not sure if this is hardware or software problems...

neogeo0823

ok, so if you saw my last thread, i had mentioned that my sisters desktop was having problems. well last week, those problems got worse. for a while, at random times, her computer would just up and not start. sometimes it would start up normaly, but other times it would get to the part where it was supposed to load the hard drive, but it would just sit there with a black screen and a blinking cursor.

now, like i said, since last thursday, this got worse. now whenever she tries to start it up, it just hangs at this stage. its been like this for a week now and i have no idea what to do. none of the keys seem to do anything (ie. escape key, f8, ctrl + alt + delete, etc. ) and i cant find my copy of windows xp to try and reboot the computer off of the install files. i dont know if this was caused by a virus or if its a hardware problem, but whatever it is, she needs to get it solved and stop hogging my laptop (i swear, she gets whatever she wants, when she wants )

any advice is greatly appreciated

Trogan

Hi neogeo0823! Lets check if there is any malware first.

Click here to download HJTsetup.exe, and save it to your desktop.

• Double click on the HJTsetup.exe icon on your desktop.
• By default it will install to C:\Program Files\Hijack This.
• Continue to click Next in the setup dialogue boxes until you get to the "Select Addition Tasks" dialogue.
• Put a check by Create a desktop icon then click Next again.
• Continue to follow the rest of the prompts from there.
• At the final dialogue box click Finish and it will launch Hijack This.
• Click on the "Do a system scan and save a log file" button. It will scan and then ask you to save the log.
• Copy and paste the log here

DO NOT have HijackThis fix anything yet. Most of what it finds will be harmless or even required.

neogeo0823

oh, i suppose i forgot to tell you this earlier, im not on the defective desktop now, as it still wont start up. im on my laptop, which works fine. its the desktop which id like to restore, though as as it is now, im unable to start it up to run any programs.

Trogan

Won't startup meaning it won't boot into Normal Mode? Does Safe Mode work?

Safe Mode.

• If the computer is running, shut down Windows, and then turn off the power.
• Wait 30 seconds, and then turn the computer on.
• Start tapping the F8 key. The Windows Advanced Options Menu appears. If you begin tapping the F8 key too soon, some computers display a "keyboard error" message. To resolve this, restart the computer and try again.
• Ensure that the Safe Mode option is selected.
• Press Enter. The computer then begins to start in Safe mode.

neogeo0823

right, it wont boot in normal mode. ive tried to get to safe mode, but what happens is that the computer will power on, load up to the screen that says "hp invent" and then it will hang with its black screen and blinking cursor. during that time, if i hit anything (escape key, f8, control+alt+delete, etc.) nothing happens. the keyboard doesnt seem to function at all. i know its a working keyboard, though, so its something on the software end of the process.

so as it is, i cant get the computer to boot up in any mode at all. not normal, not safe mode, not anything.

Trogan

I'm moving this to the Emergency Forum. With some help, hopefully you can get the computer to boot.

neogeo0823

thanks. i actually think i may have a clue as to what the problem is, but i hope im wrong. ive been told that it could be that my hard drive has just gotten too old. it is, after all, 6 years old now. i just hope that it hasnt broken down because right now we cant afford to replace it.

im still open to other theories, as i hope to be able to solve this without having to spend the money for a new hard drive.

profdlp

Run the Quick and the Full tests from the hard drive manufacturer. If the drive is going bad you won't waste time on things which won't help. If it's not, you won't waste money on a new one.