please help me fix my windows

[joshuajames]

ok, all this happened about a week ago and i will tell if from th start. i go to turn on my coputer the next day and the screen comes up saying "we're sorry for his inconvenience but........." and then it gives you the option to boot in safe mode or last known and al that stuff. i try all of the options, none of them work. windos will boot and i will see the screen with the windows logo booting and then it just restarted itself. so i figure i should do a repair, so i put in the windows os cd and doa repair, and somehow i end up with a new instal of windows, guess i messed up. anyway, this new windows actually booted and i could get on, but i was looking around in the c:drive and noticed i had like 10 gigs of space on my harddrive, out of a possible 80. so al my old stuff, my documents, pictures, games, and windows os is still on there in a file called computer. i click on computer and it ttells me access is denied, cannot open it what soever. i must have done somethin t lock it or something, but either way i cannot open it. so please guys, help me out, help me fix my computer. i need to get that file open and start running my old os again, and ideas or help would be much appreciated. thanks. ooo and sorry if i misspelled, i'm doing this on my ps3 and its a pain in the ass without a keyboard.

[ANZAC_ELITE]

Re: please help me fix my windows

I'm assuming (because of your specs) that you're running XP. You'll need to take ownership of your old files and folders, once you have retrieved your data I'd suggest formatting and doing a clean install.

Microsoft: How to take ownership of a file or folder in Windows XP

[joshuajames]

Re: please help me fix my windows

ok great, that worked fine and i have the files i needed on a cd. thanks. and yes i am using windows xp. i followed your advice and formatted the drive and now i'm trying to reinstal windows. yet another problem, i put in the windows cd and it loads from cd and says press any key to boot from cd. then the screen just goes blank, computer still running, but windows is not loading. any ideas? thanks.

[ANZAC_ELITE]

Re: please help me fix my windows

between your original post and this one it would appear to me that you have a hardware problem somewhere.

For starters I'd check everything is correctly attached (cables, plugs etc)

Second I'd start testing components, Memtest86+ for the ram, one stick at a time (could be a dodgy stick)

If there appears to be no errors in Memtest (leave running for at least two passes, preferably longer) then I'd be looking elsewhwere.

Are your cpu temps OK? (Check them in the bios)

Are there any RAID drivers etc that you need to install for that board before installing Windows??? (I'm not familiar with that board)

[casecutter]

Re: please help me fix my windows

1. Did you press the "any" key? (j/k)

IF you are running overclocked, reset your PC to stock speeds. Installing windows when overclocked is never a good idea. Clear the CMOS and make sure you set it to boot from the CD again. If it is locking up, you may have a heat issue, if it blue screens that is usually a memory issue.

[joshuajames]

Re: please help me fix my windows

ok, i checked temps in bios and they are all fine. cpu is around 33 mobo 42, nothing high at all. ran memtest 2 passes on each stick of ram, got no errors. check to make sure everything was hooked up right, to my kowledge it is. i put in the cd to load windos and it sits for a while on the "boot from cd thing" and then sometimes it will just go to black screen after saying "setup is inspecting your hardware settingS" and sometimes it will say " error loading the operating system"? this is the same cd i used to load windows originally, and i have tried it on 3 different windos cd. 1 cd is what came with my old dell and two are bootlegs that do work. so i don't know. any ideaS? oh and how do i reset my cmos. thanks.

[ANZAC_ELITE]

Re: please help me fix my windows

....... mobo 42, nothing high at all..

Well I'd call that too high.

The Dell cd is an oem disk I presume, I wouldn't be loading windows off that because it will load all the Dell drivers etc.

The bootlegs are probably a better idea if they are full versions and you have a serial though burnt disks do degrade over time.

To reset the cmos either use the jumpers on the m/board (refer to your manual for the location and methodology) or remove the battery for ~10 minutes.

When you boot from the cd (press any key to boot from CD) are you then deleting and recreating your partition? You are pressing a key at this stage aren't you?

Are you formatting the drive before commencing installation?

The errors you are getting (error loading the operating system) would suggest it is booting to windows not the cd and (setup is inspecting your hardware settings) is usually post formatting and pre Windows install.

[joshuajames]

Re: please help me fix my windows

ok, i will try resetting the cmos and try loading only with bootleg copies. when i boot from the cd here is exactly what happens. it says "boot from cd: press any key to boot from cd" i press a key and it will either continue and say "setup is inspecting your hardware config" and then go to a black screen, or after pressing any key it will say "error loading the operating system". this hard drive is formatted, a few days ago when i was still able to boot in safe mode, after i got my pictures and important stuff off, i decided to do a fresh install. i put in the cd and formatted the entire harddrive and started going through the process, which did not work.

[ANZAC_ELITE]

Re: please help me fix my windows

Any progress after resetting the cmos?

It could be something as simple as a faulty cable you know, can you try a different cable for both drives?

[Aguiluz]

Re: please help me fix my windows

If I were you, and you REALLY suspect it was the hardware goofing off, disassemble your PC to the highest extent it will go, then put them together again. This should "renew" the contacts and a good chance make the pc work again.

And, 40+ degrees for a mobo seems to be bad, since if the mobo expands and contracts and expands and contracts due to the heat, it could cause stress on your board, cracking it, or maybe damaging the traces. Ouch.

P.S: When I mean the "highest extent," I mean cables off, rams off, PCI/PCIE/etc. cards off, and everything else.

And yet another PS: If your keyboard and mouse are usb, plug it in your ps3. (if possible)

[joshuajames]

Re: please help me fix my windows

well at least i got my keyboard and mouse working, on my ps3. as for the computer, i reset the cmos, stripped out all the ram and graphics cards and drives, blew out all the dust and made sure the connectors were clean. i put back together and tried different cables on the drives, still no go. after i press to boot from cd and it says it is scanning my hardware configuration it goes to a black screen, still running, and sits there. i can hear something spoolig up from time to time, then it calms down again and repetes, acting like its going to do something. is there anyway to manually format a harddrive? thanks for the help guys.

[ANZAC_ELITE]

Re: please help me fix my windows

.......... after i press to boot from cd and it says it is scanning my hardware configuration it goes to a black screen, still running, and sits there.......

This is sounding more and more like hdd failure, is the hdd recognised in the bios?

[joshuajames]

Re: please help me fix my windows

ok, i went out got bought a new western digital hdd from circuit city, yuck i know, 110 bucks for 250gb. i woul have done newegg but i can't wait that long. i also got an official xp pro cd. so i'm gonna switch out hdd and see what happens. if this doesn't work then i really have no idea what coul be wrong. anyways, thanks for the help thus far.

[ANZAC_ELITE]

Re: please help me fix my windows

ok, i went out got bought a new western digital hdd from circuit city, yuck i know, 110 bucks for 250gb.

WD drives are fine, all my drives are WD, you may have been a bit premature as we haven't actually proven it is the hdd that is faulty.

[Aguiluz]

Re: please help me fix my windows

well at least i got my keyboard and mouse working, on my ps3.......... i can hear something spoolig up from time to time, then it calms down again and repetes, acting like its going to do something.

I used to have a Laptop that got dropped to a hardwood floor (aww, man!) and then the HD sounded like that. RIP 10 GB, all data was destroyed, no backups. It sounded like it accelerating, then it suddenly cuts out, then goes again, then cuts out and this cycle repeats again and again until it gives up.

If you have really important data in your HD, you're in trouble.

P.S: Useful suggestion on using your KB and Mouse, eh?