REAL REAL PC PROBLEMS. THIS IS NO JOKE. ONLY SERIOUS REPLIES

[Nicetoseeyoutoseeyounice]

My Laptop PC was perfectly until yesterday, now it will not even start. I am getting the welcome screen, a test automatically appears which runs by itself and tells me Windows is testing for problems. When it has finished, I click finish and then next and then it starts all over again. so I click cancel I am then given several options. The first is the diagnostics check, which I have done, this done nothing. The second is System Restore, The third is a Complete System Recovery, the fourth is 'windows dianostic memory tool'. And the 5th option is 'command prompt'.
Should I run the System Restore. and if I do what will I loose.
OR, should I try something else.
Do I have a virus???
I am the ony one who has used it and have not downloaded anything untoward to unusual.
I will appreciate any help whatsoever.

 

[ColJack]

do you happen to have the windows disk in the cd drive?
or an antivirus disk, or driver disk etc etc?

depending on the setup, a computer will boot from the cd if it's bootable, and run whatever the boot disk tells it to..

this may include recovery software, hard drive tools etc etc...

 

[Nicetoseeyoutoseeyounice]

If I have a disk etc etc. and I carry this out, will this be a system recovery as am afraid of loosing any files.
does anyone know why this has suddenly happened?

 

[dave.m]

Try the System RESTORE back to yesterday if there is a restore point set or the last one available.

You will NOT lose any files or folders, it will simply return your computer back to the date you choose when it was working fine.
Any updates you installed or any programs you installed in the last day or so may be lost but you can easily update again.

dave

 

[Trazor]

What ColJack is saying is, have you accidently left a disc in your CD drive, you need to check that first.

 

[Nicetoseeyoutoseeyounice]

I didnt think I could restore to 'just yesterday' I thought it would be at some point months ago. I may be tempted to try this.
There is definately no CD left in the drive, but there had been a photo memory card, which I removed and restarted but still got the same problem.
Any other advise welcome in the meantime, whilst I pluck up the courage to do the System Restore.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

You need more RAM!!!!!!!!!!!!







only joking!

 

[dave.m]

Open System Restore and when you click to restore it shows the calendar with all the restore points on. Click the last highlited date prior to when the problem started.
SR usually makes a System Checkpoint restore point every 24 hours so you should find one within a day prior to the problem starting.

dave

 

[gas4you]

Have you important files on the laptop?

If not I would always go for the 'complete recovery' option, but this may be your only option anyway.

 

[tim west]

Is it possible for you to force windows to open from the command prompt? or have you tried that?

 

[Nicetoseeyoutoseeyounice]

Did you all seriously think I was forgetting about this?
Right, I have tried System Restore but it will not allow me to do this whatsoever. So the best I can get is the screen with the choices on again. The next choice is a Recovery. I'm afraid I do not have any start up discs or anything like that, my fault for not doing this when I bought the laptop. I am petrified of COMMAND PROMT as I would not have a clue where to start. Since I left my post on this forum I have relentlessly tried to search the web but have not had any luck in my search. So its back to the drawing board. If anyone else has any suggestions they will be more than welcome to fire away.

 

[zorlac]

Did you all seriously think I was forgetting about this?
Right, I have tried System Restore but it will not allow me to do this whatsoever. So the best I can get is the screen with the choices on again. The next choice is a Recovery. I'm afraid I do not have any start up discs or anything like that, my fault for not doing this when I bought the laptop. I am petrified of COMMAND PROMT as I would not have a clue where to start. Since I left my post on this forum I have relentlessly tried to search the web but have not had any luck in my search. So its back to the drawing board. If anyone else has any suggestions they will be more than welcome to fire away.

Have you tried booting into safe mode? Keep tapping F8 whilst loading.

Sounds to me like a hard drive problem, if you get into safe mode you can first pull off any important files, then try a full disc scan, see if it throws up any errors, if so they may be repairable, or you may need to reformat and reinstall. Run an anti-virus/malware program just to be safe.

On occasion it can get stuck in an infinate loop testing the hard drive on boot, it tests but doesn't update the boot file to tell the system it has tested. Running a full scan inside windows may sort this out.

If not any more info would be useful, is it XP, vista, what type of laptop etc.

 

[Nicetoseeyoutoseeyounice]

I am trying !!!
I cannot start in safe mode, I cannot do the F2 or the F8 things.
Right the moment all I am getting is:
BOOTMGR is missing
press ctrl+alt+del to start.
When I do this I just get the same thing over again.
I have another post on here for installing a new hard drive.
Since starting this post I have had 2 different people look at it and they say it is a hard ware problem. One saying it needs a new hard drive.
Hence why I started another post about installing a new hard drive.
I dont really know whether to believe them as its been well looked after, no one has done anything with it, I just switched it on one day and that was what I got. One person managed to save all the files for me to at least have not lost anything.
What is 'running a full scan inside Windows this may sort it out'??
The laptop is an Acer Aspire 5630 seriers and running Windows Vista. Any help on where I should go from here would be really appreciated.

 

[empip]

This ??

--

 

[Nicetoseeyoutoseeyounice]

Ok I went to 'this'. And it tells me to install the Windows Vista DVD. I dont have one, but I think I can download one, but the one i would download is only a boot up. Would this do.
Help please.