Also, I have tried System Restore twice, Startup Repair, Avast! scan (boot scan and full scan), SUPERAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes.

 

Remove all unnecessary hardware during troubleshooting process, including extra drives, thumbdrives, printers, etc...

Start>Run>(type) "cmd" and Run "chkdsk /r"

Before rebooting navigate:
Start > Run >(type) "msconfig" and turn off all non-MS Services and all Startups.

On restart, check the log at Start>Control Panel>Administrator Tools>Event Viewer and report if chkdsk found and fixed any HD errors.

The "not genuine" message may be a Windows Update that failed, and a System Restore may fix it.

You need exactly 1 anti-spyware and 1 anti-virus. Any more than that is unnecessary, slows it down and may have conflicts and cause problems.

On restart, check Device Manager (click "show hidden devices") and report any flagged devices. Uninstall all flagged devices and reboot.

 

The computer is currently going through chkdsk, however I can't help but think it's taking way too long. I understand it takes a while, as I've done it before to this computer and others, but it was on stage 4 of 5 when I went to class, 13%, and when I got back over an hour later, it was still at 13% and has been on 57848 of 232944 files processed for the past 15 minutes.

I had the computer working before trying this, but it still wasn't quite the same, which is why I started the chkdsk anyway.

Please let me know if this should be taking hours to complete.

 

Taking a few hours could be a GOOD THING, as it may mean the disk has problems and is getting fixed. Let it run for 8, maybe 12 hours. If it still looks exactly the same, then you can conclude that the scan will not complete, and that you have hardware (and not software) problems. Which is good to know, as software solutions will not fix hardware problems.

 

Yes it's moving extremely slow now, has gone up in like 800-1000 file increments to 61834 now, so it is moving, albeit very slow.

 

you have problems with the HD that may or may not be fixable using chkdsk. Is this a laptop or a desktop?

If it's a desktop, post your Power Supply specs (manufacturer, model, output).

 

Can't find the model of the Power Supply, but I found the specs. It is a desktop too, Asus Essentio CG5290-BP007.

All the numbers are Average watts per hour.

Off: 1.97
Sleep: 4.92
Idle: 125.84
Load: 241.48
Raw (annual kWh): 503.2401
Energy Star Compliant: No

I haven't changed anything in the computer, all stock parts.

 

After more looking, haven't found a power supply model number but the consensus on wattage seems to be 500w

 

Gah, forgot to mention, I was able to get the computer running and had internet yesterday. However, I could tell that it still wasn't/isn't up to par with what I know it can do, and was constantly freezing/lagging while playing Skyrim, still. Right now it's still at 13%, but the number of files chkdsk has verified in stage 4 has gone up to 65251 at this moment, so it is still moving, but still, really really slow.

 

Does it look like this:

OEM!! ASUS CG5275-AR003 CG5290-BP007 CG5270-BP003 POWER SUPPLY UNIT 04G185025510 | eBay

Does your computer have a sticker on the power supply like the photo on the right?

 

Ah, yes model # GPS-500AB A

 

YeongYang - GPS-500AB-A ATX 12V Switch Power Supply - Professional manufacturer of computer case

It's still a piece of junk. It's specs are slightly better than the 400 watt model I linked earlier.

Do you have another PSU laying around you can install to test the system? If the PSU isn't bad, the HD might be, so we want the PSU to be bad. The good news is it probably is.

 

If this it it:

YeongYang - GPS-400BB-A ATX 12V Switch Power Supply - Professional manufacturer of computer case

Your Power Supply is only rated at well, "sort of" 400 watts. I don't know if all PSU companies do this, but what they are doing is splitting the various voltage outputs, stating what each "maximum wattage" is, and then adding them all up and calling it "400 Watts". Complete BS. You can't get 400 watts out of any of those outputs. The PSU is a POS.

Even if this isn't your PSU, it's probably in the same class. I'd replace it even if it isn't the direct cause of your current problems (but I bet it is), because a bad PSU can kill a hard drive, a video card, a motherboard and an i7 CPU, which is worth about 10 of these crappy PSU's.

As soon as the low-quality and unsuitable PSU is confirmed, we can start getting recommendations for a new one.

 

Yeah it looks like that one, just a 500 instead of a 400w

 

I wish I was one of those computer folks (in the future I know I will be) who has spare parts lying around, but I don't.

However, I do have an old computer I haven't pitched yet, works fine as far as I know. PSU is Antec TPII-430.

 

Update on chkdsk, steadily but still very slowly incrementing forward, at 74377 of 232944 now, still 13% overall tho

 

Going on hour 10 of chkdsk, still at 13% overall, let it keep going until 12 hours? If not, or if it gets to 12 hours and it still hasn't moved much, do I just force shutdown in the middle of chkdsk?

 

You can shut it down. It obviously has problems. The question is whether or not the hard drive is recoverable, and whether or not it's the PSU that killed it.

Do you have another PSU?

If not, restart chkdsk and see if it fails in the exact same spot. If so, that means chkdsk is fixing things and there is hope. I've seen these things run for hours & days on 80% of the hard drive, and I've seen them get to 15% and then "magically" zoom to the end. There's no telling what it will do.

 

I have another PSU but it's a 430W, not sure if going down would be a bad idea. It's an Antec TPII-430 if you want to check it out, just from an older computer I have here.

The chkdsk is moving now, up to 120583 as of this reply, so maybe it'll keep going now, past the halfway point of stage 4 at least.

 

That Antec 430 Watt probably has a higher output than the OEM POS you have. Plus, if the PSU is bad it could kill other hardware. I'd make the swap and see if the performance improves.

 

So I restarted and let chkdsk start over, and it has snagged at 12% again, stage 4, so hopefully it is fixing something. Going to just let it run now until it finishes some time next year .

If this doesn't fix it I will try putting in the other PSU.

 

I have one last trick to try, if in the event chkdsk doesn't work. There's no reason why you couldn't change-out the PSU and re-run chkdsk both.

 

Woke up this morning to find chkdsk done, but on the screen was this message, with the AMI : American Megatrends Inc. : Home Page logo at the top:

Pri Master Hard Disk:S.M.A.R.T. Status BAD, Backup and Replace

I'm guessing this is bad? I'm using the computer right now, so it "works" but will a computer work if the hard disk is "bad?" I don't have the money to buy a new HD, having trouble paying bills as it is

edit: avast! came up saying it found some kind of rootkit and suggested deletion, so I did that, then it said I should reboot and have it do a bootscan so it's going through that right now. *shrug*

 

Again, the Power Supply could be killing your hard drive. Re-run chkdsk and see if it will complete error-free.

 

I started getting error messages now while on the computer saying to back up the hard drive now because it's failing.

 

It would be wise to backup the hard drive, if there is any critical data on it. It would also be wise to change-out the PSU because it's possible the only reason why the HD is failing is because the PSU is bad.