- Joined
- May 11, 2011
- Location
- Dallas - Ft Worth Area
The computer is a custom build. Been building for over 20 years and now am really stuck.
Build details below my sig.
The OS is a standard install on C:\. Applications/utilities are installed on E:\
Built in October 2013, put in service February 2014. (For some reason never had much confidence in it!)
I use it mainly to finish photos in Photoshop, correspond, surf the Web.
I have AVG AntiVirus guarding the system with Windows Firewall active.
No overclocking has been done.
What it does right:
Windows7 Pro (64 bit) appears to start normally.
Photoshop CS6, Dreamweaver CS6, ACDSee 15 and MS Office applications work fine.
I’m not getting any BSODs
What it’s having trouble with (a snippet):
I cannot install or uninstall anything except in Safe Mode. I cannot access msconfig. If I connect a USB drive it will not mount (activity indicator in Tray spins endlessly). Cannot set a System Restore point. Could not install the latest SiSoft SANDRA Lite.
IE 11 hangs frequently.
Often cannot start Windows Taks Manager to kill a hung process.
Tried to do a repair install of Windows (Install now > Get latest updates > Upgrade) but the PC hangs at Setup is Starting.
Installed HD Tune Pro in Safe Mode but could not get it to run.
Had printer Spooler problems with Epson Artisan 50 (latest drivers). Could not print some documents at all. No errors- just “duh”.
Tests & Fixes Attempted
I ran MemTest86+ V5.01 from boot CD overnight with no errors.
Ran sfc /scannow (from Safe Mode). No integrity violations.
Scanned the system with AVG AntiVirus.
I ran an AVG rescue boot disk. No malware found. I ran Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit beta with similar results.
Tried to create a System Repair Disc. The Backup and Restore Applet hung. Backup and Restore is not available in Safe Mode.
Created a Repair Disc in my Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) PC (my backup computer). Booted the problem PC from the Repair Disc. In System Recovery Options chose Use recovery tools that can help fix problems... Select an operating system to repair. No operating system was listed. Clicked Load Drivers. (??) I inserted the Win7Pro install DVD. It wants me to find the drivers. I gave up. Went ahead and clicked on Repair anyway. The report said it did some things- including fix a system partition. It didn’t appear to do anything.
Observations:
This PC has had problems from the beginning. I have a hunch it’s a hardware problem, but it’s just a hunch. I had a note to myself to swap out the graphics card, but never did it. I did make sure the driver was the latest, however. (Had to do it in Safe mode.) The BIOS auto-selects the appropriate GPU.
I’m guessing some system files are corrupt. Problems do not seem to be heat sensitive. I will do a clean install of Windows if I have to, but I do not relish the idea of reinstalling everything, and especially the hassles of product activation (Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Windows, MS Office).
- Dave McKeen
Build details below my sig.
The OS is a standard install on C:\. Applications/utilities are installed on E:\
Built in October 2013, put in service February 2014. (For some reason never had much confidence in it!)
I use it mainly to finish photos in Photoshop, correspond, surf the Web.
I have AVG AntiVirus guarding the system with Windows Firewall active.
No overclocking has been done.
What it does right:
Windows7 Pro (64 bit) appears to start normally.
Photoshop CS6, Dreamweaver CS6, ACDSee 15 and MS Office applications work fine.
I’m not getting any BSODs
What it’s having trouble with (a snippet):
I cannot install or uninstall anything except in Safe Mode. I cannot access msconfig. If I connect a USB drive it will not mount (activity indicator in Tray spins endlessly). Cannot set a System Restore point. Could not install the latest SiSoft SANDRA Lite.
IE 11 hangs frequently.
Often cannot start Windows Taks Manager to kill a hung process.
Tried to do a repair install of Windows (Install now > Get latest updates > Upgrade) but the PC hangs at Setup is Starting.
Installed HD Tune Pro in Safe Mode but could not get it to run.
Had printer Spooler problems with Epson Artisan 50 (latest drivers). Could not print some documents at all. No errors- just “duh”.
Tests & Fixes Attempted
I ran MemTest86+ V5.01 from boot CD overnight with no errors.
Ran sfc /scannow (from Safe Mode). No integrity violations.
Scanned the system with AVG AntiVirus.
I ran an AVG rescue boot disk. No malware found. I ran Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit beta with similar results.
Tried to create a System Repair Disc. The Backup and Restore Applet hung. Backup and Restore is not available in Safe Mode.
Created a Repair Disc in my Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) PC (my backup computer). Booted the problem PC from the Repair Disc. In System Recovery Options chose Use recovery tools that can help fix problems... Select an operating system to repair. No operating system was listed. Clicked Load Drivers. (??) I inserted the Win7Pro install DVD. It wants me to find the drivers. I gave up. Went ahead and clicked on Repair anyway. The report said it did some things- including fix a system partition. It didn’t appear to do anything.
Observations:
This PC has had problems from the beginning. I have a hunch it’s a hardware problem, but it’s just a hunch. I had a note to myself to swap out the graphics card, but never did it. I did make sure the driver was the latest, however. (Had to do it in Safe mode.) The BIOS auto-selects the appropriate GPU.
I’m guessing some system files are corrupt. Problems do not seem to be heat sensitive. I will do a clean install of Windows if I have to, but I do not relish the idea of reinstalling everything, and especially the hassles of product activation (Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Windows, MS Office).
- Dave McKeen
