. Disconnect all cords from the pc unit--wall wire, monitor, printer,
mouse keyboard, everything connected to it--disconnect. Do not open it
there.

**Before you open it either take it outside to the garage, or put it
on a table next to an open window where the air blows out. You'll need
a fan. Got to have ventilation, the basement probably not a good
idea, not for me anyway.**

4. you will need a dusk mask--very important--the dust and dirt in the
machine is full of bacteria, molds, etc, it's VERY unhealthy stuff,
and most of it--believe me--you won't know it's there until it goes up
your nose.. . .there is more of it than you will see.

5. put the PC on a piece of card board on a wooden table, not a metal
table, something non-conductive. NO, newspaper will not do--it has to
be a non-conductive surface.

6. no liquids on or near the table. no electric machines (the fan is
ok) like vacuum cleaners, radios, other PCs, nothing like that on the
table or near it.

7. Put on your dusk mask.

8. Remove the side cover and put it out of the way

9. LOOK inside for a while, just look in and check it out, see where
all the wires go, see where all the plug-ins are, move the wire packets
around so you can see how they can be flexed without stressing them or
unplugging something. Imagine how you can use the spray bottle WITHOUT
tilting the can. very important.

When you are comfortable with that, pick up one of the cans, unwrap it
etc, but try not to agitate or shake the can. Once the inert filler
behind the air in the can gets to moving around it gets cold. If that
happens, put the can down for a few minutes and let it resettle. No,
it is not going to explode. Just don't shake it or the inert material
will start coming out and you'll freeze something.

Resist the temptation to tilt the can

Ok, turn on the fan and keep it pointed at the open box, on medium or
high. Put the little red tube in the air can nozzle to direct the air
spray and start giving it pulses of spray, start at the top and blow
the dust down to the bottom. Stick the red tube in between the CD-ROM
and floppy units and blow all that dust down to the bottom (or out if
it goes that easily).

Use the Q-tips in the sharp corner and crannies to knock any thick dust lose so the air can spray it out easier.

Resist the temptation to tilt the can

Put the nozzle into the fan openings from the outside and blast all
that dust off the fan, but hold the blades if you can with the pencil
so the fan blades don't turn--some people say it can damage the
bearing if you blast it with that much force, but I don't think so.
Nevertheless, if you can hold the fan blades, do so. But, get all that
dust out of all those little crannies. If you have a vacuum with a
long hose on it, such that you can keep the vacuum engine 3 or 4 feet
away from the pc you can use it to vacuum the fans out. I wouldn't put
it inside the box, except maybe along the bottom if there is
space--two inches or more--under the mobo--there are pins that can get
sucked out.

Okay, If the air bottle is still room temp, bring it around to the
side of the box and start blasting the dust that has settled to the
bottom of the box--blast it so that the fan blows it out, as much as
can.

Resist the temptation to tilt the can or the inert material will come
out and if you keep it on something long enough it will freeze
something. Not good.

Keep the spray away from the inner parts as much as you can. If you
have to hit the mobo make sure the can is room temp, and just give it
a little hit on big dust lumps if they are there.

You can spray things directly as long as the air in the can is room
temp air, not cold, and keep the can level, not tilted.

The idea is to get the dust and grit out. So you may have to use a
paper towel-- DRY-- to wipe out the bottom. I think I spit on mine to
get the last little bit of grit off the bottom. No harm.

Pertty much common sense when you think about. I think it took about
an hour to do mine.

If you take it to CompUSA they will charge you $20 or so.

Now if you want a good laugh read this, my first clean out attempt; don't take any of us seriously in this one, and skip over the part about the memory chips:

http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=30746&highlight=car+wash

if it doesn't work on this page, copy and paste it, the thread is still there. . .

:)

I guess that there's nothing wrong with the PC hardware and hardly any reason to "blow it out" or open the case at all.

I would take a good look at the "stuff" that came with the PC and see if you understand what to do to run the "system recovery" CD etc.....

