[dba-Tech] Trying to revive a computer - solved for now

Helmut Kotsch hkotsch at arcor.de
Mon Jan 17 10:25:57 CST 2011


Tina,
you wrote:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 I do believe the hard drive is failing - it's an old machine that gets lots
of use and has been moved from one place to another many times in its life -
and most of its users are very young.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Having spent my whole life in hard drive engineering I have to tell you that
backup is a must regardless how old a drive is. No manufacturer will give
you a guarantee that a new hard drive will run even more than 10 minutes
without loosing data. They might advertise an average MTBF of 5 years but
you could have bought the one in thousands that is bad and dies after
minutes, a day or a year. I have hard drives running 24/7 365 days since
more than 10 years without any problems. One reason for this performance
might be that they are hardly switched off. Start/stop/start is stress to
hard drives because the heads might stick to the surface and the inrush
current stresses the electronic components.

Helmut

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]Im Auftrag von Tina Norris
Fields
Gesendet: Montag, 17. Januar 2011 16:10
An: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues
Betreff: Re: [dba-Tech] Trying to revive a computer - solved for now


Jim,
Thank you for your response. I, too, think the drive is failing.
Here are my results so far: Spin-Rite did find and correct some disk
errors. It also reported at least one uncorrectable error. After I
looked up how to use the Microsoft Recovery Console, I ran chkdsk /r on
the drive, which reported finding and correcting some more errors. After
that, I was able to use the Windows installation CD to repair the
existing WinXP installation. Got that essentially finished last night,
so the computer would boot. A couple of files were reported by the
installation program as not being able to be registered - I made notes
and will check on them later; it couldn't find a dll that it needed - I
checked where it was in my computer, which helped me locate it on
theirs. Then, I reinstalled Vipre and set that up to scan at 1 this
morning. Then, I started the Defraggler and went to bed. This morning,
I've re-established the wireless adapter and the Internet connection,
and I've run 70 some updates to Windows - I will still need to get SP3 -
since the original install CD is WinXP SP2. But, at least the computer
is running again, and my son-in-law is serious now about backing it up.
Good, because, as noted above, I do believe the hard drive is failing -
it's an old machine that gets lots of use and has been moved from one
place to another many times in its life - and most of its users are very
young.
Best regards,
T
Jim Lawrence wrote:
> I think your idea of running Spinwrite is a great idea as it sound like
you
> hard drive is failing.
>
> I was looking at a discount place and they had Dell computers, 1 GB RAM
and
> XP home...no idea what the hard drive size is but the price was $88. With
> these sorts of prices around it seems hardly worth wasting time on.
>
> OTOH, Tina, your comments suggest a HD failure and if you want to save the
> drive for its contents, run Spinwrite and when the drive is recovered,
image
> the drive with a bootable CD with something like DriveImage XML, install a
> new drive then re-image it back and use EASEUS Partition Master to clean
up
> and re-partition the new drive. Reboot and you're done.
>
> It is a little more complex than that of course but if you have the tools
it
> will take about an hours worth of your time but a couple days computer
time.
>
> Jim
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Gary Kjos
> Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2011 2:24 PM
> To: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues
> Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] Trying to revive a computer
>
> I've not done any dual booting. John Bartow, Drew and Jim are your
> best bets for advice on this one.
>
> Good luck, sounds like you have done the right stuff so far. If you
> could run SPinrite from a CD or floppy maybe that would be able to fix
> the disk problems if there are any.
>
> GK
>
> On Sun, Jan 16, 2011 at 1:55 PM, Tina Norris Fields
> <tinanfields at torchlake.com> wrote:
>
>> Me again,
>> Did a little searching and found some information about using the
Recovery
>> Console.  Started a chkdsk without switches, which got stuck at about
50%.
>>  Restarted the whole shebang, and this time when I got to the Recovery
>> Console, the two installations of Windows were listed - they had not been
