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

Tina Norris Fields tinanfields at torchlake.com
Mon Jan 17 15:46:54 CST 2011


Helmut, Sie haben Recht!  Did I say that correctly?
T

Helmut Kotsch wrote:
> 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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>>>
>>>
>>>       
>>
>>
>>     
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