HELP Computer Problem....Please!!!

[interesting]

Ok more question, I know that I may frustrate people because I don't understand a damn thing about fixing this.

Anyhow, when I click on the accept agreement on the Knoppix license, there is a whole list of index, which one do I download, or do I need to download everything?

 

[mike_n_herrin]

Since I see you are in FL, here is a link from a university in FL that is hosting files. it may download faster from someplace closer to you in real life.

ftp://ftp.cise.ufl.edu/pub/mirrors/knoppix/KNOPPIX_V5.1.1CD-2007-01-04-EN.iso

hey T, if it is his master boot record, will knoppix help fix that? i was looking through my knoppix book (it was for version 4) and it said it could help you repair it, but only if you had made a back up of your boot files previously. so i figured that wouldn't help help him, so that's why i changed what i said.

 

[interesting]

Oh my god, this is so fucking complicated, ok, so I'm going to use KNOPPIX_V5.1.1CD-2007-01-04-EN.iso to download it into a blank CD, and I'll be back to ask for more advice on what to do next then.

Thanks Rex and Mike.

 

[mike_n_herrin]

/\ yes it comes across that way even when i was first learning how to download ISO image files and then learning how to burn them to a CD. the file size is a little larger than what a rewritable CD will let you burn, so you'll have to burn it to just a regular burn once CD (like a CD-R or CD+R). Do you know what CD burning software you use? Like maybe Nero, or EasyCDcreator, or something?

 

[interesting]

Can't I just download it directly into the CD without using those software, I thought when they ask to save the file, can I just choose the CD rather than actually using the downloading software. I guess I'm trying to ask do I really need a downloading software to do this?

 

[mike_n_herrin]

if you don't know what CD buring software you have or how to burn an ISO to a CD. you can download a free ISO burning software here: http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm

maximum pc magazine recommended it this month for burning and installing ubuntu, which is another version of linux (just like knoppix is a version of linux).

 

[interesting]

I know you guys are probably very frustrated with me at this points, but uhmm, so saving the iso file into a hard disk means that I have to download it into a computer first right? Then I will need to burn it into a CD? Is that right?

A hard disk is another computer then?

 

[mike_n_herrin]

I know you guys are probably very frustrated with me at this points, but uhmm, so saving the iso file into a hard disk means that I have to download it into a computer first right? Then I will need to burn it into a CD? Is that right?

A hard disk is another computer then?

no way we're not frustrated! you're learning something new, i'm cool with that. no problem. PLUS you are willing to try another operating system (knoppix) to try and fix your problem. that is amazing in and of it's self.

since your computer isn't booting up, and i'm assuming you are using some other computer right now, like to use the internet and post messages here, in that respect you are saving it to a hard disk on "another" computer, meaning you aren't saving it on your's because your's isn't working.

as T says, windows will ask where you want to save the file, so what ever computer you are using to download the Knoppix is where you want to save the file. also as T said, make sure you know where you are saving it so you can then burn it to a CD when it's done downloading (i usually just save it to the desktop). if i recall correctly. the link i gave you was to a 713 MB ISO file. so if you have DSL or cable or other high speed internet it shouldn't take you that long to download it.

in the two pictures below, i show myself right clicking on the ISO file and selecting "save link as" then i show myself selecting the "desktop" as the location and then saving the file there. you can click on the pictures below to make them bigger. each should open in a new window. then if they are still too hard to read to can click on the picture in the new window to make it slightly larger.

 

[interesting]

Thanks for the visual Mike, that helps a lot. Ok, so I got as far as saving it on the CD, now what do I do??

 

[mike_n_herrin]

You already have it burnt to the CD? or you are ready to burn it to the CD?

If you already have the ISO file burnt to a CD, I think T will have to talk you through how to fix the master boot record with that program he was talking about.

But in the mean time. put the CD in the CD-rom drive to the computer that is not working. then turn it on. your computer may already be set to boot from a CD so first see if it does anything. if it is already set to boot from a CD you will see a screen similar to this picture:

if it is already set to boot from a CD (which we are going to assume is true for the moment) start with step 3 on this page: http://lifehacker.com/software/disk-recovery/geek-to-live--rescue-files-with-a-boot-cd-192982.php

if you can, print out the instructions on that page so you can look at it while you are messing around with knoppix. hopefully (if the hard drive is not actually damaged and it's only your boot files that are messed up) you'll be able to at least get to your data on your hard drive, like reading MS word files, or playing music or movies, or what not. just press "enter" when you get to the first Knoppix screen (the picture above) or i type in knoppix=dma because in earlier version of knoppix it had a little trouble with my hard drives.

 

[splurge]

This is strange - I got a call from a mate on Saturday who said "My computer keeps crashing, it gets to the windows XP bit, then switches itself off, asks whether to start normally, goes to the windows XP bit then switches itself off etc etc etc". He also said that he phoned his sister at Uni (who knows a little bit about PCs) and she said, strange, one of her friends is having exactly the same problem. All sounding very familiar.

Anyway, I took my PC round to his place so that we could swap components around to see if we could nail down the problem to a particular item. We started with the hard drive. Mine worked perfectly in his PC, his hard drive caused my PC to go into the non-starting loop.

Fairly conclusive it's a hard drive problem I would've said. Via his sister, we also got hold of an Ultimate Boot CD which we loaded, but no matter what we tried we couldn't access the c: drive.

Question number 1). To hear of 3 cases of the same problem - could this be a virus. My mate used Norton which he kept up to date.


