[HappyMonkey1]

*tears hear out* Brand New System won't boot!

I have only just purchased a Dell Dimension 2300 desktop pc, and already the damn thing is playing up. I was in the middle of playing "Battlefield 1942" when it froze. I then held the "on" button on for 8-10 seconds so it would shut down. When I attempted to reboot, I had a screen asking for me to yadayada in safe or normal. I chose "run in normal mode", when it just hanged there.

Now whenever I attempt to boot the computer I have little disk activity, and the monitor power light blinks as if it doesn't recognise the computer is on. I have tried the monitor on my other computer and it works, however my other monitor does the same thing with this stupid Dell.

It is a brand new system (two days old) and I just don't know what to do. Please help...

 

[gotissues68]

Sounds like the video card isn't initializing.. and if its freezing up ect ect.. It'd point to that as my gut instinct.. However I'm prone to being wrong heh. Anyhoo I'd contact Dell support, and see if they can help you reseat everything.. better then doing itself so you don't void your warrant. Good Luck!

 

[HappyMonkey1]

I have a very large problem.

I have only just purchased a Dell Dimension 2300 - running Windows Xp Home Edition, and I was in the middle of playing a game yesterday, when it locked up, so I held the "on" button on for 8-10 seconds so it would shut down.

It then brought up a screen that asked to run the computer in "normal mode", "safe mode", or to "run from last known previous settings". Upon selecting the latter, it froze again. So I shut down the same way as I had previously.

Now, whenever i choose to start up, the monitor power light blinks as if it is in stand-by, and the hard drive powers up for a few seconds then croaks it.

Please help!!!

 

[KerShplatt]

Being it a new PC - I assume it came with Windows XP? Well - doesn't matter what OS it is really.

I built my computer myself, and so I have al the necessary drivers readily available...
Yours has been pre-made, and I assume it has software installed...I can suggest one thing that is sure to fix it, as an almost identical thing happened to me. I reinstalled OS, then all the drivers. No extra space was taken up, as everything was overwritten...
You will have to create new shortcuts to your games though, and things like MS Office will have to be re-installed...

If this seems ok then:

If you have the OS installation disk, you can enter BIOS, and change the boot order so that it will look at the CD ROM (ask me if you don't know how to do this...)

Then insert your Windows CD in the drive, and restart, you can now safely overwrite...


Otherwise - contact Dell

 

[[email protected]]

Can you boot into Safe Mode?
If so try going to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. You may be able to restore your configuration back to before whatever caused the problem. Most likely the game but who knows.

If that would happen to work and you want to try the game again. Get in BF 1942s directory and Right Click the executable and go into the Properties. In Properties go to the Compatability tab, and try setting the compatability to Windows 98 / Me. I have a few games that run like crap on XP but when I change the compatability, they run as good as they did on Me.

If you cant figure it out and you just purchased the computer, your best bet would be to contact Dell. If you go tearing into it, you will probably void your warranty and then when you really do need their help, you wont be able to get it. Good Luck.

 

[Guest]

Please post only one thread per problem...........Thank You....

 

[Doonz]

Come-on doest Dell have that award winning support they pay for:no:...I mean advertise about all the time...DONT let them skate on this one...a 2 day old system is definitly under warranty...you shouldnt have to pull your hair out on this one...

but if you insist here are some tips

HOW TO: Troubleshoot the Video Adapter Driver in Safe Mode in Windows XP (Q292460)
This article shows shows you methods of troubleshooting Safe-Mode video problems. In Safe mode, the computer does not start the video adapter driver that is used during normal operations, so you need to use Device Manager to discover, update, roll back, or uninstall the video driver instead of accessing the Display properties.

http://support.microsoft.com/search/preview.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q292460


Start the System Restore Tool from a Command Prompt in Windows XP
Windows XP includes the System Restore tool, but you cannot start the System Restore tool from a Recovery Console prompt. Because of this, it may be useful to start the System Restore tool when you are unable to start your Windows XP-based computer normally or in Safe mode. This article describes how to start the System Restore tool when you are unable to start your Windows XP-based computer normally or in Safe mode.
Starting System Restore Tool from Command Prompt
Start your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt. NOTE : You must log on as the administrator or a user that has administrator rights.
At the command prompt, type %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe , and then press ENTER.
Follow the instructions on the screen to begin restoring your computer to a previous, functional state.

Click here for the kb article from Microsoft

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q304449