Laptop Died! Can i bring it back to life?!

[gill501]

For a about a week my laptop had been frezzing up on me and the only thing that worked was to switch it off then back on again, it would run the scan thing on startup and it would work again for a while. Well the other day it froze again, i switched it off etc, it started to run the scan then froze mid-way. On starting up again I get some kind of error msg which tells me to insert the original windows disk to repair.... so I do this, it takes me to a DOS screen and tells me to press "r" for repair, I do so and nothing! Nothing happens!
So... I reckon I should stick my recovery disk in the machine and just start all over, wipe the hard drive. I stick the disk in and it starts to run, it gets half way before another error msg i dont understand pops up! I try again, same happens.
I take the disk out and start up the laptop, I get an error msg as follows:

mobile AMD Athlon(tm) XP 1600+ CPU
External Cache: 256K installed
NO Bootable CD in ATAPI CD-ROM
Hard Disk boot sector invalid
Press H to retry Hard Disk, any other key for floppy.

Pressing H and nothing happens, same error msg again.

Have I totally killed my laptop or can it be saved??? Any help appreciated, thanks!

 

[Ku-sama]

bad harddrive boot sector is my guess? try putting it on a hard flat even surface then wipe out the harddrive...

 

[gill501]

how do I wipe out the hard drive ?

 

[RockLobster]

So you attemped a repair install and it didn't complete because your PC froze?

Your error makes sense if that's what happened. When the above poster said wipe the drive, he means that you need to (instead of repair), reformat the hard drive, then reinstall the OS.

If it's Windows XP or something pretty new, then when you boot from the recovery CD, you'll have an option to delete the partition(s), create new one(s), format the drive, then reinstall the OS. Just follow the CD carefully...you can't really make a mistake since the computer is already messed up.

 

[Ku-sama]

insert the windows disk, if your not booting from the CD-ROM first, set it that way in the BIOS, then hit a key when the "hit any key to boot from CD" then let it load the windows setup, hit install new windows "fresh install" then when it asks you which partition, select whichever one is the primary, hit "D" then i believe "enter", then "L" and that will delete EVERYTHING on that particular partition.. but really you should try to repair windows again.... reformatting sucks and is a last resort...

 

[gill501]

Ok, i tried it and here is what happened....

I insert one of my 2 reload cd'd that came with the laptop. It immediately starts something called Norton Ghost (5.1d)
It says Loading Partition at the bottom of the screen
The progress bar gets to 70% then stops
It says "Critical Error 0x0B Read Fault
Abort or Retry

I click retry about 5/6 times.... nothing
I click Abort
it says
Span Volume (1) Done INsert NExt Media & Press enter

I try inserting the 2nd reload disk
it says
Output A:\GHOST ERR
Yes or No
Decompression Error

I click no

and I get a message saying
Due to GHOST failure MBR has been wiped.
Enter correct name of Command Interpreter (eg. C:\command.com)

I have no idea what this means... is there any other way of reformatting the hard drive cos these disks are obviously not going to work either.

Thanks

 

[RockLobster]

ugh =( They don't sound like traditional Windows recovery CD's. Norton Ghost is a program that allow you to quickly deploy the same disk image to multiple PC's and/or backup a disk image. I've never had, or worked on a PC, that recovered that way by default. That's very strange in my opinion. I would contact the manufacturer and ask them how to reinstall Windows using the CD's you were given.

edit: spelling

 

[onlinewilk]

Have u tried just reformatting the hard drive using a copy of dos or something ?? that should sort it. then reinstall ure o/s

 

[Ku-sama]

we are trying to prevent a format do you have something labled "Windows XP Home Edition/Professional Reinstallation disk"

 

[gill501]

Thanks Rocklobster, i dont even know if it's worth contacting the manufacturer, its a TIME laptop and is 3 or so years old now.

onlinewilk... thanks for your advice, but i have no idea about DOS or how to use it.

 

[Rambo]

you can format the PC the good old fashioned way under an MS DOS Prompt... type:

''cmd'' (without quotes) in run and then type:

FORMAT C:

 

[Rambo]

Ooops, just realised you cant do that seeming as you can't get into windows...

Sorry, lol...

What you can probably do is change the boot order all to the floppy drive whilst nothing is in it, then it might go into a MS-DOS style thing, and from there you can type FORMAT C: (I think...)

 

[gill501]

I dont have a floppy drive. But i have tried something else just now that someone reccommended, installing a new version of XP rather than starting the repair, it seems to be working so far, its telling me that it is formatting the new partition now!

 

[Advitiya Saxena]

1. I think its better to re-install WINXP

2. U may recovery ur document using 'r' fr repair n coping file to other HDD or flash memory.

 

[gill501]

Well thanks for all the replies you guys, my laptop is working again! I managed to reformat the hard drive and install a new copy of xp, it means I have lost all my documents, but luckily the most precious files were backed up tp my desktop so it's not all that bad.. Phew
Thanks!