Computer Savvy people? PC is screwed

[Opivy]

thanks for all the help guys!

I literally just bought a new hard drive =( really hope it dying isn't the case. Also don't want to lose all of my stuff.

I'm not to god at understanding what's in the BAIOS - but i do see both my drives in there. The small 30gig one set as "Master' and my 150 gig one set as "Slave".

Don't know if that means they work - but I can see them both there.

 

[AMcB]

I didn't real ALL the posts. But have you tried restoring the bios to default? Mabye you accidentally changed something you shouldn't have. Then ext, and make sure to save.

 

[Opivy]

I don't usually mess around with settings - but where exactly would i go to restore it to default?

I tried starting it up as the "last known setting that worked" and it still just goes black.

The only thing I can think of doing differently was leaving my USb keyboard and interface plugged in when I shut down.

 

[axeman_ukl]

when you boot up normally do you get as far as the windows logo ?

if you only get the vio screen and the post screen then blank this is where windows is looking for the boot drive ,check your bios that the boot devices are correct

1 cd/dvd rom
2 hard drive

if this is correct then you could put the windows cd in and go to recovery mode ,if you can get a program like scan disk to scan the hard drive to see if it is fine ,if it is then its windows thats corrupt.

hope this helps

 

[Steenamaroo]

I don't usually mess around with settings - but where exactly would i go to restore it to default?

I tried starting it up as the "last known setting that worked" and it still just goes black.

The only thing I can think of doing differently was leaving my USb keyboard and interface plugged in when I shut down.

+1 for take the drive out and run disk utilities / virus scans on it and back up your info.

it's the safe way to go.

 

[cyrano]

typically if your disk is approaching its limit there will be several warnings of such throughout varies sessions of use.

and it would still boot into your OS.

The reason it wont load windows is probably because the hard drive is damaged or destroyed....

hopefully you can get some data rescue.

I agree if you replace "will" with "should". But, hey, it's a simple thing to check, isn't it?

 

[Opivy]

nope, I only get the Vaio and intel screen - then blank. no Windows

both my HD's and my dvd/cd rom are showing up in the BAIOS

so It's recognizing both my HD's - could they still be dead?

 

[Opivy]

thinking about it more

my friend put a sound card into my computer a few months back - and ever since then I've been having issues with the audio device (randomly shuts off to no device) I made a seperate thread about that.

But do you think this could be related? Would it be worth opening my case up and taking the little thing out?

 

[moresound]

thinking about it more

my friend put a sound card into my computer a few months back - and ever since then i've been having issues with the audio device (randomly shuts off to no device) i made a seperate thread about that.

But do you think this could be related? Would it be worth opening my case up and taking the little thing out?

yup.....

 

[Opivy]

well, it's hard to read sarcasm over the internet.


And aha! I've found my Hirens boot disc - gonna see how this works out.

I'll keep ya'll updated =0

 

[moresound]

well, it's hard to read sarcasm over the internet.


And aha! I've found my Hirens boot disc - gonna see how this works out.

I'll keep ya'll updated =0

Sarcasm most of the time comes with a .
I was being truthful
Do you need that sound card?
If not
Then

 

[Opivy]

no way! That could actually cause such a serious problem?

And update - I can start with Hirens disc in Mini XP (Which is what I'm supposed to do, right?)

All my files are on both my HD's as they should be. Not sure about the next step in this part - are there some programs I should run from the disc? Last time I used this disc was for some spyware/virus type thing - and I just used all the antispyware programs on it.

So any advice on Hirens boot disc would be great! I'm feeling better that I can see all my files, but I'm guessing (assuming the worst) that this doesn't mean that the Drives are working. (Please tell me I'm assuming wrong!)

I'm gonna try Moresounds advice and take the soundcard out and see how that works.

 

[Opivy]

took the sound card out - no luck with that =(. same thing still happening

 

[Kingofpain678]

well, it's hard to read sarcasm over the internet.


And aha! I've found my Hirens boot disc - gonna see how this works out.

I'll keep ya'll updated =0

Check your boot order dude... I didn't even think about that.


Set your OS HD to be the first in line in your boot order if it hasn't already been done.

 

[Opivy]

haha! I'm grasping at straws, running super anti spyware on the Hirens boot disc right now thinking that might help somehow.

Actually, I seem to remember my DVD/CD drive is set as 1 for boot.

How could that have gotten changed?

Gonna try that as soon as this scan is don KOP! Thanks,

 

[Opivy]

oops double post but just noticed Super Anti-spyware has picked up something called

rootkit.unidentified/usbhubb

totally jumped out at me because I tend to keep thinking leaving my USB devices plugged in caused this.

found this from a google search

http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=66235

so, it's a normal windows file - but I've never tried to boot from a usb device.

Should I keep it, or leave it?

 

[axeman_ukl]

Check your boot order dude... I didn't even think about that.


Set your OS HD to be the first in line in your boot order if it hasn't already been done.

if he does this it wont read the hirens disk and it will go straight to the black screen

 

[Opivy]

didn't even think about that^^

I know someone mentioned "Drivescan" earlier to see if my HD's aren't dead -

Are there any programs like that on Hiren's?

I notice HDDscan, gonna try that out.

 

[Kingofpain678]

oops double post but just noticed Super Anti-spyware has picked up something called

rootkit.unidentified/usbhubb

totally jumped out at me because I tend to keep thinking leaving my USB devices plugged in caused this.

found this from a google search

http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=66235

so, it's a normal windows file - but I've never tried to boot from a usb device.

Should I keep it, or leave it?

Keep it. Dude, if you don't get this figured out via hirens disc or changing your boot order PM me and we'll pwn the piss out of this problem.

 

[RWhite]

thanks for all the help guys!

I literally just bought a new hard drive =( really hope it dying isn't the case. Also don't want to lose all of my stuff.

I'm not to god at understanding what's in the BAIOS - but i do see both my drives in there. The small 30gig one set as "Master' and my 150 gig one set as "Slave".

Don't know if that means they work - but I can see them both there.

With IDE drives, you can attach 2 drives to one controller. When you do this you need to have a way for the system to tell the 2 drives apart, and this is done by designating them as either a "master" or a "slave". This can be done by one of two ways: either you set a jumper on the drive itself to identify it; or you set the jumper on the drive to "cable select" in which case the drive at the END of the cable becomes the master, the drive in the middle of the cable becomes the slave.

Since your system BIOS is seeing both drives and identifying one as master and one as slave, you know your problem lies elsewhere. And the fact that it sees both drives means that your old drive is not completely dead. It could still have issues, but its not completely dead.