how to fix a plain blue screen...

[weedfan]

hey guys. my pc really sucks right now. i jus got home from work tried to power up my pc. itll go up to the windows vista status bar and then.... a plain blue screen. with the blue screen u can still hear it booting up on my stereo. i bin having a lot of bsods lately. is it my video card?

[mjc]

Make/model of machine...video card. Age of same...

When was the last time you performed a dustbunniotomy?

[weedfan]

a who? wats a dustbunniotomy?

[weedfan]

mb= gigabyte ga-p35-s3g
cpu= intel core 2 duo e7500 2.93ghz
gpu= sapphire x1550

[weedfan]

oh snap! i think i found the problem. i looked at my power supply n the fan is not working.

[LochLomonder]

weedfan,

mjc means blasting out the innards of the PC with a compressed air canister to get rid of all those dust bunnies which accumulate over time

[weedfan]

ohhhhhhhhhhhhh..... i see now.

[weedfan]

i havent done any cleaning on the inside since ive built it 3 yrs ago.

[weedfan]

is it the power supply? it still powers on but not sure.

[Sylvander]

If I was seeing such a problem...
First thing I'd do is...

Use some OS->program OTHER THAN THAT COPY OF WINDOWS...

To scan and fix that Windows_partition_file_system.

In my case...
I'd use either:
"Puppy_Linux->GParted" to "check" the partition [actually the file system]...
Or...
"FalconFour's_UBCD->Check_disk".

Can't do any harm to make sure the partition_file_system is OK...
And it is likely to fix the problem.
Have you recently powered off this Windows improperly? [Cut the power without first shutting Windows down]

[LochLomonder]

weedfan,

For starters, I'd recommend getting a canister of compressed air, taking off the side of the PC, and then giving it a thorough blast to clean out the accumulated dust. This can often cause overheating issues and, if not rectified, may actually lead to component failures.

Since the fan on the PSU has failed, I'd recommend replacing that. Depending on the airflow in your box, it's possible the overheating on the PSU will generate BSoDs as you mentioned in a previous post.

After all this, check the usual suspects, i.e. changing hardware, updating hardware drivers, etc. to see if there's anything which may be causing any further issues. A good place to start is the Event Viewer, so you can see if there are any specific errors being recorded there which need further investigation.

[mjc]

The sudden shut-off, no error or random error is usually a sign of overheating or power supply problems. Or both.

A dead power supply fan is a very likely cause...

[weedfan]

i will replace the power supply n let u know wat happens. appreciate u guys!

[weedfan]

well...its not my power supply. but ill go ahead n keep the new 1. instead of the compressed air i used a little paint brush n my vacuum cleaner. i did my best 2 get all the dust i can see. do i still need to get that compressed air canister thing? i cant update drivers or do anything, like i said it only goes up to the windows status bar and then the plain blue screen.

[weedfan]

If I was seeing such a problem...
First thing I'd do is...

Use some OS->program OTHER THAN THAT COPY OF WINDOWS...

To scan and fix that Windows_partition_file_system.

In my case...
I'd use either:
"Puppy_Linux->GParted" to "check" the partition [actually the file system]...
Or...
"FalconFour's_UBCD->Check_disk".

Can't do any harm to make sure the partition_file_system is OK...
And it is likely to fix the problem.
Have you recently powered off this Windows improperly? [Cut the power without first shutting Windows down]

u mean take the hard drive out, put it in another pc n scan it?
somtimes wen i get a bsod ill jus press reset.

[Sylvander]

1. "u mean take the hard drive out, put it in another pc n scan it?"
No.
Instead of [attempting to] boot the OS [Windows in this case] that's on the internal HDD...
Boot an OS [with it's included program(s)] that's held on a bootable [and removable] device [usually a CD, but could be a (USB connected) Flash Drive or even a floppy]
I normally boot:
Either...
A "live" Puppy_Linux OS held on a CD-RW disk...
[GParted->"check" can scan/fix the file system of the (not mounted) Windows partition]
Took me 3 minutes to scan my own Windows partition_file_system whilst typing this.
Or...
"FalconFour's_UBCD" held on a CD-RW.
[Boot the Mini-XP at the 1st offered menu, then at the desktop run "Check disk"]

p.s. I'm doing this during short breaks whilst sanding and varnishing my newly installed double glazing with mahogany surrounds.
You should've seen the chunks of plaster and other rubbish all over the dustsheets and floors.
8 windows...£5,250.
Will be rather busy from now...
Just about to begin varnishing.

[Paul Komski]

itll go up to the windows vista status bar and then.... a plain blue screen. with the blue screen u can still hear it booting up on my stereo. i bin having a lot of bsods lately. is it my video card?

This doesn't sound like a BSOD, which is a Blue Screen with a Stop Message in white writing on it. Maybe both things are happening.

If you can get into the BIOS setup you might find out some actual temperatures.

If the machine is overheating it wont matter which operating system you use on it.

It is also always worth seeing what happens if you can boot into Safe Mode and whether the problems stay or disappear.

[LochLomonder]

weedfan,

...instead of the compressed air i used a little paint brush n my vacuum cleaner.

This is an incredibly bad idea, because it would be very easy to create a static discharge which could destroy the components on your motherboard. Just be thankful it didn't happen this time.

[weedfan]

well guys....ive about got it back to normal. guess its not hardware, i thought it was. i went into safe mode n did a system restore point. its looking pretty normal. the only thing i can think of is downloading an audio/video dowloader. there was a couple, one was called brothersoft. i forget the other 1. then i guess thats wen i got the blue screen. thanx guys

[weedfan]

weedfan,



This is an incredibly bad idea, because it would be very easy to create a static discharge which could destroy the components on your motherboard. Just be thankful it didn't happen this time.

holysmokes! well i used the brush mostly on all the fans. some of that dust jus wouldnt come off easy, had 2 wipe it off.

[Paul Komski]

System Restore is my own least favorite repair but every now and again it really can be the bees knees.

If you can't get your hands on cans of compressed air just bring the part with you to the filling station and use the compressed air gun used to inflate a car's tyres. Best done when its not raining.

[weedfan]

im back! n so is that problem. its ok for now. another guess is virus. i checked my anti virus program(avira) and i havent done a complete scan in a long time. so i did the scan. it said i had 52 viruses or unwanted programs! holy