Problem with my computer, please help!

[Minimi]

This morning Windows kinda crashed, and I turned my computer by the powerbutton off. When I turned it back on, and Win XP was loading, the screen suddenly went black and computer stopped loading.

Then I tried Save Modus, but it seems that somehow the computer won't recognize the partitions on my harddisk anymore?! Could that be? I get in save modus a list of some drivers in System32 directory, and then it stops, and I can only turn the pc back off.

I'm clueless what to do! But I need the files on my computer! Thanks in advance, for your trying to help

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

I suppose you tried it already, but might as well suggest - you tried pressing F8 as the PC loaded? And then going through "safe mode", "last working configuration", etc? (btw, I have no idea what Save Modus is - if it's related to this, then sorry I couldn't be more help).

[Barbarian]

Can you boot into safe-mode at all?

As you boot up your computer, tap the "f8" key before the Windows-logo appears, and if you're lucky, a boot-up menu will appear.

If so, then, Select "Safe Mode", then when safe-mode loads in, you may get asked an option to do a System Restore, in which you can choose to attempt a system-restore. From the System-Restore, pick a checkpoint from a recent-date from the calendar thingy to when you know the computer was still working good. Ã, Then, wait a few minutes for Windows to load in the checkpoint information as it attempt to restore the settings, and if you're in luck, and if all goes well, the computer will reboot, load in Windows, and after a few moments once it finishes loading in the settings, hopfully your desktop should appear again as normal.

However, if it's a Hard-drive problem of some kind, then it may not be that simple.
If you have the original Windows XP installation disk for your computer, you can put it in the CD drive, then upon booting up the computer, it should load from the CD (if your BIOS is set up to scan for inserted disk in the CD first that is). Once XP console loads from the CD, you could attempt to do an emergency Window XP Repair Install. Ã, So you would choose to "install" Windows, and hopfully it will see that you already have a version of XP installed on your computer, if so then you will be presented with an option to do a Repair Install. Ã, Don't choose to do a "New Full Install" as that would probably wipe-out any saved data on your hard-disk.

If this option still doesn't work, example, if loading in the XP console from the Windows CD does not see or recognize that you already have Windows XP installed, than you will probably want to cancel this option in order to try and still recover your data.

So, the last option to try if the other ones fail, is you can go buy a new Hard Drive from a computer shop. Tempoarily disconnect your old hard-drive, install the new hard-drive, boot up with Windows CD in drive and install a fresh copy of Windows onto the new hard-drive (which should be set as Master on the Jumper Pins settings on the Hard Drive). Now, when you have windows installed on the new hard drive, power everything down again, on your old hard-drive, set the jumper-pin settings to "slave", now, connect it to the hard-drive ribbon, and when you boot up, hopfully Windows will see your old hard drive now. Ã, If so, you're in luck, and once windows loads in, you can copy over the data from your old hard-drive onto your new hard drive.

Ã,  If all of this sounds a bit daunting, you might need to explain your problem to a computer-repair shop in hopes that they can help you with such a proceedure to help you to recover the data off your old hard drive.

Good luck, and, in future when all is working good again, remember to backup important data.

[Minimi]

thanks for the help. I runned Knoppix, and it must have scanned or fixed something, because after that, windows started again! I dunno what the problem was, but hey... it works! 

[Gregjazz]

thanks for the help. I runned Knoppix, and it must have scanned or fixed something, because after that, windows started again! I dunno what the problem was, but hey... it works! 

Does it seem like a Windows problem or a hardware problem?

[LGM]

Knoppix doesn't really do anything to fix your computer automatically. Either it was a fluke, or it was a hardware problem (sounds like PSU or RAM)