>> listed in any of the previous visits to this console.
>> I logged in to the first Windows installation and am now running chkdsk
/r
>>
> -
>
>> we'll see how that goes.  Still looking for any great ideas you guys
have.
>> T
>>
>> Tina Norris Fields wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Guys,
>>>
>>> Maybe you can help me bring a computer back to life. It's a dual boot
>>> setup – Win 2000 Pro and Win XP Home. It began its life as a Win 2000
>>>
> Pro,
>
>>> and was updated with the second operating system added on a couple of
>>>
> years
>
>>> later. The Win 2000 Pro was kept because of a game that wouldn't play on
>>>
> Win
>
>>> XP.
>>>
>>> This computer belongs to our kids, Cheryl Lynn and Brad, and their
>>>
> family.
>
>>> It's sitting here in my office until they finish putting together their
>>> library and study area in their house. The girls often use it to do
>>>
> homework
>
>>> and to visit online with their friends. Three days ago, I saw it had the
>>> awful blue screen of almost death – the one that says if this is the
>>>
> first
>
>>> time you've seen this screen, reboot, otherwise go get professional help
>>>
> or
>
>>> call the undertaker because your computer is dead – or something to that
>>> effect.
>>>
>>> I rebooted. It reached the point where Win XP should start and stopped.
>>>
> It
>
>>> displayed this message:
>>>
>>> "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or
>>>
> corrupt:
>
>>> system32\DRIVERS\pci.sys
>>> You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows Setup using the
>>> original Setup CD-ROM. Select 'r' at the first screen to start repair."
>>>
>>> I thought I'd try the other operating system. When Win 2000 tried to
>>> start, it displayed this message:
>>>
>>> "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or
>>>
> corrupt:
>
>>> <Windows root>\system32\hal.dll
>>> Please re-install a copy of the above file."
>>>
>>> I had to find my way into the BIOS to switch the boot sequence – by
guess
>>> and by golly to find which function key it needed (I think it ended up
>>>
> being
>
>>> F2, but I'm not sure), because it was A:, C:, D: - and I needed D: to
>>>
> come
>
>>> before C: Got that done, and put in the Setup CD-ROM and booted.
>>>
>>> Setup went through a process of loading lots of files, then came to the
>>> first screen. I selected the 'r' choice. It brought me to what looked
>>>
> like a
>
>>> DOS screen with the following message:
>>>
>>> "Microsoft Windows XP(TM) Recovery Console.
>>> The Recovery Console provides system repair and recovery functionality.
>>> Type EXIT to quit the Recovery Console and restart the computer.
>>> C:>" and a blinking cursor
>>>
>>> There were no other instructions on the screen and I am not familiar
with
>>> this Recovery Console. First, I thought that perhaps some recovery and
>>> repair functions had happened in the background and it was time to EXIT.
>>>
> So,
>
>>> I typed EXIT and pressed ENTER and the machine began trying to restart –
>>>
> of
>
>>> course, I still had the CD in, so we went back around. I removed the CD
>>>
> and
>
>>> rebooted, with precisely the same results as before.
>>>
>>> I have run Spin-Rite on this computer at three different levels, 2, 4,
>>>
> and
>
>>> 5. There is a consistent uncorrectable error reported in the same
section
>>>
> of
>
>>> the partition. In the technical report screen, it is at the far right of
>>>
> the
>
>>> screen, and it says "01."
>>>
>>> When the computer goes through the boot sequence, the POST sound is
fine,
>>> but when the operating system selection is made, there is a sort of
>>> "squishy" sound that reminds me of the noise made by that failing hard
>>>
> drive
>
>>> I worked on last year – a sort of high-pitched little squishy peep. I
>>>
> think
>
>>> maybe the drive has a really bad spot right where some critical
operating
>>> system files are.
>>>
>>> I don't know what commands to use in the Recovery Console. If I did, I
>>> would certainly give that a GO. Does anybody on this list have any good
>>> advice – in addition to getting a new hard drive, or new computer
>>> altogether?
>>>
>>> I did try to let Windows install itself, but it came back with the
>>>
> message
>
>>> that the partition was too full or sick or something and would have to
be
>>> formatted before installation could proceed. And, no, my kids do not
have
>>> their stuff backed up from this computer, so I did not move ahead.
>>>
>>> Thanks for any ideas,
>>>
>>> T
>>>
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>>> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
>>>
>>>
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