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PC won't boot up

  • 22-08-2008 2:19pm
    #1
    Galaxie390
    Registered Users Posts: 39 ✭


    Hi Folks,

    I've been trawling thro' the threads here to see if I can find any answers to my problem......To explain......(please excuse my basic description, I'm not a techie by any means but can get by).

    My Dell PC worked fine, but got fairly slow, until one day it refused to boot up. It would display the 'moving blue line/ XP screen' for a few seconds and then go black and stop. After leaving it for a few days (out of exasperation!) it did start booting up once only, but then wouldn't boot at all on the next attempt. It would occasionally boot to safe-mode.

    After googling and searching for advice on another PC, I re-installed XP from the CDs supplied. I deleted the existing partition and re-partitioned (ntfs?), and then installed XP after this. For the first few times it would boot once, then not at all. I have since repeated this process 4 times, but always the same result.

    Is this the sign of a dead or severely wounded hard drive that needs replacing or can it be fixed?

    Thank you for any advice anyone can throw my direction.

    All the best,

    Rich

    PS: all my files have been backed up to an external hard drive, so my main drive is empty.


Comments

  • #2
    Joseph Kuhr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 169 ✭✭Joseph Kuhr


    Galaxie390 wrote: »
    Hi Folks,

    I've been trawling thro' the threads here to see if I can find any answers to my problem......To explain......(please excuse my basic description, I'm not a techie by any means but can get by).

    My Dell PC worked fine, but got fairly slow, until one day it refused to boot up. It would display the 'moving blue line/ XP screen' for a few seconds and then go black and stop. After leaving it for a few days (out of exasperation!) it did start booting up once only, but then wouldn't boot at all on the next attempt. It would occasionally boot to safe-mode.

    After googling and searching for advice on another PC, I re-installed XP from the CDs supplied. I deleted the existing partition and re-partitioned (ntfs?), and then installed XP after this. For the first few times it would boot once, then not at all. I have since repeated this process 4 times, but always the same result.

    Is this the sign of a dead or severely wounded hard drive that needs replacing or can it be fixed?

    Thank you for any advice anyone can throw my direction.

    All the best,

    Rich

    PS: all my files have been backed up to an external hard drive, so my main drive is empty.

    When you say it goes black and stops does the PC shut down or is it still running with just a black screen?

    I'd check your fans aren't clocked with dirt. You may also want to open it up and check the heat sink and processor fan is not clogged.

    The fact you could format and reinstall XP would suggest your HDD is ok.


  • #3
    gofast
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23 ✭gofast


    could be a number of things... checkout your warranty


  • #4
    meathenterpr
    Registered Users Posts: 64 ✭✭meathenterpr


    It sounds like it maybe HDD. what happens when you go to rescue mode on the xp cd and do a chkdisk?
    You could also try removing the hdd from the PC and placing it in another PC and boot it up ans see what you get.
    Also see if you can get a loan of diagnostic cd such as hirens boot cd or burn the cd from another computer and run the hdd test on the cd.


  • #5
    Nothingbetter2d
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,038 ✭✭✭Nothingbetter2d


    your hard drive is probably fine............i reckon you either have a bad driver somewhere in there.....and its preventing normal boot up.....if you can get to safe mode uninstall any video & chipset drivers and install new ones (as upto date as possible) or a bad RAM module... this too can prevent normal boot up.......... try removing one ram chip and try boot up (if it boots normal thats your culprit) if not then try the other and boot


  • #6
    Galaxie390
    Registered Users Posts: 39 ✭Galaxie390


    Hi Folks,

    Thanks for the feedback, a few things to try. I'll let you know how I get on.

    Gofast, the warranty is long gone. The PC is about 3 years old at this stage.

    Joseph, the pc is still on and running but no movement on the pc apart from what sounds like the HDD chugging away, just a black screen. I've left it like this fro hours, but nothing.
    I'll check out the fans. It sits on a carpet, so could have sucked in loads of fibres.

    Thank you all again.

    Cheers,

    Rich


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