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Error Message

post #1 of 7
4/5/06 at 11:19am
Thread Starter 
I get an error message whenever I start up my desktop; it gives me no hints as to what is actually going wrong, no way (for someone with my little bit of knowledge) to know what is actually in error (the message says something like "an error has occured" but doesn't say where). How can I find out what's going wrong and fix it?
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post #2 of 7
4/5/06 at 12:19pm
Check the System error logs
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post #3 of 7
4/5/06 at 1:44pm
First you need to determine if it is before or after the system POST. The POST (Pre Operating System Test) performs basic checks of your sub-system before turning over control of the system to your Operating System. Typically you will hear a single beep from the system speaker at the end of this test if it is successful. If you hear a series of beeps and no windows boot then you have a sub-system failure to be addressed before seeing if windows will boot successfully. If it POST's fine then you can be mostly sure that you have a software error in windows, a driver or other third-party software. Google the error messege and as stated above check your boot logs and other system logs in your administrative tools applet in the control panel (windows XP and 2000) If it is a software error try booting into Safe Mode (Hit the F5 key at startup) . If it boots all the way into windows in safe mode then your kernel is fine and you just have a driver or software failure. Try doing a Windows Restore point recovery in your system tools. If it still doesn't boot then slave the drive into another system and get your data off that you need then wipe it and reinstall windows. Obviously you will want to scan any transfered data for virii and spyware.
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post #4 of 7
4/5/06 at 3:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by k|LL3rCr0w
First you need to determine if it is before or after the system POST. The POST (Pre Operating System Test) performs basic checks of your sub-system before turning over control of the system to your Operating System. Typically you will hear a single beep from the system speaker at the end of this test if it is successful. If you hear a series of beeps and no windows boot then you have a sub-system failure to be addressed before seeing if windows will boot successfully. If it POST's fine then you can be mostly sure that you have a software error in windows, a driver or other third-party software. Google the error message and as stated above check your boot logs and other system logs in your administrative tools applet in the control panel (windows XP and 2000) If it is a software error try booting into Safe Mode (Hit the F5 key at startup) . If it boots all the way into windows in safe mode then your kernel is fine and you just have a driver or software failure. Try doing a Windows Restore point recovery in your system tools. If it still doesn't boot then slave the drive into another system and get your data off that you need then wipe it and reinstall windows. Obviously you will want to scan any transfered data for virii and spyware.
Some good info there!!!!.... and I'll add if you're smart you'll create a separate partition of the drive to keep your data safe(r)....

For years I've been putting the OS on it's own separate partition and the apps on another, and the data on yet another still. Has come in "handy" when the OS wouldn't boot:-(

While that may overkill since there are programs like GHOST that can image a hard drive once you get the OS and Apps installed, and the data itself.... It has worked for me. Most apps work without a re-install and you're back up and running days ahead of where you would be if you had to re-install everything over again.

I think I'm going to change that plan going with the OS and Apps on the same partition, Ghosting everything once everything is set-up....
Or making a custom Xp Pro install disc with the apps already installed, slipstreamed to SP2, or whatever the latest SP is.

I will NEVER keep my data on the same partition as the OS... that's just asking for trouble!
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post #5 of 7
4/5/06 at 4:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by joshua_kotc
I get an error message whenever I start up my desktop; it gives me no hints as to what is actually going wrong, no way (for someone with my little bit of knowledge) to know what is actually in error (the message says something like "an error has occured" but doesn't say where). How can I find out what's going wrong and fix it?


joshua_kotc,

Just a thought, when your asking for help, try to provide as much info as possible...

The model computer you have, How much ram, video card, the Operating System you're running, what Service Pack (SP) you're running....

And what the computer was doing before the problem occured... along with the extact error message you may be getting.

When the error is occuring. If you have added any new hardware, Or un-installed any program lately, etc

Also note if you're the type of guy who downloads everything off the net, installs, runs and un-installs a bunch of programs not giving it a second thought... stuff like that.

You need to go into "safe" mode as k|LL3rCr0w suggested.

On some machines it may be F8. (You press F8 before the OS loads, but after the hard drives have been detected /after the bios post runs.

If it boots you could (and this is from a fuzzy memory-My machines don't crash that much:-), use the option to select which drivers you want to load (or not load) to isolate the problem.

Just a thought...
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post #6 of 7
4/7/06 at 5:41pm
Thread Starter 

Sorry I didn't put enough...

info. My computer is a Compaq. I have 712 mb of ram. My processor is 2.13 gigahertz AMD Athlon XP. I think my video card is RADEON 9200 SERIES. I'm not sure on service pack... but I think 3. What else? The error message really doesn't give any info, and my computer isn't crashing. It just pops up evertime I boot up. I don't download a whole bunch of stuff, uninstall, blah, blah, blah, that other stuff you said. As for the others' posts, you lost me at hello. I will try the google look-up thing, though, though honestly, the error message is doesn't say anything...at least not to me.
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post #7 of 7
4/7/06 at 9:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by joshua_kotc
info. My computer is a Compaq. I have 712 mb of ram. My processor is 2.13 gigahertz AMD Athlon XP. I think my video card is RADEON 9200 SERIES. I'm not sure on service pack... but I think 3. What else? The error message really doesn't give any info, and my computer isn't crashing. It just pops up evertime I boot up. I don't download a whole bunch of stuff, uninstall, blah, blah, blah, that other stuff you said. As for the others' posts, you lost me at hello. I will try the google look-up thing, though, though honestly, the error message is doesn't say anything...at least not to me.
Compaq what? (model number)

BTW: On the service pack level, right click on my computer, go to "properties" and it's right there. (Service Pack 2 is the latest "offical" Service pack I believe)

Anyhow, how long has it been since you re-installed or "restored" the OS?

It could be allot of things... could be OS related (Operating System)... Or it could be hardware related. Could be you just need to reseat the RAM.... Try removing one of the other, moving them to differant slots....

If you really have no idea, and you're not good at isolating problems /tracking down stuff the quickest way would be the WIPE/ Reformat tha hard drive, and using the "restore" disc, or recovery partition to "restore" the computer to as shipped. If you do that and it still does it you have a hardware problem.

That would be the easiest way for you I believe. (Assuming you don't have a hardware problem.)


BTW: I had a few computers that have done as you described... the CPU was not making good contact with the heatsink.... I cleaned the CPU and the heatsink, applied a fresh coating of thermal paste.... and the machines are rock soild again.

From the speed of your CPU, you may indeed need to remove the heatsink, clean and put some new thermal paste on... The stuff drys up after a while, and when it does it doesn't transfer the heat generated by the CPU to the heatsink... The computer will just "crash"...
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