So, having decided that the hard drive was knackered we decided to play around with it. I went home and got my Windows XP disk (as he never got one when he bought his PC) and we re-installed XP (using the key-code from the sticker on the side of his PC). And much to our surprise, it worked! Once working, we did a scan of the hard-drive which revealed nothing. And it got me to thinking it must have been a virus.

Question 2). Was it wrong to use my windows CD (and his key-code) to reinstall? After all, he has already paid for a copy of XP. We did have a bit of trouble in verifying it - in the end we had to speak to someone who gave us a 48 digit code to enter.

Question 3) Have I ruined it now to get updates on my PC if he is using my version of XP from my CD, of does it go on the key-code?


Anyway, he's happy to get his PC back although gutted he didn't backup any of his data.

 

[mike_n_herrin]

Hey splurge, noelie is right. in fact i thought if you actually had different version of XP on your CD than he had the Key he had wouldn't have worked. it was my understanding for example that if you had XP pro and he had XP home, his cd-key wouldn't have worked with your CD. or i also thought if you had XP cd with SP2 already and his was not then his CD key wouldn't have worked either. so bottom line is if you had the same version as he did, then all that matters is the cd key. so you're good.

as for it being a virus...i don't know i looked around on the web for something recent that causes these symptoms but didn't see anything.

wouldn't his data still be on the drive if all you did was reinstall windows? you didn't do a reformat did you? well ...i guess unless he had all his stuff in his "my documents" folder. i think that does get wiped out.

 

[splurge]

Thanks Noelie & Mike_n_Herrin.

When we re-installed XP we did the delete partition option and then did a format (not the quick version) so I'm assuming that we lost all the data.

Didn't even think about the SP2 & home/pro issue - it's working so assume we lucked out.

Thanks again guys.

 

[mike_n_herrin]

/\ oh. well ...for future reference, i wouldn't delete the partition or anything. just do a reinstall. it'll either install over top of the other one and you may only lose stuff in the "my documents" (although i might be remembering that from a previous windows version) or it will install a second copy and everything from the first one will still be there. so you can at least still have the data (although you'd still need to install programs and stuff).

 

[interesting]

Ok I'm going to burn the iso files on the CD and I'll be back in a few days with the responses of what to do next. I read the directions too fast and got it backward, now I have to start all over again. Damn!!

Thanks guys.

 

[mike_n_herrin]

Good luck. sorry it's taking so long. I feel for ya not having access to your computer.

don't forget you can also download and use a free ISO burning software here:

the one for windows XP SP1 is here:http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/IsoRecorder/bin/isorecordersetup.msi
instructions on how to use it here:http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/v1.htm

the one for windows XP SP2 or Vista is here:http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/download/ISORecorderV2RC1.msi
which has a photo version tutorial here: http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/HowTo.htm

the two different versions only work on the XP version they are for, so make sure you download the right one if you decide to use it.

 

[mike_n_herrin]

any luck or update? just wondering if you got it to work?

 

[knobgoblin]

...whenever I turn it on, it got to the screen where you see the green bar flashing...

If the bar is indeed green, as stated, then this system hasn't been upgraded to SP2 yet (the bar would be blue) and a failed attempt at doing so could definitely account for the symptoms described. Some computers, especially OEMs, just don't take nicely to the upgrade attempt particularly if done via web download.

If I recall the scenario correctly, there is a procedure to roll back any and all attempted SP2 updates from a command prompt using the XP Recovery Console. I've only done this once and its been quite a while ago so I'm pretty fuzzy on the details, but I'm sure someone else here might be more familiar with the process.

Just thinkin' outloud.

If by chance the consensus is that this may be the problem then here's a page with further details...

http://support.gateway.com/s/software/microsof/sHARED/xpsp2/7509594si26.shtml

 

[MikeS72]

If you have a second computer or laptop, you can download and burn an ISO image of knoppix to a CD and you wouldn't have to spend time trying to find it at a book store or something. Knoppix is the only linux version i know well enough to tell you how to fix the boot loader with it if that is the problem. if you can download knoppix, you can get it here: http://www.knoppix.com/ then click the download button and then pick the FTP or HTTP site that is geographically closest to you. Knoppix will also allow you access to your hard drive and it's data (as long as it's not the hard drive it's self that is broken).

The HD in my PC gave up the ghost a few weeks ago and I decided that since it was 5 years old I would buy a new one with more memory.
Now my new PC is working and I found I could buy a new 160G HD for just over £30 I decided to have a go at getting my old one working as a spare.
I do not have a Windows XP installation disc since it was included on the start-up disc with the PC.
I followed advise in this Thread and had no difficulty replacing the HD. I then followed Mike's advise and loaded Knoppix which worked from the CD. Following this on Mike's advise I downloaded the following file so it could be loaded on to my HD
http://www.pclinuxos.com/index.php?option=com_ionfiles&Itemid=28

This worked too, but with limited facilities. However it proved that I now having a working PC. Thanks guys!

However on both systems I have real problems on trying to gain access to my BT Broadband.
I have come to the conclusion that my best solution would be if I could load Windows XP from a down loadable source. I am prepared to pay a fee but not the microsoft charges!

Any suggestions guys?

 

[mike_n_herrin]

/\ from additional PM's with mike, what I believe happened is that the hard drive in his old computer had the OS in one of those special partitions, and that his start up CD would access that partition if he needed to reinstall Windows (but the actual CD didn't have windows on it). Since his hard drive died, he still has he startup CD, but it keeps telling him bla bla partition can't be found. Can he get a replacement CD from his computer manufacturer with windows on it so he can use his old computer again?