HP Blackbird 002

I apologize ahead of time if this is in the wrong spot, but since it is a gaming PC, I figured it could go here.

I have several questions and I'll give a quick history.

HP Blackbird 002
RAM 4 Gig
Vista Ultimate 64x

About a year ago, before I went to work I hit the button to update Vista. When I got home, the computer was off and I didn't think of anything. When I turned it on I started getting a bunch of error messages, etc. and could never get it to fully boot. Since I was working alot of hours back then I just put it in the closet and used another gaming system and just forgot about it.

Recently I became determined to get the system working again. I have a "recovery disc" but it turns out that all it really has is all the original drivers and nothing for windows. Apparently it never came with a windows recovery.

So I can get it as far as wanting to install vista, but of course it can't since I don't have the disc. The computer claims it has to reinstall due to a missing file... something load.exe if I am not mistaken (Ill explain in a moment why I can't tell you anymore.) So I am thinking that something went wrong when updating and shut itself down.

Anyway, now when I was trying to get it back to the screen, it seems to boot up and then all of a sudden shut down. No rhyme or reason, and I have no clue what to do. (When I was checking all the wiring, cleaning, etc. I did accidently hit the clr cmos button) Does that have anything to do with it?

So here are my questions.

1. Why is the computer shut down.
2. Once I get it back up, is there anything I can do to install Windows Vista without having the disc or am I going to have to go buy a new copy. (At this point, I think I would rather go to Windows 7)
3. I do have a clean copy of Windows XP Pro, is it possible to reformat the hard drive and install that? Or are there too many issues.
4. Or do I just have a giant brick.

Any help that can be given would be greatly appreciated.

 

Greetings, senorwakko.

1. That's a good question. The fact that the original problem occurred after a Windows Update leads me to believe that, if you can get the machine to boot into Safe Mode, you may be able to revert the machine to an earlier state by using System Restore. Have you tried this? Can you boot into Safe Mode (tap F8 upon startup)?

You might consider downloading and booting to a live Linux distro, such as Mint or Ubuntu - from that environment you should be able to discern if there are any hardware problems, and you may be able to salvage any data that you wish to save. There are also many other diagnostics tools that may come in handy, such as the Ultimate Boot CD.

2. If the machine has a Windows Vista product key, you should be able to install Vista using a borrowed disk (providing the disk is the same version) - you'll be asked to authenticate your version by Microsoft, and you'll supply the product key printed on your machine.

As far as upgrading to W7, I'd advise first plugging in your specs at the Windows 7 Compatibility Center to see if the machine can handle W7.

3. If the machine can handle Vista, it should be able to handle XP - the main concern would be any SATA drivers that must be loaded during the installation (if applicable), because XP does not carry native SATA support.

4. The popularity of dead computers emulating giant bricks seems to be increasing lately - must be a growing art form.

 

Hi,
If you can't get a lend of a vista ultimate install disc from friends or thier friends, then i would go for a fresh install of XP pro (i personally prefer it to Vista anyway!!),I would also check /clean and reseat all of your RAM/Graphics card before hand, also i would drain all power from capacitators by unplugging power cord and then press and hold down power button for at least 30 sec's. If you opt for a fresh install you will be needing to find drivers for your type of board also, if doing a XP install i would advise you to do a full format of your drive, not quick one, as this will stop any conflicts with Vista.
iain.t :major

 

Now I am having another issue and can't even try the suggestions, after loading up it will shut down on its own. Anywhere from five minutes to almost immediately, does this have anything to do with me hitting the clr cmos button? If so what do I need to do?

 

If the machine can boot at all, then the BIOS is probably good. Clearing CMOS should normally revert to factory defaults.

As well as iain.t's suggestions, do try burning and booting to a Linux disk - if you still get the shutdowns, then you may have a hardware problem. If not, then continue with the decisions about the Windows repair or replacement.

 

Restoring when Windows Vista cannot start normally from the HP website

 

Unfortunately I am back... Have another issue.

I reformatted the drive and now nothing is showing up on the screen at all, seems that graphic cards are not working. Where can I go from here?? Thanks for sticking with me.

I am sure it probably has something to do with the drivers, but how can I install them if I can't even see the screen?

 

If you reformatted the hard drive you removed the entire operating system. You need to install an operating system to continue. You can contact HP and request replacement restore discs (for a small fee usually) to reinstall Vista, you could move up to Windows 7, try Ubuntu as previously recommended but HP doesn't offer drivers for XP.

Try a live Ubuntu CD first. You can at least boot from and run the OS from the CD to see if your hardware is the problem.

 

I apologize what I meant by that was that we reformatted and installed Vista Ultimate, the original windows that was installed. But nothing is showing up on the screen. We have all the original drivers on a disc which came with the computer, but don't know how to install when we can't even see anything on the screen.

 

Vista has very basic VGA drivers that should give you a low resolution display. Do you see anything from the BIOS when you boot up?

 

Here is an update.. and running into another issue.. Im learning alot along the way.. so in some ways its good.

Not quite sure what the issue was, but after reseting, the graphic card starting working again.

The computer is shutting down after a certain time, each time a different time. Sometimes after a short time, other time it can be awhile. If you look in past posts, I had reported this already (see below)

Here is what we have done.

Did a diagnostic check, so far everything is good.
Reformatted the drive - all is clean
We're ready to install, about to hit install when computer went down again,. I think we need to figure out what the issue with the shutdown before we go ahead with the install. Any ideas??

 

Could this happen if the computer has been sitting in a closet for a while? How can I fix it?

 

If it's old thermal paste, remove the heat sink, clean off the old paste and replace it with fresh. If a fan has failed, replace the fan. In the case of a CPU fan, it wouldn't hurt to replace the whole heatsink/fan unit with a more efficient aftermarket model which would provide better cooling.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRRWbQUqW1Y&feature=related
Another possibility is dust clogging the heatsink/fans on your CPU or video card. That can be removed with canned compressed air. Unplug the fan if possible and use a plastic straw or similar item to hold the fan blades stationary while blowing off dust.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QZ8j46GB2w&feature=channel