An installation question.

My bothers computer won't load up to his desktop. It always freezes before or shortly after loading to his desktop. I've tryed many things but nothing is working.

I tried booting from the OS disk (windows xp home) and selecting REPAIR and it say's the OS disk has repaired the installed OS on his hard drive but as soon as we restart the computer it freezes at almost the same point.

We can't even boot in Safe Mode!

I was wondering if the OS needed to be re-installed to make things work, and if I did re-install it, would re-installing the OS wipe out all his files and folders that he has?

He has very important documents on his computer that he can't afford to lose. I told him that I didn't know if re-installing the OS would just install over-top of the OS that's already on there and leave his files and folders the way they are or if re-installing the OS would wipe out the old OS and delete his files.

I don't have his specs with me right now but I will post them soon. I don't think I need them for this, but I could be wrong.

Anyone have an answer?

 

Colonel:
You can look at this link here:
http://www4.tomshardware.com/howto/20040303/knoppix_linux-05.html

You can get the "recovery tool" (hehe) here:
http://www.edmunds-enterprises.com/linux/cart.php/ba/pdtl/product/263

This is just an idea, one of many different things that can be done.

 

hhmmmmm.... Some of the suggestions in those links were kind of what I was thinking of doing as plan B. Thanks for the info Robster12. If I need to try one of those suggestions I now know how to do it!

It all seems kind of drastic. I really appreciate the help , but is there no answer to my original question?

 

CA, dunno whether this would help but..

How about pulling the hard drive out and installing it on a second working PC as a slave.
You should be able to get the data backed up while waiting for the experts to solve your original problem. Hope this will help. Bazza

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Details of the configuration will help. This could be hardware, especially since you cannot boot into Safe Mode.

 

There probably is a way to repair the OS that is on there.
Maybe it is an issue of a corrupt MBR?

My solution does answer the original question. You recover the files with the rescue disk.

Then, you reinstall.

Brute force, but, a solution, nonetheless.

 

Thanks Robster12. You did answer my question. I was just hoping that I could pop in the OS Disk, reinstall, and have all my problems solved. Looking at the options in the Links you posted and suggestions from others (thanks everybody ) I decided to put the Hard Drive in my computer as a Slave drive and it worked!

I copied my borthers information to my computer and ran every repair software, virus scanner, fix-it tool, ect., I could think of on my brothers Hard Drive. There were no errors, or viruses or anthing. Then I decided to Defragment his Hard Drive and whaow! it was messy! My brother told me that he hadn't deframented his since he got it in November 2003!

I hope that was all that need to be done to his HD, but just in case it still doesn't work when I give it back to him I'll post his specs:

P3
450 mhz
BIOS Date: 06/22/99
System ROM: EA9C - FFFF
BIOS Version : HZ.01.04US
System Name: HP Vectra VLi8
Hard Drive: 10240 mb
System Memory: 64 mbs ???????? It is supposed to be 128. That might be a reason for it freezing.
Phoenix BIOS
Extended Memory: 130048 kbs
Shadow RAM: 384 kbs
Cache: 512 kbs

When I wrote down his specs I never noticed that it said it only had 64 mbs of RAM. The darn thing has two sticks of 64 in it!

Oh yeah. We also noticed that we can't access the BIOS when you boot because there is a password screen that comes up and stops you. There is no password though. I wiped the hard drive clean when I got it and before I gave it to him to use in November 2003. I don't know why it keeps coming up!The computer was previously leased to a company and I think it was on a network or something that required a password if you wanted to make changes to the BIOS settings.

What do I need to get rid of this annoying thing?

Thank you to all who are helping me.

 

I forgot to answer Halo's questions.

He makes sure that his computer is not on when there is a storm outside. So it wouldn't be a power surge or something. And he has a surge protector.

He did, however, install a video add-on that came with one of his audio CD's. He said that soon after he installed it the problems started. I think it's just coincidense. When his HD was in my computer I made sure I got rid of it. Just in case.

I'm starting to think that it is an issue with the RAM.

 

If you are absolutly sure that it should be 128mb then one of the modules is surely bad. Try removing one, if it doesn't boot and fails post, then that is the bad stick, if not then the one that is in is the good stick and it should boot all of the way up. (Put the hard drive back in.)

To reset the bios password, usually pulling the battery for a half hour or so is enough to reset the cmos which should clear the password. In most boards there is also a jumper that should be shifted, check the manual if you have it.

 

Thanks David893es. I do remember an error message appearing on my brothers monitor that said that a 'MODULE' might be damaged! I don't remember what I did to get that message and I only saw it once. We tried booting a bunch of different ways.

As for the password thing: you're saying that all I have to do is disconnect the computers battery from the computer for awhile and it will reset? Okay. Sounds good enough for me.

 

CA, Glad you were able to copy the hard drive info while looking for the real source of the problem. Regarding defragging, I defrag using Nortons Speed disk 2 or 3 times a week. Once it is clean and hygenic it takes no time to keep it that way. On a friends PC who had never defragged he had to leave it bubbling away overnight to get it defragged. Never did know how long it took but initial screen display looked like someone had patterned number 12 shot on the drive. Bazza

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