Vista Startup

[sjs1717]

turn pc with vista on and it posts then stops. 1 out of 20 tries and it may finish loading up. So the question is.....mbr?....hard drive?.....virus? Any help would be appreciated. And Thanks as always.


Steve
We're doing this stuff for the wealth and fame right?

 

[BadBigBen]

PSU, would be my guess... underpowered or failing...

Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[sjs1717]

it does not shut down and there is very little draw......1 fan 1 rom drive 1 hd and very tiny speakers.....it just seems to hang after it posts no warning beeps nothing like that.....I ran avg spybot and c cleaner and found nothing there so ......?


Steve
We're doing this stuff for the wealth and fame right?

 

[firewolfrl]

Did you update to Internet Explorer 8?

there is a knowm issue with it
Here is a great article on it:

http://windowssecrets.com/comp/090611/

 

[linney]

Startup Repair is a Windows recovery tool that can fix certain problems, such as missing or damaged system files, that might prevent Windows from starting.

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Wi...809f-ed90-415f-a83f-89b42108b3551033.mspx#EFF

Startup Repair: frequently asked questions

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/5c59f8c1-b0d1-4f1a-af55-74f3922f3f351033.mspx

Does it Boot in Safe Mode?

Have you tried running it out of the Windows environment? If you have an install DVD that you can boot to (or a Startup Repair option via the F8 Safe Mode screen), try launching the Command Prompt from the options provided when you go down the Startup Repair path.


Do not perform the Startup Repair on this occasion, just look for, and go to the option for the Command Prompt (from the Choose a Recovery Tool dialog), and try running Chkdsk C: /r from within that.



How to use the Command Prompt in the Vista Windows Recovery Environment

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial147.html

Maybe System restore is an option too?

Using System Restore from the Vista Windows Recovery Environment

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial142.html

 

[sjs1717]

Interesting ideas everyone......no there is no ie8. If you turn the pc on it posts but it will not let you f8 or f12 it sits on a dell splash screen............no the user does not have any disks ( i asked that first )it is a sata hd and i do not have testing equipment for sata.


Steve
We're doing this stuff for the wealth and fame right?

 

[BadBigBen]

it does not shut down and there is very little draw......

does not preclude that the PSU is functioning correctly!

it just seems to hang after it posts no warning beeps nothing like that.....

ditto on the PSU, but also could be the HDD...

the HDD manufacturers have testing software available, e.g. Maxtor and Seagate = SeaTools, etc.

see here for a comprehensive LIST:

http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287

Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[linney]

I take it you can't even get at the Bios (not even "1 in 20" as you mentioned, to set it to Safe defaults), in that case it does seem to be a hardware related problem. Is the machine still under Warranty? Perhaps something is a bit loose inside and needs a gentle tap with Ben's sledgehammer?

Will it get past the splash screen if the only thing that is plugged in is the Monitor?

 

[sjs1717]

Thank you all.....right now the user does not want me to do anything else unless it powers down......she is content to leave it on until it does power down for updates or a power outage happens.... so I will post back when this happens.


Steve
We're doing this stuff for the wealth and fame right?

 

[strongm]

>it is a sata hd

I had a similar problem which eventually turned out to be a dodgy SATA connection

 

[pcretail]

Ones had a similar problem : turned out to be a "forgotten" micro SD adapter in the notebook card reader. Impossible to see as it doesn't stick out and VISTA tried to boot from it for ages.
Regards,

Jos

 

[donb01]

I'm gonna go on a different tangent and suggest that you reseat your RAM. Take it out and put it back in a couple of times - proper static protection is advised, of course...

Yes, I know it posted, but that doesn't mean the problem isn't temperature related or only happens after you load the memory enough... It will be interesting to see how long it stays running for her plan to just leave it running...