Laptop Acting Floopy...lots Of "...stopped Working" Errors.

I was just scooted over here from the malware forum by Tim. Seems I have a system issue.

Here is my system info:


And here's the issue...pop-up message boxes, lots of them, stating that something has stopped working. From Windows Command Processor to notepad. I am also getting pop-ups stating that "This computer is not running Genuine Windows". This just started about 2 weeks ago. I've had this laptop for a couple of years. Oh, also, I can't run certain programs like Hitman Pro, I get an error message.





Sooo...what do I do next?

Waiting very patiently and appreciatively for a reply.

 

It wont hurt to run the System File Checker (sfc /scannow) to check on system files
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb...er-tool-to-repair-missing-or-corrupted-system
when the scan is fully completed copy and paste the following into the same command prompt window to get a TEXT file to your desktop

findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log >"%userprofile%\Desktop\sfcdetails.txt"

If you can't run sfc scannow then you should do as TimW suggested and try a System Restore point, or you may have to resort to a complete fresh reinstall of Windows 7.

 

Morning Max. It took several tries, but I was finally able to complete the task. Here is the log (had to compress because it was too large): Sorry I uploaded it twice. I'm no geek...but it doesn't look good to me.

 

Yes lots of files corrupted that Windows couldn't repair.
My option would be to save any important data to a DVD or USB pen drive, then do a clean fresh complete reinstall of windows 7. You will need your Operating System COA Product Key. It should be on a sticker on the physical system or you can use Produkey to find it and write it down.

 

That's what I was afraid of. Okay...I will do that. Any ideas on what could have caused all those files to get corrupted? Anything I can do after the fresh install to prevent it from happening again?

Thank you so much for your help.

 

dazedandconfuzed...have you run a chkdsk? Lots of times the corruptions starts with a failing hard drive. Also, check Event Viewer->Windows->System->and the "Disk" source, Event ID->multiple 11, 51 and I think others. This will tell you if a drive is failing. Chkdsk logs will also appear in Event Viewer in the Windows->Application->"Wininit" source, Event ID->1001...

To run chkdsk right click on the drive->Properties->Tools->Check for errors->check both boxes->Start/OK->Y to run the chkdsk on boot if prompted...

 

Hey there. Okay, when I try to check the event viewer an addon called "Snap-in" starts to install itself, with a red tool box icon in the task bar. Do I need to let it install?

 

Yes, that's the Microsoft Management Console plug-in for Event Viewer. All the elements of Windows you can access via the right click "Manage" option on "Computer" right click men (Windows 7) "My Computer" (XP) etc. (not sure about 10). Let the plug-in install, but you shouldn't be needing to allow it to install.

Sounds like MMC is messed up too, which not uncommon when there is alot of corruption in the OS (as shown in the sfc log). Dependencies get broken, so things won't work like normal. MMC might give you trouble and not install. If you can get to the chkdsk option, I would schedule one of those for boot time. It will fix alot of problems, and you might be able to see if you have bad sectors at the end of the chkdsk...

Do you have an image backup of your system? If you can get Windows out of the state it's in it would be a good idea to create one ASAP. Chkdsk will find bad sectors if there are any, and it will flag them so they aren't used. But if there are bad sectors the drive should be replaced immediately, so the backup would be key there.

One other thing you might try if you aren't squeamish about the inside of your PC is turn off the PC->unplug the PC from the wall->open the case->locate the hard drive and unplug the data and power cables. Then reconnect. Next find the data cable on the motherboard and unconnect and reconnect it. Best not to physically touch the motherboard as a precaution so you don't dump any static electricity into the circuitry. If you touch something metal in the case with your off hand that should mitigate the potential for static charge...

 

Good morning, altbo. I was able to install MMC. Now, what do I do from here? I really have no idea what I'm looking for. (Some days I shock myself with the smart things I can do, other days I try to get out of the car with my seatbelt still on!)

 

OK...with the client open look to the right. You should see a list of options. Click on "Create Custom View". On the menu that pops up check all the boxes and then place the blue dot in "By source". Holding the cursor over the text box you should see a drop down list of events. Scroll down until you see "Disk" and "disk" and place a check mark in the boxes. OK the menu and type Disk Errors as a name for the view. Now look under Custom Views folder in your Event Viewer and any disk errors will show up there in your "Disk Errors" view. Hope this helps a little bit...

 

Well, AltBo...is it terminal?

 

dac...not sure. The controller error is not the one I look for specifically, although maybe it indicates something is off with the circuitry in the drive. On your system, I am also not sure which drive Harddisk1 is. I have heard this error can be caused by USB sticks too. The error to look for is the Windows has detected bad sectors error

It's enough for me to feel like you should run a chkdsk. Start menu->Computer->right click on main drive and select Properties->Tools->Error checking Check now->check both boxes and then OK->when prompted type y to schedule the boot chkdsk. Chkdsk will tell you alot, and it creates its own event also that you can look up afterwards.

