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View Full Version : Help- Compaq Presario 2100 Startup problems


fmerc
09-07-2007, 03:31 PM
Hello. I would appreciate any help I could get for my laptop problems.

Specs: Compaq Presario 2190US2, 40-GHz Celeron, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive.

I'll just preface this by saying I've had the computer for 3.5 years now, and for the past year I've been having problems with a Linksys Wireless Card (WPC11). The computer would often times freeze (I believe it was a Driver error) and when I would eject the card it would reboot on its own and then everything would be okay.

A few days ago, the computer froze again as I was on the net and went to a black screen. As I manually rebooted, the computer went to the Compaq screen, accessed windows and started up as per usual. I was able to access the internet, folders, etc. and then the computer shut down and rebooted to a blank black screen. I manually rebooted again, and the laptop was on for about 5 minutes and then went to the same blank black screen. This keeps occurring everytime I reboot, sometimes it will be on for a few seconds, and sometimes I will get a blue screen error (IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL, among others) before shutting off and automatically rebooting.

I have tried starting from Safe Mode and the same thing happens. I have reseated the RAM and it did not work. I also reset the BIOS to its defaults and it didn't work either. I am really in a bind as I'm a student with not too much cash to throw around on fixing this thing, so any suggestions would be appreciated!

mjc
09-07-2007, 03:40 PM
First question...

Battery or plugged into the power adapter, or doesn't matter?

fmerc
09-07-2007, 03:46 PM
I've tried both and still nothing

Sylvander
09-07-2007, 04:18 PM
1. How to debug a system after you receive Stop Error IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0xA) (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=818501)
By using...
How to solve Windows system crashes in minutes (http://www.networkworld.com/news/2005/041105-windows-crash.html?page=1)

2. Black Screen on Boot (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/155053/en-us)
Whilst working in Windows...
Just in case Windows should spontaneously reboot...
Keep an NT/2000/XP Boot Floppy (http://www.nu2.nu/bootdisk/ntboot/) in the FDD, so that on reboot the boot floppy can take you into Windows even if the "master boot record (MBR), partition tables, boot sector, or NTLDR file is corrupted".
Whenever Windows fails to close properly there's a probability of file system corruption, so you should really have a bootable disk in a drive [set to boot before the HDD] that will help you scan [and if necessary fix any faults in] the file system....
And only then use the boot floppy to get you into Windows [if it's needed].

3. The really easy solution to restoring a good, working system of software to replace a corrupted system...
Is to have a good, recent image backup, made when all was well, that you can restore.

4. If you don't have that you might try an XP No-Reformat, Nondestructive Total-Rebuild (http://www.informationweek.com/windows/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189400897), or else it's other title of XP Repair Re-install (http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm).
Good idea to "streamline the latest service packs and updates.
I'm assuming you're running XP.

5. If you want to make sure it [is or] isn't a hardware problem...
Load and run Knoppix from a Knoppix Linux Live CD (http://www.knoppix.net/get.php).
If the problem magically disappears when running Knoppix, then it almost certainly isn't a hardware problem [HDD excluded] or BIOS configuration problem, but either a Windows environment problem, and/or HDD and its booting arrangements.