Not malware - Could it be software?

Hi: Not sure if this is where I need to post.... I posted to the malware thread regarding issues with my daughter's Acer laptop running vista and have had some very confusing issues. I will refer you to my original post, their suggestions and the outcome and pick up from there to save some time/redundancy http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=204349.

After the blue screeen/stop message and the battery drained on the laptop I (holding my breath) attempted to restart her computer and amazingly it booted. It finished the setup from the factory default install and loaded the Acer console and unfortunately, it got hung up on 2 of 14 steps. I was able to shut it down normally and reboot and unfortunately it was back to the same start up issue: power on/power off/power on/power off...... After a few minutes of that, I decided to press the power button and amazingly it booted to the Acer window and I got the following message (First time I had seen it) This file is possibly corrupt. The file header checksum does not match the computed checksum. Then I got the same stop message. Afterwards it asked to do a startup repair, and then once it was up I got the Acer stuff to finish all 14 steps. Ironically, while it was hung up, I was able to play a music CD in her CD drive, but once it had been rebooted and completed the steps(before the checksum message) , sure enough, it no longer played/read, and there is no sign of it having a CDrom installed again. Still no wireless card either.

Just in case it is still fixable, I loaded AVG 9 and spyware blaster, put Sbybot etc. in the download folder for later and configured the firewall just to keep it from developing a virus until I know what else to do. I am really out of my element here - still not certain whether this is a software issue or hardware. No CD drive means I can't reinstall from CD's - I had a partition to reinstall from.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

A computer turning on, then off is a hardware problem. For laptops, that usually means a bad battery. Try running it without the battery.

 

Hi Adralyne: Sorry about "double-posting" ... I had waited for several days to get direction about where to place my request when I had posted on the malware forum, but no one has had a chance to respond, and Chaslang had mentioned either as a potential problem.

I am going to try restarting several times without her battery, but that doesn't answer the issues in my original post (I attached) regarding the initial problems with her CD Rom and Wireless card "disappearing" - even after i just did a total factory reinstall 2 days ago. Would those issues still need to be addressed on this forum or do I need to go to the hardware forum... I'm sorry, I just am really kind of lost about what would be causing these problems. Thanks so much for your help!

 

Nah, we can move it to Hardware if it appears to be such.

Sorry if I havent read the original post--if you have things "disappearing", check Device Manager and see if they are still listed or if they are just in limbo.

 

No, unfortunately they aren't in device manager either. I even ran a Belarc audit (as mentioned in my original post) before the reinstall and then decided to do it after the reinstall when the cd rom just seemed to stop working and neither report even lists a cd rom or wireless card. Just spoke to my daughter to be certain and she says the start up problems were happening with or without the battery pack; just started up now and it was fine, but will try several more times, as it usually happens every 3rd or 4th startup, if not several times in a row. Hope that helps...

 

Then I would go so far as to say that this sounds like a motherboard failing.

 

Well, I know that doesn't sound good, but what do I need to do from here? Is there some way to verify that it's the motherboard? Is that replaceable or are we needing to replace her computer already (not even 2 yrs old - yikes!) thanks

 

Are you out of warranty?

 

yes, it only came with a 1 yr warranty (gift for her from her aunt to use when she started college... will be 2 yrs after Christmas)

 

Well, as unfortunate as this sounds, a motherboard replacement will cost more than the computer is worth.

Don't take my word 100% for it. Get some second, third, nth opinions.

Its just been my experience that if the machine is shutting off after being turned on--and its not the battery, plus devices connected to the SATA/IDE Bus are disappearing from the system, completely, even after new installations, as well as integrated motherboard devices (network) doing the same thing....it sounds like a failing motherboard.

 

Wow, that is not the news I was hoping for... especially this close to Christmas (no new computer budget this year)...last dumb question (for today anyway) What would make a motherboard just fail after so little time? My daughter has been almost obsessively careful with her laptop (cover was on the lid for over a year; was very cautious in its usage/surfing, etc.) Ironic that it would be something she probably couldn't control that would take it out....

 

I am not aware what Acer quality is like, but if its anything like HP....

http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/11/17/reliability.study.has.apple.4th.place/

Heat could have done it.
Heat breaks down electronic components very quickly.
Dropping it...laptops are frail machines. Another killer, and a likely one here--static electrcity from the human body can easily travel from the touchpad to the internals. Ive seen large static shocks fry motherboards in laptops.

 

Thanks again Adrynalyne... Acer didn't fare very well in the reliability tests in the link you provided.... wish we could have been in the majority in this case, as we didn't even make the three years. I appreciate your patience and input.

 

Thanks for that addt'l info plodr - I checked out the link and am trying to find a bit of time this weekend to hunt down the #s of the Nvidia cards that were involved in these issues... hate to think it was something that was just waiting to happen all this time, but that would explain its quick demise.