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My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208598] Mon, 17 July 2006 23:07 Go to next message
Doitle is currently offline  Doitle
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Yep, if you were wondering why I haven't been posting anymore, my computer is broken beyond any hope of repair. I've replaced every single component in the entire computer, the only similar peice is the case. It will not start up. Currently, it just sits with... I can't even describe the chain of events or all the things that have happened. I've been working on it for over a week. It looks like I won't ever be able to salvage it. I'm posting from a friends computer right now. Currently, when I start the computer up, the BIOS posts fine, everything checks out and it sits with a black screen with a flashing underscore. The HD has a working Windows install on it, I take it to Nodbugger's house and it starts right up. If I put in the Windows Install CD, it says Examining your system... Then it saysa a certain file is missing or corrupt, off the CD mind you. The file changes sometimes to different arbitrary files. I'm completely disheartened and burned out with computers. All my years of tinkering haven't prepared me for this kind of challenge. It defies logic and scientific process. The fact that all the peices can be new and the problem can persist is mind boggling. I hope that you all see me soon, because that would mean that my computer was fixed, or at least that I found a computer to use. This really is hellish, being computerless now a days. Don't take your instant access to information and capabilities for great productivity for granted. You don't want to be without them...

http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1285726594
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208607 is a reply to message #208598] Mon, 17 July 2006 23:55 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Goztow is currently offline  Goztow
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Goztoe
Weren't you about to get a new computer?

You can find me in The KOSs2 (TK2) discord while I'm playing. Feel free to come and say hi! TK2 discord
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208610 is a reply to message #208598] Tue, 18 July 2006 00:04 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Doitle is currently offline  Doitle
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Yeah I was but now I can't research the parts. I've been waiting for the FX series processors to come down. 1800$ is a little insane for a processor... :/ I'm also now worried that my new computer wont work. How is it that a computer can still be broken when the only peice common between the two is the case Sad What would stop my new computer from being broken from the start too? I replaced my Mobo, My HD, My Video Card, My Processor. I mean I've tried everything. I ran the MemTest Boot CD for like 4 hours on extensive settings, and tried memory from several other computers and tried my memory one chip at a time. I've run out of options and steam. I'm left with nothing.

http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1285726594
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208611 is a reply to message #208598] Tue, 18 July 2006 00:20 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dave Anderson is currently offline  Dave Anderson
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Are you sure you checked everything? I mean, if it boots up at your friends house just fine, but not yours, possibly it is not your computer that is the problem. . . Maybe the outlet in which you are using to plug your computer into is faulty, or maybe your surge protector. Maybe your monitor is to blame? Just a bunch of thoughts.

David Anderson
Founder, Software Consultant
DCOM Productions
Microsoft Partner (MSP)
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208620 is a reply to message #208611] Tue, 18 July 2006 02:02 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Xylaquin is currently offline  Xylaquin
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Dave Anderson wrote on Tue, 18 July 2006 08:20

Maybe your monitor is to blame?


roflmao Big Grin
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208621 is a reply to message #208598] Tue, 18 July 2006 02:43 Go to previous messageGo to next message
mision08 is currently offline  mision08
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Colonel
Your windows installation is corrupt. Do a clean install on another partition to retrieve any important data of the C:\ Dir then reformat and reinstall the main partition.
I'm confused, is it a new HDD with a new installation of windows? Sounds like you have the BIOS jacked up. Access the BIOS setup and choose the Optimized or Default settings, save and exit. Don't change anything even if you know it's wrong. If it still does not boot into windows, pull the battery out of the main board for a long time (24 hours would be best). Obviously this includes pulling the cord from the PSU. I would also pull out the memory modules.
Once you have it back together, access the BIOS setup and load the Optimized or Default settings, save and exit. Stand over it with a class of water and a threatening tone.

It is important to set the BIOS to default before and after you pull the CMOS battery, without changing anything. If you have to change a setting wait until you restart the PC. Also, some hardware info would make diagnosing a problem easier. Motherboard and CPU, make and model including the BIOS rev, HDD and how it's connected, Dimms, PSU, video card, optical drive(s). The more info the better. It's difficult to provide to much information.

You can get a good multimeter for $20 as =HT=T-Bird pointed out, a bad PSU can be a big nuisance and very difficult to pinpoint


[Updated on: Tue, 18 July 2006 13:15]

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Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208627 is a reply to message #208598] Tue, 18 July 2006 05:17 Go to previous messageGo to next message
=HT=T-Bird is currently offline  =HT=T-Bird
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Colonel
Don't forget to check out the PSU while you are at it...

HTT-Bird (IRC)
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BlackIntel Coder & Moderator.