Now, understand, sometimes the "directions don't always match "exactly " with what you have to to restore the PC software.

In any case, the "lesson" from this situation is that anytime people set a PC to run a certain game, or software, they have to know enough about what they are doing so as not to "goof up" the settings for other users.

My own suspicion, is the "Internet gaming" network setting allowed for something or someone to disturb your software configuation.

Good Luck.

no-mbr, with respect, I whole heartedly disagree. I think a pole of the Moderators and regulars here would establish that a clean out is due about evey six months or so. . . .



:cool:

Donn,

How about a face mask, tyvek suit and a leaf blower? :eek:

I use a small air compressor and blow gun/nozzle personally and just stand off to the side of where the dust flies out of the pc. Next to a window though so the air clears quickly.

Mzti Bluezz,
Can you get the pc into BIOS or setup? Usually pressing the delete key as the pc boots up or look as the pc starts to boot, it is usually listed on one of the first 2 or 3 screens. Sometimes it'll be F1 or F2 If you can get into setup and maneuver with the keys and/or mouse, most of your hardware is probably ok. F10 will get you out of setup. Choose the no prompt (not to save and exit) so you won't have caused any changes while in there.

hehe, i just never put my machine's side casing on, i'm always tinkering, but thats not here nor there. I've never put much faith in recovery disks and would highly recommend an actual install of an OS. necessity dictates probably something like XP although linux is much faster, better and secure.

just going through and making sure all the IDE cables are in securely, all the ram sits flush, and nothing's falling out. then, begin an install (providing the HDD MBR isnt cactus) by creating a brand spanky new partition for it. delete the old one.

I would agree with FTT and try to get into the BIOS, rather than taking everything apart first. There will be plenty of time for cleaning out your case with Donn's method (wow!) once your computer is back up and running (which will hopefully be very soon)--although I do wholeheartedly agree that cleaning should be performed regularly.

If you can get into the BIOS (not sure if I've ever been able to use my mouse in there), take a look around for a bit just to see what's there. I'm thinking that resetting the defaults in the BIOS and/or resetting cmos (the latter will require opening the case very quickly and removing the watch-like battery overnight, and then replacing it the next day) might be a good first step. I say this because you are uncomfortable opening the case, which is not unusual.

Then, if resetting the BIOS to their default values fails, then we know it is very possibly a hardware problem and time to follow classicsoftware's advice to a tee. By the way, jimmy5k, I don't think that I would recommend leaving the side casing off for long periods of time. It is there for two good reasons--to regulate the temperature inside the case and to keep out unnecessary dirt, insects (unless they are conductive breeds:)), smoke, and anything else that can contribute to your computer overheating or shorting out.

Just my two cents.

hold the blades if you can with the pencil
so the fan blades don't turn--some people say it can damage the
bearing if you blast it with that much force, but I don't think so.

The compressed air can spin the fan faster than the bearings are designed to run, thus damaging the bearings. At twice the normal RPM of the fan it doesn't take long for very small bearings to get plenty hot.

I would say open the case and at least check for dust, and probably go ahead and clean it out. If it's been running anywhere near a year it needs it. I do it on every computer that comes in my shop, but I only spend 5 minutes on it and don't disassemble. Just pull the IDE cables at most, usually a good idea with small cases. Usually I just walk outside with it, side cover already removed. Complete disassembly should only be necessary if the machine is excessively dirty and cards need to be individually cleaned. About one out of 30 I'd guess...If you want to as a personal project, taking the time and trouble to do it that way would actually be helpful since you would become much more familiar with your computer along the way. I also keep some small camera and make up brushes handy to clean caked up dust off of fan blades and heatsinks.

EDIT: By the way, in reference to the other thread linked above, I somehow missed the last few posts and just did a quick bit of looking, rambus info and pictures Here (http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/roundupmobo/rambus-pc1066-pc4200-mx.html).

Well Donn,

I agree and I disagree.

