PDA

View Full Version : My Laptop Acting Strange

EVAC41
01-02-09, 08:10 AM
What is happening is that everytime I try and install a program it will say "It encountered an unrecongized error and needs to close" or it will do the blue screen of death :eek2: for like two seconds and then will restart. Then says it recovered from a serious error. I'm thinking the Hard Drive is going but don't really know...

Anybody have any ideas?

Thanks...
Shawn
LarryFlowers
01-02-09, 08:14 AM
What operating system? How big is your hard drive and is there space available. Does Windows boot normally and will existing programs run? Need details to help.


What is happening is that everytime I try and install a program it will say "It encountered an unrecongized error and needs to close" or it will do the blue screen of death :eek2: for like two seconds and then will restart. Then says it recovered from a serious error. I'm thinking the Hard Drive is going but don't really know...

Anybody have any ideas?

Thanks...
Shawn
EVAC41
01-02-09, 08:25 AM
What operating system? How big is your hard drive and is there space available. Does Windows boot normally and will existing programs run? Need details to help.

Operating System: Windows XP Home and does boot normally
Hard Drive: 160GB Right now only has the operating system installed. Won't even let me install McAfee for the virus scan and firewall.
Memory: 2 GB

Thanks..
Pepster
01-02-09, 08:40 AM
Operating System: Windows XP Home and does boot normally
Hard Drive: 160GB Right now only has the operating system installed. Won't even let me install McAfee for the virus scan and firewall.
Memory: 2 GB

Thanks..

What were you doing prior to the problem? If all else is failing, can you do a safe boot followed by a system restore?
MIAMI1683
01-02-09, 08:41 AM
Maybe just a back up of all critical data. Then Format C:
ccr1958
01-02-09, 09:24 AM
might try this.... start...run...in the box
type sfc /scannow that stands for system file check
& it may ask for your winxp cd while it is running....
LarryFlowers
01-02-09, 09:48 AM
Is XP fully installed... all patches and service packs thru SP3? If so, try right-clicking on My Computer, selecting Properties, and selecting the Device Manager tab. Do you see and items with yellow exclamation points next to them?

Also, did you just do a clean install of XP?

Larry
phat78boy
01-02-09, 10:35 AM
I would also try the HDD test tools usually included in the BIOS of most newer laptops. That would help rule out a bad HDD.
EVAC41
01-02-09, 01:51 PM
might try this.... start...run...in the box
type sfc /scannow that stands for system file check
& it may ask for your winxp cd while it is running....

Thanks I will try that and see if it works... I did try chkdsk /f and it detected errors on the drive but didn't correct them for some reason.
EVAC41
01-02-09, 01:54 PM
Is XP fully installed... all patches and service packs thru SP3? If so, try right-clicking on My Computer, selecting Properties, and selecting the Device Manager tab. Do you see and items with yellow exclamation points next to them?

Also, did you just do a clean install of XP?

Larry

Yep cleaned the HD with Wipedrive and then did a clean install of XP. I had to run the install twice though. Then on the second time it finally finished the install without it rebooting in the middle of the installation.

It won't let me install any of the service packs or patches.