If you have trouble running BIATCH on your FDS, have some questions about a BIATCH message or log entry, or think that BIATCH spit out a false positive, PLEASE contact the BlackIntel coding team and avoid wasting the time of others.
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208629 is a reply to message #208598] Tue, 18 July 2006 05:59 Go to previous messageGo to next message
cheesesoda is currently offline  cheesesoda
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The more new parts you have, the more likely one of them is going to be DOA.

I built a new computer for my dad's company a few months ago, and I installed everything. What was screwed up was the motherboard, so I had to send it back for a replacement. Once I did that, installed that and the rest of the parts, and it worked like a charm.

So, I'd suggest that you check each part individually, if you haven't already.


whoa.
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208630 is a reply to message #208598] Tue, 18 July 2006 06:04 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Scythar is currently offline  Scythar
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Colonel
Can't you boot to safe mode?

There's a hole in the sky through which things can fly.
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208635 is a reply to message #208598] Tue, 18 July 2006 07:35 Go to previous messageGo to next message
YSLMuffins is currently offline  YSLMuffins
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Tried a Linux live CD?

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Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208638 is a reply to message #208620] Tue, 18 July 2006 08:37 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dave Anderson is currently offline  Dave Anderson
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Xylaquin wrote on Tue, 18 July 2006 03:02

Dave Anderson wrote on Tue, 18 July 2006 08:20

Maybe your monitor is to blame?


roflmao Big Grin


Hey, you never know. Some of the most rediculious things can cause the biggest of problems.


David Anderson
Founder, Software Consultant
DCOM Productions
Microsoft Partner (MSP)

[Updated on: Tue, 18 July 2006 08:38]

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Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208643 is a reply to message #208598] Tue, 18 July 2006 09:16 Go to previous messageGo to next message
mrpirate is currently offline  mrpirate
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If it makes you feel any better, when I was trying to put together my new computer (the one I'm posting from now), I had similar troubles. It wouldn't POST and the BIOS was beeping this error (I have an ASUS M2N-E motherboard and it was beeping one long followed by two short beeps, in a continuous loop, on the off chance this same thing happens to anyone else). I tried looking up the meaning of the beeps on the Internet and according to a web site I found it was a bad video card--of course I'd bought the video card on Ebay and getting it exchanged was basically impossible. So I started trying to RMA my video card and it was going to take upward of 30 days. After about a week I got impatient and decided I'd go pick up a cheap PCI-E card and see if I could get the computer working with a "good" card. Of course it still didn't work. So I returned the video card and exchanged the motherboard. Finally I returned the OCZ DDR2 memory I had bought and bought some generic DDR2, and like magic it worked. I guess it was a bad memory error all along.

Then, of course, when I tried to load Windows I got a bad or corrupted file error on the CD, much like the one you described. Hooking up the computer to my old CD-RW drive instead of the DVD and DVD-RW drives I had in the actual case fixed that. After installing Windows I connected the DVD drives again, and suddenly it wouldn't load Windows. It just got the screen with the scrolling bar and froze. By this point I was pulling my hair out and was about to cry. It turned out that my computer just didn't like my old DVD drive; or rather, the DVD drive didn't like the IDE setup on my new computer. I put it back in my old computer to see if it'd work and it didn't at first, but when I put it in on its own with no other drives on the same cable/connector it worked finally. I decided that since my DVD drive was so finicky I would just put the CD-RW drive in the new computer. So of course I put it in the case in the top-most drive bay and was trying to connect it with a bit of difficulty because the case it a bit awkward up there with everything else plugged in. Now, if I hadn't just had all the aforementioned problems this probably wouldn't have happened, but my patience was wearing thin and I couldn't get the molex connector to plug into the drive so I just pushed harder and harder until eventually I broke the pins on the CD-RW drive. Ha ha.

So, in summing up, if your computer won't boot maybe it's an IDE conflict problem. I tried playing around with the jumper on the DVD drive I had but it didn't seem to do anything.

P.S. I also originally bought a power supply that didn't have a 24-pin connector. How stupid is that? I ended up replacing/exchanging the PSU, motherboard, video card and memory and optical drives before the damn thing worked.

[Updated on: Tue, 18 July 2006 14:50]

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Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208672 is a reply to message #208598] Tue, 18 July 2006 14:05 Go to previous messageGo to next message
icedog90 is currently offline  icedog90
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I suggest isolating the problem even more. Try putting your parts in a different computer that does work, and see if it works or not. I think, out of all the odds, one of your replaced parts could be still failing.
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208680 is a reply to message #208598] Tue, 18 July 2006 15:09 Go to previous messageGo to next message
rm5248 is currently offline  rm5248
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That really sounds like a Power Supply problem. Did you replace the PSU? Also, make sure that you have plugged in all the power cords that your motherboard requires. (I know that some DFI boards require like 4 connections) What PSU do you have?



w00t?
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208692 is a reply to message #208598] Tue, 18 July 2006 16:30 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Nodbugger is currently offline  Nodbugger
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Most of the replacement parts where out of my old computer.

