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| Thread ID: 102148 | 2009-08-08 19:50:00 | URGENT help needed - Laptop won't start in normal mode!! | tuiruru (12277) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 799482 | 2009-08-08 19:50:00 | This follows on from a previous post concerning Defraggler (see forums.pcworld.co.nz for background details. I’m running a Toshiba Satellite A 300 with 2.40 gigahertz Intel Core2 Duo P8600 and 4 GB of RAM using Win Vista Home Premium As stated in that post Defraggler was stalling at about 38% progress. It had originally reported Used Space of 83.2 GB, Free Space of 205.2 GB with Total Space of 288.4GB with fragmentation at 57%. I then installed Smart Defrag which reported 0.2% fragmentation. I ran it and I it did its job in about 25 mins, so I tried Defraggler again. This time it reported used space of 34.8 GB and fragmentation of 9%, so I appeared to have lost about 49 gigs of used space!! I ran it again and it went thru with no trouble. I then backed up the data to an external hard drive (using SyncBack’s free edition) and compared the total size of the file created to the previous one and it appeared to have grown slightly which is what you’d expect. I then decided to do some more “fiddling” and so set about creating a restore point only to find that the system thought I had none!! (I always create restore points!). Was that where the apparently missing data had gone? I set about creating a new one and the little “progress graphic” telling me one was being created just kept going and going (for nearly an hour) so I thought things had stalled and since CTRL>ALT>DEL wouldn’t invoke Task Manager I eventually held the power switch down until the laptop turned off. Things did not go well at the next start up but I got round that and more “fiddling” ensued. To cut this very long story short I’m now at the stage where the computer won’t boot normally. If I press F8 after I’ve turned it on I get the various start options. If I choose “Repair” it eventually tells me that it can’t repair the system automatically. It does, however, start OK in “Safe Mode with Networking”. I feel I’m in deep s^!t so any and all help/suggestions would be more than gratefully received!! I’ve found that WORD won’t save at the moment so this post may be followed by others as I remember things I’ve forgotten. PLEASE don’t give up on me guys – you’ve always been great in the past! |
tuiruru (12277) | ||
| 799483 | 2009-08-08 21:49:00 | At this point I'd back up the personal stuff, format it and do a fresh install. | pctek (84) | ||
| 799484 | 2009-08-08 21:52:00 | I would too seems Vista has got screwed up somewhere. | gary67 (56) | ||
| 799485 | 2009-08-08 21:53:00 | Multiple defrag apps? Thats a first :D Anyways Im with pctek, take her advice and wipe the box. You said you'd backed it up already ... Otherwise, chuck in your Vista CD and run a repair install. IIRC the A300's all come with a bootable recovery partition you can use to reinstall Vista/ However again IIRC it comes with a ton of crap like Office 2007 trials, Nortons, Business Contact Manager + SQL Server :-/ |
Chilling_Silence (9) | ||
| 799486 | 2009-08-08 23:54:00 | Multiple defrag apps? Thats a first :D Anyways Im with pctek, take her advice and wipe the box. You said you'd backed it up already ... Otherwise, chuck in your Vista CD and run a repair install. Repair installs don't work unless the system boots in normal mode.. I'm with PcTek also...but if you're desperate then save the repair logfile gives you, then copy+paste it here Blam |
Blam (54) | ||
| 799487 | 2009-08-09 03:27:00 | Thanks for all your advice folks. Sorry about the time taken to get back to you especially in view of the fact of the URGENT in the title of the thread,but I’ve been doing backups, checking another forum and the better half wants to do “Sunday Stuff”. Replying to your posts – not necessarily in any order...: CS I don’t have a Vista CD but the in User’s (PDF) manual on the hard drive it says there is a hidden partition like you said. Unfortunately I’m not sure how to get to it or use it. Back in Feb I used the Toshiba Recovery Disc Creator which produced 3 DVDs – are they any use? If so how? What does IIRC mean? (treat me as a thicky!) Blam 6 I’ll try and “save the repair logfile gives you, then copy+paste it here” but I may need to come back to you on that. I THINK I’ve backed up all my personal data to the external hard drive – as far as I was concerned this came to me with TWO 320 GB hard drives see: Toshiba Satellite A300/V01 Notebook • Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz) 1066 • RAM: 2GB + 2GB DDR2 (800MHz) (Total 4GB) • HDD: 320GB + 320GB SATA (5400rpm) (Total 640GB) • Display: 15.4" WX 200 CSV • Optical: DVD-SuperMulti (DL) 12.7mm • Graphics: ATI M86 Graphics Card with 512MB Dedicated Graphics Memory • Bluetooth: BT V2.1 + EDR • Wireless: WLAN (Intel 802.11a⁄g⁄n) • Networking: 1Gbps LAN • Webcam: 1.3 Megapixel • I⁄O: TV-Out, HDMI-CEC, FM Tuner, Expresscard, Microphone, Bridge Media Slot • Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium • Warranty: 1 Year but how do you know whether it’s a partition or not. If it is a partition will formatting C: kill the data (the only thing) on D :? Reformatting the hard drive is scaring me witless ( especially as from the following you’ll realise that I’m not sure what to do in the first place. I bought this from Dick Smith’s over the Internet back in Dec 2008 so will the warrenty cover this situation especially if the hard drive (C) is going west (Had some bad clusters running CHKDSK /r) and has caused a software screw up! I’m very reluctant to go any further on my own so if the warrenty doesn’t cover it what would be a ball park price? Sorry to be such a pain but I’m really struggling - please keep advising. |
tuiruru (12277) | ||
| 799488 | 2009-08-09 03:43:00 | Send it back. The 3 dvds are probably the restore dvds. That were created from the recovery partition. Reboot chuck the 1st 1 in, then select restore. It should restore windows to the original settings / programs | Speedy Gonzales (78) | ||
| 799489 | 2009-08-09 05:40:00 | Thanks Speedy | tuiruru (12277) | ||
| 799490 | 2009-08-09 05:49:00 | Repair installs don't work unless the system boots in normal mode. Errrrr where did you learn / told you that -- Cripes the hundreds of XP PC's I have run repair installs on when they wont boot must have been " lucky" then eh! :p There has been the odd time when a repair install doesn't work - weather it fixes the problem is another matter. There are several tools available that also work on Vista Now - where they didn't before. Just repaired a unbootale Vista the other day with them - where the standard 'repair" of Vista Failed. |
wainuitech (129) | ||
| 799491 | 2009-08-09 05:51:00 | Repair installs don't work unless the system boots in normal mode.. I'm with PcTek also...but if you're desperate then save the repair logfile gives you, then copy+paste it here Blam Hi Blam 6 I've tried what you've asked. START>REPAIR COMPUTER>SELECT A KEYBOARD LAYOUT ..............ends up with "Startup repair cannot repair this system automayically". So i look at "View diagnostic and repair details" I can see the log and highlight everything and CTRL C it, but there's nowhere to paste it to cos I'm in safe Mode with Networking plus inside all the diagnostic stuff Thanks for your help so far but where to next? |
tuiruru (12277) | ||
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