Argh! AKICIF

[lexin]

The situation with my desktop is getting worse. Now I have blue screens of death popping up and the big question as I see it is do I cut to the chase and reinstall Windows now, or fiddle about with it some more.

Thoughts from those who know more about computers that me - is this a lost cause or is there in any mileage in continuing to play with it?

ETA: I ran the diagnostics software which came with my PC and that indicates that it's an error on the hard drive, for which the only fix is to reinstall the OS. Botheration! I was hoping to avoid that.

Comments

[doire]

It does sound as though your "speed-up" utility might be a real nasty. I'd physically remove it from connection to other computers and the internet in case it's phoning home.

Do oyu have any restore points that you set before you installed it? Windows makes some automatically from time to time and should have before any major software installations. System restore removes driver changes and installed programs but leaves your data intact. You should be able to access system restore from safe start up.

[lexin]

That's a good thought, but I think it's been installed for too long. I'll give it a go, though.

[doire]

How do you feel about opening the case? If you can add a second disk drive and make a copy of your current disk you can then take the failing disk out and use the new one. If it's beginning to fail you might get lucky and copy everything, if sectors have gone there will be some damaged files, but hopefully only one or two to repair.

Chris tells me that the best way to copy the disk is to make a knoppix CD and boot from that, then use DD to make the copy. That way the failing disk just needs to be read not be used. Last time I had a failing disk I took it to our local dealers (15% more expensive on average, but worth it in the long run) and they copied it onto the replacement disk I bought from them. (probably using DD but that way I didn't have to.) If you're using XP it doesn't like being moved from disk to disk so this may be less useful.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

[lexin]

I'm all right about opening the case, but I'm running XP. However, I've taken the extreme solution and reinstalled the software, which seems to be running OK so far. I've still several programs to install, though.

[marahmarie]

I ran the diagnostics software which came with my PC and that indicates that it's an error on the hard drive That's really not too specific, is the actual message it gave you any clearer? I'm thinking hard drive errors can be fixed, Windows even has a way to do that itself. If you can get the computer to run long enough to hit Start, then right-click My Computer and click Open, right-click the hard drive in question and click Properties, then click the first check box, for error-checking, then put a check next to *both* check-disk options for repair and see if Windows can fix whatever's wrong?

Or you could try this: on the next blue screen(s) you get write down the error messages exactly as you see them, including all the long funny looking codes and stuff. Then Google the error(s), or at least post them here and I'll Google them. Blue screens seem strange and stupid but will usually offer specific info as to what could be wrong.

Also, blue screens are often caused not just by software and/or hardware failure but also seemingly benign stuff - like dust. If you get error(s) indicating something hardware-wise might be at fault you can try this, though I must warn you it might not help: 1) disconnect the computer from all power sources, 2) press the power button 6-7 times to clear out all electromagnetic charges, 3) brace one hand on an all-metal part of the tower and with the other pry the cover off, and 4) blow out the inside of the case with canned air until you don't see a single particle of dust left on anything, then put the cover back on, reconnect to power and re-start it, the computer problem *might* be solved.

If you've just done all that recently you can disregard the above, but until there's some kind of error message that I can better parse, I have no clue what to do besides error-check the hard drive, clean inside the tower or re-install Windows.

ETA: Just read the reply you made to someone above and even if that means you've already re-installed Windows (?) I'll assume you didn't get a hard drive error message for nothing, nor those blue screens of death, so to be honest, re-installing Windows might not fix that problem. Bad hard drive sectors are bad no matter what you reinstall and have to be repaired in some fashion (or you need to replace it if it's too far gone), so before you run into problems again, if I were you I'd still do the hard drive error-checking thing I suggested above. You could also try this method for checking it: http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_fix_a_bad_sector_on_my_hard_drive.html

[lexin]

I don't seem to have any bad sectors, so now I'm at a loss wondering what the problem was. But reinstalling Windows seems to have cleared up a lot of problems so was probably worth doing anyhow.

I'll take on board the advice about clearing the dust from my case - I don't have a can of air at the moment, but I'll buy one at the first opportunity and get it done.

[marahmarie]

In the interest of responsible advice-giving I should add that keeping yourself grounded electrically is the most important thing you can do while you work inside the case (both for your own safety and to prevent static coming off of you from destroying something), so after you pry the cover off, keep one hand on an all-metal portion of the tower as you work inside with the canned air (some tech guides recommend also wearing an anti-static wrist strap on that hand; I've never worn one and never had a problem without it, but it's probably still a good idea).

There are tutorials, instruction guides and videos galore on how to do it, so you might want to take a peek at some of those before you get started. Glad to hear your hard drive seems to be OK after all - and good luck! :)