I do think it is an excellent idea to remove the dust from the inside of the case. As computers run warmer and warmer, dust can cause more heat to build up on individual components and lead to premature failure.

The best investment I ever made was to go out and get a datavac-2. It cost me a hundred bucks over 12 years ago.

I use the vaccum to remove as much of the visible dust. No touching any components obviously. I use the blower to get out hard to remove grime from inside the power supply and CD and floppy drives.

I do not use a mask, I go for the do it by an open window method....

i've just had the pleasure (torture) of being at a mates place who's OS was doing freaky stuff similar to what you described. after attempting a format, the HDD no longer picked up in BIOS.

now, ASSUMING that the HDD still picks up fine in bios, try a scandisk. I know, i know. probably not whats wrong, but its a possibility. and who knows? it may actually FIX something.

anyway, i'll leave you with this parting advice.

"Gravity therapy for computers IS a cure. it makes you feel better."

WOW!! Great ideas I surely would try if I could keep the pc from freezing. I will take my PC in to get cleaned somewhere, that is something that I WILL NEVER try but great details for my obsessive compulsively clean younger brother, thanks very much for all the tips. I am too clumsy & have a tendency to throw BF's.

I have looked into the BIOS and have seen that the "default" settings are where they are supposed to be at (per the manual & manufactors install defaults), only thing is when I try to reinstall XP, it freezes. I get to the agreement page and sometimes even before that page, I would say maybe 3-4 minutes into installation (usually the "loading files" stage & it stops). Sometimes not even that long. I get to the point now that my pc sits there. IGNORED so I don't throw it out my window!!

But I have printed EVERY SINGLE TIP, RECOMMENDATION & CLEANING SUGGESTION. Believe me I have started my own binder of tips & fixes from everyone that seems to have a higher knowledge with PC's than I do for my future reference in case I come across other issues with any one of the 2 pc's I have. ;)

**darn, in that case it may be just about everyone here BUT ME**

None the less, all your help is greatly appreciated and for which I am deeply grateful, I will again follow up with everyone here to inform when my baby is back up and running :)

***Peace & Love***

May the footprints you leave behind show that you have walked in kindness toward every living thing on earth

Have you tried a different power supply. and take the side cover off and look inside for Bad Capacitors (http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=25482)

Hi to everyone that has posted their help, tips & all the information.
I GOT THE PC WORKING!! I took it in to Milwaukee PC, they ran a diagnostic test, determined it was the memory, they upgraded the memory & re-installed & fixed my baby!
Thank you to everyone!
Now the only thing to do is to install my programs that I use most often. Also the PC techs, said they would clean my all my PC's for free anytime I need to. Since I was such a helpless "woman" and all. I love it. Sometimes I don't mind being seen as a "helpless woman", I don't have to pay for most services :)
Thank you all again! I am truly indebted to all for their help!

Hey, no fair. Men end up paying more for everything--and now computer service, too....:)

Hey Mtz, glad you got it running, what ever it took. Just curios about one issue though--did you ever get beeps or tones when turning on the PC or during the Xp reinstall. I am not that familiar with Xp, but I was under the impression that when the memory goes it gives off a long tone or a beep pattern to let you know. No tones? No beeps?

Now, Mtz, those cleaning instructions, (I was just now reading some of the posts that followed) that's a standard 'schpiel' that I put out for reference. I didn't in any way mean that you should stop everything and go into that procedure, (although it probly wouldn't have hurt anything if you did). Flattered that you printed it out to pass to others, it comes from having to do it myself without anyone standing over my shoulder and showing me how, although several Guide members offered some advice in posts--so I made it as detailed as possible to allay first-time anxieties for other similar first-timers.

It is said that imitation is the finest form of flattery, but, myself, I tend to think of flattery in terms of unsigned bearer bonds, gold bullion, and/or stacks of used US currency in 100s and 50s. :p Or, if nothing else-- proper accreditation and a simple thank you. . .

. . .so keep my name on it--I need the fan base. :D

:cool: