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The Computer is Broken. Seems to be Circling the Drain in a Loop. TECH PING LIST SUPERSTARS
03.02.08 | chickensoup

Posted on 03/02/2008 3:52:23 PM PST by Chickensoup

Help!

Came home last night. Turned on the trusty computer and up came a long message, white on black saying: We apologize for the inconvience but Windows did not start successflly... with several option to start.

None of them work.

It then loops to the windows xp screen

Then to an ad for the mainboard

then to a scan devices screen

then to some sort of listing

This morning there was a listing that on each line named had a number of the programs I run at the end of each line. It has not come up this time.

The hard disk comes on for the main board screen and the listing screen


TOPICS: Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: computer; computerhelp
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To: editor-surveyor

Sorry, FRiend, I ran out of “meds” in the late 60’s. LOL


181 posted on 03/02/2008 8:52:31 PM PST by papasmurf (I'm not worried anymore. I read Obama's "Blueprint for Change".)
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To: the invisib1e hand
Macs are magic. Everyone knows that. Peace, love, nirvana, Chai Latte, and the Mac.

You forgot Obama.

182 posted on 03/02/2008 10:03:03 PM PST by Mygirlsmom ("My advice: Quit supporting the party that is symbolized by an ass." Ted Nugent)
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To: Mygirlsmom

Obama’s a MAC, Hillary’s a PC. You knew that, right?


183 posted on 03/03/2008 12:49:20 AM PST by Island Girl
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To: Island Girl
Obama’s a MAC, Hillary’s a PC.
LOL! That would work for a tagline! At least until after the DNC convention . . .

Full disclosure: I bought an iMac when OS X was new . . . and have handed it down and recently bought a new iMac. The irony of the "staid, business" PC and the "artsy" Mac image is that underneath all the prettiness, OS X is Leopard gets UNIX 03 certification the industrial-strength OS and Windows is the one that has flimsy underpinnings.

I'm typing this reply in a bigger than normal text box. How do I get that, when you have to use the slider bar and can't see all your text at once? Under Leopard, Safari puts a handle on the bottom-right corner of any text-entry box so I can expand it to further to the right and/or further down. Not only so, but when I do a preview and subsequently expand either the "To" box or the "Your Reply" box to the right, the preview display also stretches out to the right (and consequently tends to shrink vertically since I then get fewer lines of text). Which presents the preview at a more realistic width to what you will probably view it at. Is that pretty, or is that utilitarian? I say, "Yes."

Macs are expensive? Yes - depending. They aren't particularly higher, may be actually cheaper, for the exact configurations which Apple offers. If you want something different than a standard configuration Apple offers, you are likely to be able to get it cheaper in a PC. But in a Mac you are getting quality in the hardware (individuals' mileage may of course vary) and in the software (making allowance for the fact that some things are merely different, and as such must be learned). So you will tend to hand a Mac down; they hold their value better. And now, Macs double as PCs anyway if you find that you need them to. In which case they are expensive PCs because you need to BYO legal copy of Windows. But even then, you have the advantage of being in a position to readily boot from a clean copy of Windows each time - so there's quality in that, too. And - for yet more software $$ - you can run Windows and OS X together.


184 posted on 03/03/2008 3:46:45 AM PST by conservatism_IS_compassion (The Democratic Party is only a front for the political establishment in America - Big Journalism.)
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To: Chickensoup

A DSL modem/router is aq pretty good incoming firewall. Outsiders can’t see your computer unless you have a trojan horse pinging the outsiders.

What a firewall — hardware or software — adds is the ability to manage outgoing requests.


185 posted on 03/03/2008 3:53:30 AM PST by js1138
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To: Chickensoup

If you don’t know what happened, assume it will happen again.


186 posted on 03/03/2008 5:37:39 AM PST by AppyPappy (If you aren't part of the solution, there is good money to be made prolonging the problem.)
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To: Chickensoup
"I think I bought it in 2005. As a matter of fact there are some threads out there about my purchase. I connect with a cable. The other computers are a bit older 2004 they stand alone."

Can you provide a link to your ISP's home page? Not Your Home page but the one your ISP uses for their customers to get info from.

187 posted on 03/03/2008 5:52:14 AM PST by Mad Dawgg ("`Eddies,' said Ford, `in the space-time continuum.' `Ah,' nodded Arthur, `is he? Is he?'")
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To: Mad Dawgg
http://www.timewarnercable.com/NewEngland/

http://www.timewarnercable.com/NewEngland/products/internet/RoadRunner/default.html

I think it is one of these two

188 posted on 03/03/2008 6:57:10 AM PST by Chickensoup (If it is not permitted, it is prohibited. Only the government can permit....)
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To: Chickensoup
Looks like Windows crashed. I find Rollback Rx to be a good choice for system restoration. Its better than Windows Restore in that it works at the boot level and will restore Windows and your personal files even when Windows can't start. Great for disaster recovery. Windows Restore only restores system files to the last known good configuration.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
>

189 posted on 03/03/2008 7:03:27 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: Island Girl

So, then McPain is, what, a mechanical adding machine?


190 posted on 03/03/2008 7:03:57 AM PST by Still Thinking (Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)
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To: Chickensoup
"I think it is one of these two"

Excellent! I Have Time Warner also!