If you are up to it, it might be worth it to check the cable connections inside the PC too as mentioned. Make sure to unplug the PC first if you do.

Here is a small exerpt from this thread:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...t-viewer/c4c1b831-7760-4c34-a97b-5644b2fd9b6a

 

Hello. I ran chkdsk again. It came up with the same disk errors as before. However, when I clicked on Page Summary there is a crapload of warnings. These must have something to do with my problem, right?

I can't open my laptop and do anything to it. That would be like asking a pig farmer to perform brain surgery! Yikes!

If I have to do a clean install, can you "walk" me through it, please? I get nervous just thinking about it, but I really need this thing working properly as soon as possible. (A couple of very important Christmas gifts I was making are video montages.)

I thank you. Your help is appreciated more than I can say.

 

dac...I think your system is having a meltdown judging by the errors. Did you by chance run sfc /scannow again rather than chkdsk? Just making sure we're on the same page.

If you indeed ran chkdsk it would have run during boot time and probably taken between about 30-45 minutes. Also, in the Event Viewer you will have a chkdsk result. Go here: Event Viewer->Windows Logs->Application->Now scroll back to around the time when you ran the chkdsk and find one with the source Wininit. Take a screenshot and post back. Double click on the event line to open a window of the event details. You can then maximize the window for the event (double click on window header of the open event window) and grab the screenshot.

If you want to reinstall, you must have an installation disk. If you don't have one, I don't know where to get one at this time honestly. I got one from MS back when they were up for download at Digital River (MS host site for downloads). That was a while back.

Make sure to get a disk of the correct version of W7 you are using (W7 Home Pro or Ultimate and then 32 or 64 bit). Get both of these right or your validation key won't work. Once you decide to reinstall Windows if you must, first thing to do is ger a key finder and then find and write down your key. You will need it during installation.

Still looks like a better than decent chance your drive may be on its last legs. Drives usually go for 3-5 years of normal daily or heavy use.

 

Wonderful...now I can't connect to the Internet on the darn thing. Will run chdsk again.

 

Don't worry about the warnings for now.

Do you have the Windows 7 disk?

 

Forgot this earlier. With chkdsk, it's best to run it multimple times in a row until it doesn't find anything. By anything I mean any of the validatior errors or sector errors or file system errors. Some of its corrections require corrections that can only be made with another run or more. Unfortunately, chkdsk cleverly doesn't say so. It's done when you get a clean run...

 

Will chdsk repair the Realtek family controller? I believe that's the one that's keeping me from connecting to the Internet. I don't have a Windows 7 disk, but I did find one I can buy at newegg.com.

 

Check Disks scans and checks DRIVES not hardware components.

 

Have you checked Device Manager for problem devices?

 

Max...would a reinstall of Win 7 repair a hardware issue? (I'm thinking it won't.)

Eldon...how would I know if a device was causing a problem?

 

There will be a yellow exclamation or question mark next to the device.

 

It won't fix the controller, although it can fix corruption that leads to the controller "breaking". Drivers have dependencies in Windows. If those are corrupted when for example a drive is losing sectors containing parts of Windows, a driver can be affected. That's why the general chaos makes me suspicious of the drive. Also, the sectors containing Windows itself get the most use on a drive, so it's not surprising that they can be the first to go on a system.

Did you locate the chkdsk report in Event Viewer? It would help to see what it says. Also, when you ran chkdsk, it is important to check both the check boxes as I described earlier. This is if you want the drive scanned for bad sectors chkdsk will repair them if possible too. Before I start attempting to repair all the signs of a problem, I like to do everything possible to rule out the disk as the cause in situations like this.

Whereever you get a W7 disk, make sure it is the same version (Home/Pro/Ultimate and 32 or 64 bit). If you want to reinstall your network driver, you should be able to find it on the manufacturer's site for your laptop.

Actually, you will still need to have the drivers for your system on hand when you reinstall W7. If you have a flash drive download them onto that then insert it once you have Windows installed. If the hardware is physically damaged of course reinstalling won't help...

 

Eldon...no marks beside any of the devices.

I'm going to start running ckdsk as altbo advised, then I will move on to the next task.

This may take a while. It's Thanksgiving eve and I will be elbow deep in the business end of a dead bird most of the day!

Thank you guys for your help...you'll never know how much I appreciate each and every one of you!

 

Well, here's the latest. I started running chdsk and as far as I could tell it wasn't completing. With my schedule and the upcoming holiday activities I just don't think I will have the time required to keep trying different things. Seems to me that a clean install would be quicker. Am I right? Would somebody be able to walk me through it using baby steps? I have found a genuine MS 7 Pro installation disc. At this point I am literally "dazed and confused"!

