Can't load Windows all of a sudden

Doeish

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Jan 8, 2005
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I'm not quite sure if this is where I should post but I've got to start somewhere.
I'm having a bit of trouble with my troubleshooting skills, maybe someone else out there has run into this.
I've got a "Gigabyte GA-7,VAX" Motherboard, A GeForce FX5200 128 MB Vid. Card, running (or let's say it ran for over 6 months), Win XP. AVG Anti-virus , MacAfee Firewall from my ISP, Cable InterNet connection; Computer always on.
One morning I wiggled my mouse, so I could print some pic's for a job, no anything! Tried keyboard, same. 5 hours ago all was running fine!. I rebooted, PC Health OK, when Windows tried to load, no dice! Tried Safe-mode, it loads to a certain point, stops-locked up. Tried last good config. No. Tried running setup from the CD-goes fine until it is time for Windows to laod, then it freezes. Tried Floopy disk setup- Same thing.
Thought Memory mod. went bad so I took it all out and ran the above with each chip, only one at a time. Same thing.
Read about V.Card and poss. problems, upgraded the bios to version f9. No help. Has anybody addressed anything like this before? My mother board if fairly new as the rest of my computer, could it just have died on me? Anything else I should try? By the way, it will run DOS, I should try RedHat? Maybe I should just hang up Windows for Linux, but who should'nt?
Can anybody shed some light?
Thanx
 

rubikian

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May 20, 2002
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Have you verify that your hard drive is fine? Could be your hard drive having bad sector...

AthlonXP 2200 @ 2GHz, 512MB DDR400, 64MB Abit Ti4200, 40GB Maxtor, 120GB Western Digital, 48x24x42 TDK CDRW, 16X ASUS DVDROM, SB! live 5.1DE, Lifeview 3000 TV card...
 

Codesmith

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Jul 6, 2003
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I would test the memmory modules with memtest 86 and I would run the diagnostic software from whoever made your hard drive. I would also pop in a Knopix CD to see if linux boots and runs fine form a live CD.

www.ultimatebootcd.com has a collection of just about every legally distributalbe utility imaginable including memtest and utilities for every hard drive.


Clearing the motherboard CMOS also sometimes miraculously fixes problems.


I also awaly start troubleshooting by disconnecting everthing from the motherboard that isn't absolutely essential to what you are trying to check. Something as innocuous as a USB flash memory reader can render a system unbootable.

For example if I have a machine that won't post, I will disconnect all IDE devices, the floppy drive, any PCI cards, any USB hubs ect. I would start with powersupply, CPU & Heatsink, 1 memory module, keyboard, video card an nothing else.

I also know people who bad optical drives or badly scratched XP CDs who don't discover the problem until windows crashed and needed reinstalled.

If you have access to a spare PC, or spare parts you can't start swaping out components.

It also wouldn't be a bad idea to check the waranty coverage of your motherboard.