After you get your computer probs taken care sign up for Time Warner's CA EZ ARMOR Security Software. One of the techs at Time Warner will help you download it and install it. Its a very good system!

Click your second link and then click the Road Runner Member Benefits link it has the info on the EZ armor Service.

Its Free BTW

191 posted on 03/03/2008 7:06:24 AM PST by Mad Dawgg ("`Eddies,' said Ford, `in the space-time continuum.' `Ah,' nodded Arthur, `is he? Is he?'")
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To: Mygirlsmom
You forgot Obama.

how could I have...he's so...everywhereeverythingallthetime...

192 posted on 03/03/2008 4:52:05 PM PST by the invisib1e hand (the model prescribes the required behavior. disincentives ensure compliance.)
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To: Still Thinking

So, then McPain is, what, a mechanical adding machine?

I’ve given this some thought. I believe McCain is plenty old enough to be an IBM OS/2, which some people loved, but completely and irrevocably bricked my Dad’s computer...


193 posted on 03/03/2008 7:24:19 PM PST by Island Girl
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To: Chickensoup

ChickenSoup - I’d like to give you a little post- computertrauma advice. I’m a Mom who sadly realized she had to become the IT person in the family. It’s taken me a long time to learn all I have, but it’s been well worth it. I’ve come a long way from the time when it took an entire weekend to reformat Windows 3.crap with a stack of floppies.

As a homeschooling mother, your computers are simply too important to your family. You need to homeschool yourself, and learn how your machines work. It’s not impossible, there are many great resources out there, you have folks to ask questions of here on FR. At the end of the day, you’ll be proud of yourself for having learned something new and difficult. You’ll feel in control of your machines and you’ll, lastly, be a great role model for your kids.


194 posted on 03/03/2008 7:31:02 PM PST by Island Girl
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To: Chickensoup

It sounds like you have serious problems on your hard disk. It could be missing files, virus or corrupted Windows files.

Try starting it with your XP PRO CD and running the repair option.

If that doesn’t work, pull the hard disk and install a new one. Format and install windows. Reinstall your software and run updates from MS website.

If you want your files from your current disk, I suggest buying an external drive kit from geeks.com and carefully copying files only after checking for virus.

When you have everything you want, repartition and reformat the old disk.

While this may sound pretty extreme, it will solve most any problem for about $100 and leave you with an external drive for what you would have paid in the first place.

The other possibility is that you have a hardware problem. If that is it and it’s not the hard disk, it will not solve your problem.

I suggest that if the recovery disk works, you will have eliminated all hardware problems except the hard disk.

Another interesting exercise would be to use another computer to download a copy of Knoppix Linux to a CD and boot from that. It is a complete operating system on a CD. It will allow you to access the Internet and to run its word processor. Assuming that works, your hardware with the possible exception of your hard disk is sound.


195 posted on 03/03/2008 7:49:56 PM PST by Poser (Willing to fight for oil)
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To: Chickensoup

You still up and running?


196 posted on 03/04/2008 9:47:49 AM PST by kinoxi
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To: kinoxi

So far. I get blocked from the netand need to disable zone alarm and then re-enable it.


197 posted on 03/04/2008 9:51:04 AM PST by Chickensoup (If it is not permitted, it is prohibited. Only the government can permit....)
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To: Chickensoup

Not good but you can boot it right? The chkdsk got you to boot, but there are few more things you should try. If you’ve got the time/inclination I can suggest a few.


198 posted on 03/04/2008 9:56:47 AM PST by kinoxi
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To: goldstategop; All

I know this tip is wasted on most of the tech savy posters to this thread, but this thread shows how important it is to back up. I have about $70 invested in good imaging/backup software (although there’s plenty of cheaper shareware out there - in fact windows comes with a bare bones, but useful, backup program ) and an external hard drive. You can get such a drive for under $100 bucks and also use if for extra storage space. Although I’ve only had to use the software twice it’s worth every penny. It’s a breeze to use, just set it and forget it. Don’t be one that learns the importance of backing up your data the hard way.


199 posted on 03/04/2008 10:04:23 AM PST by joebuck
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To: Chickensoup
A few downloads you should attempt to help narrow down the problem.
http://www.download.com/CCleaner/3000-2144_4-10315544.html This will not fix the problem but it will speed up your system and make subsequent scans go faster.
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ It often rewrites over itself even if you already have it installed. Good to do just because...
http://www.download.com/Trend-Micro-HijackThis/3000-8022_4-10227353.html This is a good one. It's going to give you a lot of info. The best way is to run the program and copy/paste the results in in a forum geared towards it. There are a lot of people willing and able to help you with the results. I wouldn't suggest FR as a posting medium. Use your favorite search engine. Type in "hijackthis results" and find one you are comfortable with posting to.

I've had Zone Alarm get buggy with me on a cable modem in the past. Try to access the programs that it's blocking.
I've got more suggestions, these are mostly basic. Before you go to sleep for the night, this one takes awhile, run checkdisk again through your XP. Scroll down this link to "Manual steps to run Chkdsk from My Computer or Windows Explorer" http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265">http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265

Try to get the hijackthis downloaded and running after cleaning first. You might be able to mitigate the problems with that utility.
200 posted on 03/04/2008 10:35:06 AM PST by kinoxi
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