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Laptop constantly crashing

  • 24-07-2002 10:10pm
    #1
    Bard
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,309 ✭✭✭✭


    My laptop is constantly crashing.

    It's an Advent 6413 (P4 Celeron 1.1Ghz, 256Mb RAM, AMI BIOS) and it comes with Windows Millennium. I had upgraded it to Windows 2000 SP2 and only recently it's started crashing randomly. Sometimes it'd crash before I got a chance to put my password in to log on - sometimes immediately afterwards - and sometimes it'd wait a few minutes after logon.

    Today, it seemed to be okay, so while I was logged on, I backed up all my essential data onto CDROM - I'd just gotten the last of it backed up when it crashed :rolleyes: ... so I returned the machine to the state it was in when I bought it by booting with the 'Return to Factory Settings' CDROM thinking that - well - if it's a bug in Windows itself, at least I can zap everything, reinstall and it SHOULD be okay.

    Guess what - it wasn't. Now it can't even get past the 'Windows Me' logo screen - it loads for a bit, shows that screen for about 5 seconds and powers off. I can get into Windows in Safe Mode only.

    Strange thing I just noticed is that my BIOS date is being displayed in the startup sequence as 09/11/01 (September 11th 2001) - ... it MAY be a total coincidence, but I'd never noticed that before. I don't think I've contracted a virus on the system but I guess it's a possibility.

    Anyone have any ideas?


Comments

  • #2
    Bard
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,309 ✭✭✭✭Bard


    - by the way, when I say it "crashes", I mean the screen suddenly goes black, has a blinking cursor at the top and after a few seconds, the machine powers down.


  • #3
    Cond0r
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 513 ✭✭✭Cond0r


    The date sounds strangely iffy... it could be a virus I suppose...
    What I was thinking was, it might be some device you have in the/attached to the laptop, because when you boot to safe mode you say its ok, which means loads of devices aren't enabled.
    It -could- also be the chip over heating, I wouldn't be too sure about that though.

    Have a look through sarc and see can you find a virus that changes the bios date to 9-11.

    Hope this might be a tiny bit of help.

    < Cond0r >


  • #4
    Bard
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,309 ✭✭✭✭Bard


    I've gotten onto Tech. Support and they're picking up the machine on Monday. I basically can't be bothered at this stage after trying for ages to sort it out myself. Thankfully I managed to back up all my essential data and I'm not going to lose any important work.

    The Tech. Support bod doesn't seem to think it's a virus. I've seen no mention of a 9/11 virus although there's been a few hoaxes. I think it's just pure coincidence that the BIOS happened to be manufactured or installed or whatever on September 11th 2001 - it's just my paranoia kicking in thinking it's a virus - I doubt very much that it's likely.

    It seems to simply be some sort of basic mechanical failure - or, quite possibly a failure in the APM system in the BIOS... I'm not sure... I guess I'll soon find out. The Tech Support gave me a number for the repair centre so that once they get the machine I can track the repairs and find out exactly what the story is.

    Bad timing, dammit. I've got work to do!


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