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Reinstalling Windows for the second time in less than a week!

post #1 of 15
7/26/04 at 7:39pm
Thread Starter 
Ok, I truly hate my PC now. For the second time in less than a week I have started my machine only to find that boot files are missing or corrupted. After nearly 2 hours messing with the recovery consol and restarting I have again wiped the old install and begun anew.

Since I had only got Windows operational for about two days before it starting losing files I have to wonder if my hard drive is dying. Does anyone know what the problem might be?

I am running a year old system that I built myself:

Microsoft Windows XP Home w/ Service Pack 1
Asus A7N8X Deluxe Mobo Rev. 2
AMD Athlon 2500+ Barton
1 Gig RAM
Wester Digital 120 Gig hard drive (special edition w/ 8 Meg buffer)
ATI Radeon 9600 Pro w/ 128 Meg RAM
Lite-On 52x32x52 Internal CD-RW

I like to think of myself as an advanced computer user. Usually I fiddle with Windows a lot when I install it cause it is a really bloated program. However, this time I hadn't even got some of my key programs installed before problems arose so Windows was just in its standard setup.

My hope is that the formatting on the hard drive has gone bad. I use multiple partitions to store important files so that when Windows crashes I still have them. So, I plan on getting a base install of Windows, then burn my files to CD, then delete all the partitions and reformat the drive. If that doesn't work I may just buy a new one.

Any suggestions would be great.
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post #2 of 15
7/26/04 at 9:25pm
Have you scanned your computer for a virus? Because if you have a boot sector virus, simply formating the drive will not correct or kill the virus.
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post #3 of 15
7/27/04 at 1:49pm
Thread Starter 
I used Norton Antivirus 2003 to do a scan before I reinstalled it yesterday. It turned up nothing. Just an update though, my attempt to install resulted in failure when yet another key file went missing. Luckily I had a copy of Knoppix lying around and managed to get my documents off of the separate partition I had them on. I have now deleted my old partitions, set up new ones, and am currently formatting them and installing Windows. If this doesn't work I will be calling Western Digital since the drive is still under warranty.
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post #4 of 15
7/27/04 at 1:58pm
Let us know how it goes.
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post #5 of 15
7/27/04 at 2:02pm
You should actually *wipe* the drive, write 0's over everything. There are a few programs out there that can do that.
Make sure it uses 2 or more passes, it often misses stuff.
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post #6 of 15
7/28/04 at 1:01am
i feel ur pain i had a lot of computer problems like that where i would have to redo all this stuff over and over and i know how much it sux :/
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post #7 of 15
7/28/04 at 2:37pm
How old is the hard drive? It sure does sound like disk failure. I would recommend a new HD (and if this is new, return it, if you can).

I've installed windows XP twice in one day because MS is stupid. So am I (for forgetting to disconnect the USB multi-card reader before installing). Really, is XP so advanced that it doesn't realize most people DON'T want it installed on the H:\ drive?

(and yes, I know the reg hacks to fix it after the fact, and no it doesn't always work).

-myrkat
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post #8 of 15
7/28/04 at 6:21pm
Thread Starter 
My current install seems to have worked, I'm just getting the settings back to normal now. BTW, myrkat, I had the same problem when I did my very first install over a year ago. I set up my partitions in the wrong order and the damn thing installed Windows to the D drive. It still amazes me how much that screws everything up!
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post #9 of 15
7/28/04 at 7:07pm
If you don't want to have to reinstall all of the time get a very cheap desktop and put Symantec Ghost on it. Set up you comp exactly the way you want it and then make an image file on the desktop drive. I am planning on doing this soon and it will save SOOOOO much time.
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post #10 of 15
7/29/04 at 1:57pm
Thread Starter 
I thought about using Ghost when I first built my system. But when I started setting it up I hit a screen where it mentioned needing a boot disk. I don't have a floppy drive on my computer (why waste money?) so I didn't go through with it. If I can use another drive (CD-ROM or maybe a USB key) I might use Ghost in the future.

Another update: Windows installed ok and I'm getting it up and going. Unfortunately, boot time is now nearly 10 mins! I have to say, I have never had it take that long and it shouldn't after a clean install. Basically, for 7 or so minutes after getting past my mobo startup screens I get nothing. The screen stays black and the hard drive activity light blinks once about every 30 seconds. I still think something is deathly wrong with the hard drive because everything else runs fine. I ran 3dMark 2001 to test the vid card, ram, and processor along with any other components. My scores were nearly identical to the ones I had on record. So, I'm doing just enough to get my computer online so I can download the Western Digital testing software. Hopefully it will find something wrong because if it doesn't I will be at a loss.

BTW, I'm using another computer to post these messages in case you were wondering.
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post #11 of 15
8/11/04 at 12:02am
This really sounds like the hard drive is going.
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post #12 of 15
8/11/04 at 3:53am
Ive had similar problems, but it turned out that i had a bad stick of RAM in.. go figure... the only advice i can give you, is start taking out pieces and run thru all the steps you did to make it crash.. things like this, process of elimination can be you only answer, but it defninantly gotta be your HDD or RAM... should take more than a couple of hours to find out thats wrong..


In the event you wish to toss the machine out the window.. would you consider selling me some parts... interested in processor and Video card..

-Evil Juggalo
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post #13 of 15
8/14/04 at 1:21am
lol when i had comp problems i was so close to throwing my comp out the window. lol
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post #14 of 15
8/14/04 at 1:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by LJT
I thought about using Ghost when I first built my system. But when I started setting it up I hit a screen where it mentioned needing a boot disk. I don't have a floppy drive on my computer (why waste money?) so I didn't go through with it.
Come on...floppy drives are the ESSENCE of a cool comp. If your computer can't make that buzzing sound, your missing out. How can you consider yourself tech savvy if you don't even have a floppy drive? You also get the joy of accidentaly clicking the "A" drive and waiting 10 minutes for Windows to decide you don't have a disk. *Sigh*, the joys of a floppy drive...
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post #15 of 15
8/15/04 at 3:04am
Sounds like you have a Hard drive problem.

One of my dorm buddies had a very similar problem, he ended up installed Windows about once a month. It ended up being a dammaged head or something, it was basically futzing with his registry or what-not corrupting his OS so he couldn't get it to start. He was oooo so pleased, I always got a good laugh out of his misfortune, he then got a 36GB Raptor ... and was then laughing at me . After the new HD his computer runs fine. He tried RMAing the faulty HD, but forgot/got lazy and now just has it running in his comp still but as a slave ... he says it works alright.

O ... and I can now laugh at him again. I have the 74GB Raptor
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