My Qosmio F10 RE is having boot issues... Here's my list of trouble shooting results:

It started with Windows freezing periodically, and now immediately after the Qosmio logo I get characters all over the screen.

Grub still functions, although you can't read it, and I can initiate the boot into Windows or Linux, but both give graphical errors and freeze up.

I can load into Windows safemode, and it appears to look and act normally, and so does Ubuntu recovery mode... and as I mentioned earlier, the logo appears just fine, so I have my doubts it is a video card issue.

I have two sticks of RAM, and tried alternating both, and neither seems to change the issue (also did a mem-check and they seem to check out). I also can't load up my BIOS, nor boot off anything other than my HD.

Any thoughts on what all this might point to (aside from the generally unhelpful, "it's ****ed" comment)?

Thanks,

- John

I would first try to un-install the graphic driver, run it on default windows VGA driver and see.

cheers ...

I would agree, but I get graphical errors in both Ubuntu and Windows, so this isn't limited to a corrupt Windows driver. In fact, I get graphical errors at my boot selector, before I even go into an OS.

The funny thing is, that the graphics are clear at both the boot graphic (Qosmio logo) and if I get into Windows safe mode.

Any other suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks for the reply.

- John

You mentioned that it works fine in Safe and Recovery mode. How about a clean install on both OS? Or better can you run it from a Live CD?

Other than that, heard about "baking" before? (browse our forum for it )

cheers ...

The problem is that it won't let me boot off anything other than my HD, which doesn't boot properly. I can't enter my BIOS to change the boot order or do anything similar.

As for baking, I've heard of it... Sounds a little drastic. I may leave it for a last resort

- John

Not be able to get into BIOS can be detrimental to the comp's health

You mentioned swapping ram modules around, how about just try using one at a time?

cheers ...

That's what I meant by swapping them around. I tried each one by itself, and I receive the same results both times.

- John

Now .. we are really hurting ... Hope that someone else can have a better idea, but I tend to agree with you now that the graphic card (or the soldering around it) is going haywire.

cheers ...

I see... Well thanks for the opinion. Perhaps I will have to look into baking in the end.

I am, however, starting to favour the idea of harvesting it for pieces, and then sending the rest of it to a recycling plant. So, we'll see...

- John

Actually, this is also a very good alternative, after the baking, since you get nothing to lose. Correct? Good lucks.

cheers ...