He came over the other day and we reformatted his hard drive on my computer and reinstalled windows. There had to have been something weird with the hard drive because it gave the same errors when hooked up to my computer and using my windows install cd.

Should be good now, at least I think.


http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1129285834
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208728 is a reply to message #208598] Tue, 18 July 2006 18:39 Go to previous messageGo to next message
mision08 is currently offline  mision08
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Colonel
That would be a corrupt install of windows. It's not a good idea to install Windows on a different system. This will only give Windows Genuine Advantage and Windows Activation software the green light to supply you with endless headaches.

Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208763 is a reply to message #208610] Tue, 18 July 2006 23:09 Go to previous messageGo to next message
PackHunter is currently offline  PackHunter
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Doitle wrote on Tue, 18 July 2006 03:04

Yeah I was but now I can't research the parts. I've been waiting for the FX series processors to come down. 1800$ is a little insane for a processor... :/


With the new Intel core 2 Duo coming up AMD is cutting it's prices drastically next week: http://tweakers.net/ext/i.dsp/1153204748.jpg
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208764 is a reply to message #208598] Tue, 18 July 2006 23:20 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Doitle is currently offline  Doitle
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Nodbugger that night when I came home from your house, I put the HDs back into my computer, and it gave the exact same error it gave before I came over. Hal.dll is missing or corrupt. I've given up on it. We're buying a new computer tomorrow (Realistically today) and I'll just put my old computer on the back burner and keep researching how to fix it and see if I can maybe get it going in the coming months. I'm glad to hear that AMD will be reducing their FX prices which means I can get my new computer! I didn't think it would take this long for them to drop, I thought they woulda gone down a week or two ago.

http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1285726594
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208779 is a reply to message #208598] Wed, 19 July 2006 02:10 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Scythar is currently offline  Scythar
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I'll throw in a random fix: http://www.compphix.com/corrupthal.html

There's a hole in the sky through which things can fly.
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208781 is a reply to message #208598] Wed, 19 July 2006 02:24 Go to previous messageGo to next message
icedog90 is currently offline  icedog90
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that is an insane price drop! Are you sure that's true? An Athlon X2 5000+ costing that much? That's ultimately cool.
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208789 is a reply to message #208598] Wed, 19 July 2006 03:23 Go to previous messageGo to next message
mision08 is currently offline  mision08
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Colonel
Well, if you trust anandtech.com, Intel is poised to sweep the floor with AMD for the next year or two
Also, that price chart from tweakers.net may need to be converted to USD, I'm not sure.


Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208791 is a reply to message #208598] Wed, 19 July 2006 04:02 Go to previous messageGo to next message
PackHunter is currently offline  PackHunter
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I am not sure but these prices might be per thousand. They do that more often. How much they cost eventually in the shop will be higher then. But the high end procs will surely cost a few 100 less. And yes it's because the new intels are so damn good they will wipe the floor with all AMD's. It is suspected Intel will be on top again for the next few years with these procs. Allthough we won't know for sure untill some real world gaming benchmarks will show up on the net.
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208793 is a reply to message #208791] Wed, 19 July 2006 04:09 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Scythar is currently offline  Scythar
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PackHunter wrote on Wed, 19 July 2006 07:02

I am not sure but these prices might be per thousand. They do that more often. How much they cost eventually in the shop will be higher then. But the high end procs will surely cost a few 100 less. And yes it's because the new intels are so damn good they will wipe the floor with all AMD's. It is suspected Intel will be on top again for the next few years with these procs. Allthough we won't know for sure untill some real world gaming benchmarks will show up on the net.


http://www.tomshardware.com/picturegalleries/gallery-2006071 42-1.html


There's a hole in the sky through which things can fly.
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208822 is a reply to message #208598] Wed, 19 July 2006 10:37 Go to previous messageGo to next message
icedog90 is currently offline  icedog90
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Although that article on the Core 2 Duo seems rather biased towards intel, those benchmarks are extremely convincing. The fact that the E6600 is cheaper than the FX-62 and faster than it in just about every single benchmark... I think I'll get a Core 2 Duo.

The article mentioned something about nForce 5 supporting intel. Is that true? I hope so, because if I got an intel for my next computer, I'd hate to drop nForce.
Re: My Computer is Teh Broked [message #208836 is a reply to message #208598] Wed, 19 July 2006 11:15 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
PackHunter is currently offline  PackHunter
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Yeah, nForce chipsets kick ass, allthough Intel chipsets are quite good too I believe. I still hope AMD can put up a good fight in the future. I have become quite a fan of their cheap and fast procs. They have been kicking Intel's butt since the introduction of the P4.
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