windows dies with a click, need help

[Smirabi]

didn't there used to be a place where you could post emergency problems somewhere on the forums? well i can't find it, so my "emergency problem" is going here.

ok, so i installed a new HDD about 3 weeks ago and i've been running fine ever since, until last night (dramatic chord). when i restarted my comp after some screwey internet connection problems, it wouldn't boot into windows. it would load windows, but then instead of going to the desktop, the screen would stay black for about 40 seconds, then flash blue with some words on it (i caught "memory dump") then it would restart itself.

i booted into safe mode but i could not find anything obviosuly wrong, like exclamation points next to devices and such.

so then i booted into normal mode. windows loaded all the way to the desktop, but if i do anything in windows, it restarts. i can move the mouse, but one click and windows dies.

i called the crappy tech support of the company from which i bought the pc (ABS, good company, but never again). and they suggested that i remove all the pci cards and try to restart. that doesnt change anything. i tried switching around the ram, that didnt change anything. they also recommended that i might have to do a clean install of windows. so i have some questions

should i reinstall windows?

if i have to reinstall windows, do i lose all the data on that HDD?

what else can i do?

i'm at a real loss here, i've fixed my own problems in the past, but this is vexing me. i really appreciate any help you can offer.


oh, btw, i'm pretty sure it's not a virus because i've kept windows updated and i regularly run scans with current defintions (using Grisoft's AVG).

[dicecca112]

could be an unstable overclock, have you upped your overclock recently? Or with your OC in your sig, did you test it with prime95 to make sure its stable? Try lowering a bit, and see if that clears up the problem.

[Smirabi]

i set it back to stock fsb and multi and still have the problem. it wasnt a big oc in the first place so i doubted that it could be the cause, and sure enough it is not. thanks for your help, any other suggestions? any answers to the questions i put forth?

[dicecca112]

alright in order to answer your questions you must answer one for me, what version of windows is it?

[Smirabi]

aw yeah, sorry i forgot to include that. it's win xp home, sp1 (and probably all of the "ciritcal" updates)

[dicecca112]

have you tried to repair the install via the Windows CD?

[OKJEFF4]

Ram would be my guess.

[diehrd]

Boot and hit F8 Once you are in that screen tell it to start at last known good configuration.Or do a resstore ..

[Smirabi]

i cant do a restore because windows reboots if i do anything. it's not the ram, unless both sticks went bad at the same time. i am going to boot to last known good config (even though that already didnt work [got to windows, then restarted]) and i will try safe mode, but my guess is i will have to reinstall windows... i'll check back on this thread when i can (family computer). thanks for your help, all.

[CeeDeeJay]

It looks like it might be about time for a fresh install.However first I would try OKJEFF4's advice and try to get it to load windows first with one stick of ram and then with the other(unless you have some other ram you know is good to test it with).
Good Luck

[Smirabi]

thanks for the help, gents. it looks like a fresh install is what it needed. now i've got tons of work to do reinstalling all the programs i want etc.... oh well.

[kiyoshilionz]

If you've never done whole Windows reinstalls, then you should start getting used to it. I've done it over 10 times over my last 2 computers, and I find new love for my computer each time I do it, because it runs SOOOOOOO much better afterwards.

But I hope you can backup stuff that you don't want to or can't lose.

[Bashar]

What did you do with your old HD? If its still good you might want to think about making a backup of your new drive. I use a program called Copy Comander but there are others. I have 3 computers at my house. And on all 3 of them I did a new install of XP and then set up all the drivers and updates. I made the first partition 10gig on all 3, then I just copy the whole partition onto the extra drive. This way if any computer breaks I can just reload the copy and not have to mess with all the other stuff. I even bought a USB enclosure for the HD so I just need to plug it into the USB port.


http://www.dealsonic.com/synecchusb20.html

(They have smaller but this will also take a CD/CD-rw or DVD drive)

There might me a better way, this way works for me fine.

[Sophisticated]

Do What I Do The You Would Never Have A Problem With Windows...I Defrag About 2 Or 3 Times A Day....Scan My Computer With Ad-Aware 6.0 Pro, Spy-Bot Every Other Day, And Have Norton AntiVirus 2004 Installed For A Weekly Scan...This Will Keep Your Computer Running Smooth EveryDay...Oh Yeah Also Do A Routine Clean Up Of Browser History Cache And All The Works And Do A Good Cleaning Of Windows Components & Programs You Don't Use Anymore Every Week Also

[Smirabi]

i appreciate the help bashar and sophistocated, but it's all ok now. i reinstalled windows home and it's working fine. when i have more time i'm going to fdisk, set up a partition scheme like bashar mentioned and really take care of this thing, but until then it will keep on running as it is now, which is adequately. sophistocated, i've got anti-virus software scanning every day, updating every day and i use adaware religiously. i should try cleaning out components i don't use too. thanks for the help people. feel free to keep leaving suggestions, but the situation is now adequately fixed, so it's not so urgent anymore.

[GV2NIX]

Yes, formatting your OS partition and re-installing Windows is like giving your computer a steamy hot shower! Figuatively speaking of course...

I think it would be a good idea to have at least 3 partitions. That way, you can move data around and format partitions as needed. Even non-os partitions can get strange after a while, so I feel that it's always a good idea to circulate my data every now and then.