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Joined: Nov 2001
After two weeks, I was able to go home and the first thing I did was turn my computer on. I was away reviewing incoming nursing students for their qualifying tests. Coding here and there in my sis' comp. :*). Then the problem started....
1st boot:
Black screen for 10 minutes. I thought it was my monitor as it needed a replacement a long time ago. So I rebooted....
2nd boot:
Safe mode and it took 20 minutes to boot. Half the icons on my desktop is an "unassociated" icon. So I rebooted...
3rd boot:
16 colors, 20 minutes to boot, same unassociated icons. Tried setting the display to 16 or 32 bit only to find out that the only one I could set is 16 colors!!!! So I said Shit!!!! Rebooted....
4th and nth boot(yes up to last night, bajillions like what Jofers would tell you):
16 colors(can't be changed even with or without Scitech display doctor), 20 min to boot, unassociated icons, and what bugs me is the fact that the LED of my HD lights up all along. Not even blinking.
Help!!!!! I don't have a back-up and it won't run anything. Not even QB. :*(
Posts: 4,307
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Joined: May 2003
IMO, shutdown your computer, pop ur hdd and put it in another computer and boot using that comp's OS. Backup stuff and continue with experimenting with the other computer.
Pop the HDD back into ur original comp. and do the following:
1. Check connections i.e. Remove them and blow into them and put them back tightly.
2. Boot. Press del and enter the BIOS setup. Restore the BIOS defualts/Optimal config or whatever you have...
3. Boot. Does the HDD light remain on now?
The diagnostic:
1. Boot into safe mode & run msconfig. Disable everything. I mean each and every single item.
2. Start by enabling useful items such as config.ini and aso...(Don't enable norton/firewall/blah blah....)
3. Try reinstalling the display driver and boot.
Tell me what happens :wink:
Posts: 3,522
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If you are running win98 I think I know the problem, not the solution though.
I solved it by talking nice to the computer,
then kicking it and typing 'DelTree C:\Windows' at a dos prompt.
It has worked fine ever since.
EDIT:
Things that cause long startups (Windows 98, might be different on NT/XP machines) are:
Diskette drive not installed properly, making the computer wait for a timeout.
Network card not responding, again waiting for timeout.
Unable to get an IP adress from your modem, waiting for timeout.
IRQ conflicts (Installed any new hardware lately?)
CD's inserted into CD-Rom drive, yup, certain CD's make the computer boot slow, really slow, don't ask me.
When booting, does the computer hang before or after the bootscreen, and before or after the desktop image is displayed?
Before bootscreen: Autoexec.bat, Config.sys
After bootscreen: c:\windows\system.ini, c:\windows\win.ini
Desktop visible: Registry, c:\windows\system.ini, c:\windows\win.ini
It could be software starting up, so noticing when the freeeze occurs is a help.
Also having the HDD LED constantly lit is bad, I would do like TBBQ recomended, get your data onto another computer, then mess around.
Posts: 2,765
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hmm wierd.
check for dust?
either that or do whatever the ither people said
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Z!re what you have said is correct. One more weird thing I would like to add is, when my PIII boots, after the "System Configuration" is displayed it says "Checking DMA..." or something. It waits there for around 30 seconds and then starts booting Windows. Thats very weird because it has never ever happened. I think it too is waiting for some timeout. I've checked everything. It is a bare minimum system i.e. HDD, display card only.
As for the HDD light remaining on. When such a thing happens( and it used to on my fried board ). My system wouldnt boot =P.
Posts: 3,279
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It sounds like a damaged disk controller circuit. If it's onboard, you're pretty much hosed unless you use a card. If it's a card, replace it. Could potentially be heat-related...
But I could be wrong altogether. Just going on past experience. 
I'd knock on wood, but my desk is particle board.
Posts: 3,368
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Joined: Jan 2003
Nah, I think rel's computer is just having a flu.
Try some other mode by pressing F9/F10/F11 at prompt.
Try DOS.
Try to disable the speaker/mouse/etc. drivers (remove), etc etc etc in your system.ini file (C:\windows) . Your USB connections could be doing it.
If that doesn't work:
Reinstall Windows on C:\Windows2, reboot, delete C:\Windows, reinstall on C:\Windows, reboot, delete C:\Windows2.
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If you're LUCKY it's a disk controller or cable problem...otherwise it's your hard drive. Back up everything on the drive ASAP, sounds like it's going to go soon.
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the whole 16 colour issue is probably caused by safe mode. I dont think that it is much to worry about at the moment, try fixing the other issues....
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To choose what mode to boot in, at least on my computer,
I press F9. You might want to try the mode where you
check through all init stuff and choose yes/no for everything
Also exactly where in the boot sequence is the computer behaving
weird?
PS: AFAIK your (rel's) monitor is quite famous, what's the problem with it?
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