My Comp keeps crashing half way through startup

[aMn3siAc]

When I startup my computer it gets so far through and then crashes! It freezes on the black screen with the white writing just before the windows screen comes up.
This happens on average 1 in 5 times I start my computer up and is becoming annoying. Have I got a virus or is it something a lot less serious.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Sean (AmN3siAc)

 

[CitrixEngineer]

This looks on the surface to be more file-corruption than virus related. That said, viruses can corrupt files, so I wouldn't completely rule it out. Intermittent issues like this are particularly tricky to track down, IME.

What does the "white writing" say?

Are there any clues in your bootlog.txt file?

To overcome file corruption, boot up, run scandisk, and defrag your hard disk(s). This will help 90% of the time.

If you're running low on disk space (less than 10% free), then clear up some space. If you've got more than 40 files in your root directory, remove as many as you safely can.

Clear down *.tmp files from temp, windows, windows\temp and other temporary areas. Search for files with a *.tmp extension and delete those suckers. Do the same for files that begin with a ~.

THEN run a virus checker.

Maybe the swap file is fragmented.

It can be rebuilt by either deleting it (the old hacks way), or setting it to 0 in the Virtual Memory options, then rebooting and setting it back to the size it originally was (then rebooting again!).

If you're still having issues, maybe it's time for a rebuild - while you can still access the PC to back up your precious data!

Troubleshooting Microsoft = The 3 R's; Reboot, Rethink, Rebuild.

Hope this helps

 

[edfair]

Probably not a virus. If it was a virus it would happen every time. More likely that it is memory or video. Try reseating memory, CPU, and video card. Also check for seating of other expansion cards. Ed Fair
efair@atlnet.com

Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply.

Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[CitrixEngineer]

Good advice on reseating the components, Ed!

However, just because there are fewer incidents of viruses getting onto home or corporate PCs now compared to, say, 10 years ago doesn't mean we should rule them out completely. I know you're not saying that, but the point should be made

***I remember getting the "Green Cat" virus at college shortly before we had an epidemic of it. My colleagues with their shiny new 386s and 486s (if they were rich!) simply thought that my old 286 was giving up the ghost, and continued swapping code around as normal... :-0***

 

[marsd]

Sounds like a cmos problem I had once.
Bad battery and an older 96-97 award bios were the combo.
Try entering setup, set the defaults, reboot and then buy a neew cmos battery and install it.
If this fails then it is, as the previous posts said,
video, memory or mobo problems.

Luck

 

[thadwalt]

Could be a virus or a corrupt file. I would try reinstalling the operating system.

 

[Mudassar]

First, Virus check your HD by downloading Macaffe Anti Virus, install the rescue diskette from it, and cold boot from the disks and scan.

You should backup all your files and either reinstall Windows OR format your HD and then install windows (recommended). Install all your other programs and Drivers one by one and rebooting at the same time to see where the conflict may be. Could be hardware or a software problem. MY guess is it could be a Software conflicting with the Hardware.

Hope this helps

MK


If problem persists contact your hardware manufacture. (I hate it when they say that)
-----------------
MK

Everybody should use AntiVirus! Are you protected now?

 

[dawghouse]

One side note to advice concerning scandisk. This problem also sounds like file corruption to me. For Win95 and 98, when booting press F8 for a file menu. Select "dos prompt only" or wording similar to that (brain cramp). At the "C" prompt type in "scandisk." This will check windows before it boots and therefore check ALL or MOST of windows files. I have had good luck doing this with boot problems so, good luck.

 

[Stumpy2000]

Been there, done that. Start with the mem modules. Remove them and reinsert. Listen for the click, very important. Check to see if the problem is resolved.
If not, do the same to the video card and once again do the start up process and see if the problem is cleared up. Go through all the cards through this process.
if these do not resove the problem go to the power supply and check it out throughly, voltages in and voltages out. One thing you don't need to check is the fuse. If that was blown, no power at all.

Have A Good Day

 

[xscape]

Just to add a vote to the HD thing. I had a problem very similar to this, windows wouldn't boot first time and froze as it was booting. When I restarted it, it would sometimes boot, or would need to be restarted again. It ran fine after it was in Windows. I formatted the drive cos I thought it was a corrupt file, and guess what(?), I had about 8MB of bad sectors on it! And yes, I did say 8 Meg! Got a new drive under warranty (with 5GB more for free) and it's solved the problem. So it obviously couldn't have been able to read a file causing it to crash.

Just thought I'd add that. Hope it helps!

Good luck !