 

I hope you managed to save those videos you wanted, and anything else important before you try re-installing.
This error , besides possibly being the hard drive, -- ID 11 could be related to Intel drivers- might be worth going to Intel, and let it automatically detect drivers, and if possible install what it thinks you need- before re-installing.
You may find system restore will freeze, if trying that , and your hard drive is going.
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/
Also, have you tried starting in safe mode ?
If it starts and appears to run in safe mode, that could indicate a driver issue, as only essential bits are loaded in safe mode (When starting, keep tapping the f8 button

 

I was finally able to run chdsk in safe mode. While looking for the log I ran across this concerning my hard drive:

 

You showed this in post 14.
Now, I would , whilst in safe mode, click start, type

msconfig​

in the search box, and then click on the msconfig item in the list above.
In the system configuration box that comes up, click on the general tab, for selective startup---
Then , click on the services tab. Then click on the Hide Microsoft services box (bottom left in that tab)
If you can attach a screen shot of that, it will help.
Basically, I would suggest that you click disable all others in that box (click bottom right)
Then click on the startup tab, and disable all of them.
Now try enabling one of those disabled items at a time and restarting each time.
The Intel drivers, I would leave until last- As I said,i t is worth getting that check done with Intel.
It would help to confirm if it is an Intel driver problem, and , if so, your hard drive may be O.K.

 

Okay...did the above:



Now I'm stuck with a black screen showing nothing except my cursor. I have tried booting in safe mode, safe mode with command prompt and Start Windows Normally. After choosing to start in safe mode it seems to load all the drivers then goes to the black screen. After I turn the laptop off and then restart I get the Dell SupportAssist:





What to do from here?

 

Forgot to mention, I can't go to Intel's website. I haven't been able to connect to the Internet since post #16.

 

Who? Me? I don't know.

 

What's the problem??? Um...this for one:
"Now I'm stuck with a black screen showing nothing except my cursor."

At least I could log on to Windows before. I came here for help and guidance. Can somebody please tell me if I need to reinstall Windows now. And if so, can I do that from a black screen?

 

Ok...I guess it's going to be a reinstall. I have to order the disc, so it may be a few weeks, but I'm sure I will be back with a question or two.

Thanks to all you guys that have helped so far.

 

If you haven't started the re-install...
Try repairing Windows startup.
https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-perform-a-startup-repair-in-windows-7-2626170

 

It seems that your pc needs re-loading badly - Unusual to black screen in doing that test-

Sometimes a pc will hang for a few minutes, so , let it hang for a few minutes on the black screen-​

If no luck, What you can try is the combination buttons to see if it will trip past the fault- Ctrl+Alt+Delete)
Try doing that (all at the same time) as it starts and gets to black screen. Try again after about 20 seconds, and again after another 20 seconds.
Otherwise, as Eldon says a startup repair could work

Dell will allow you to download an image to another pc/laptop -Dell OS Recovery Tool.
This will download an iso file that you can put on a usb stick (needs to be 8gb or larger) and then insert the usb stick into the computer you have had all this trouble with- Start the Dell from USB and it will re-install the system.
Using the Dell OS Recovery Tool
Creating the USB recovery media
http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/drivers/osiso/recoverytool/WT64A
http://www.dell.com/support/article...d-use-the-dell-windows-recovery-image?lang=en

I have uploaded images from Dell to help, in case you have a problem .

http://www.dell.com/support/article...-the-dell-windows-recovery-image?lang=en#Four

 

Eldon knows about the in place repair of Windows. On Windows 7 it has to be run from the desktop which means acutally achieving a boot. If that could be achieved, however, a fresh setup is simple to get and without losing any files, programs, or drivers. Only Windows updates are removed. The rest of the operation involves copying over OS files to make sure they are as they should be.

It requires a Windows 7 installation disk of the same type (Home, Professional, or Ultimate) and then also the same bittage (32 or 64 bit).

Britec on YouTube has the go to video for this one. Here is a link if this interests you:



It's at least a recommended view in this situation at only 9 minutes.

 

If you cannot download from Dell for the re-instalation as I described in post 42,I would study Eldon,and AtBo posts 42,and 43 ,and come back if you are still stuck

 

Hey guys...I'm baaaack! And I'm using my laptop to post this! I did end up doing a re-install of Windows. Wouldn't work with a usb stick, so I had to use the dvd I purchased. The worst part was having to get all the drivers back on here. Well, that and I lost all my bookmarks. Thank goodness I had saved all my documents and pictures to a usb stick.

A great big Thanks to all you guys that helped me. You're the best!

 

Resolve in 2018: You need to learn how to image!

In 20 minutes you'd have a working copy with all drivers, programs, bookmarks, etc.