[Zagar.James]

When I turn my computer on, the screen is black, the internal fans continually run, and my mouse an keybaord are not registering. It is not an external connection problem. Also, when I press the power button, it does not function. I have to manually diconnect power from the wall. It wont boot or show any thing on the screen. If someone has any possbible solution, please let me know either by response to this thread, or e-mail(ing) me at ********. Thanks.

 

[Deleted090308]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

Hi,

First - clear CMOS:

Get rid of static electricity by touching a radiator or the computer case.
Then unplug the computer from the wall outlet and open the case.
Remove the little "coin-like" battery on the motherboard.
Move the "clear CMOS" jumper on the motherboard from pins 1&2 to pins 2&3.
Wait a couple of minutes.
Replace the jumper to pins 1&2.
Put the battery back.
Close the case and start the computer.
Enter BIOS and choose "Load setup defaults" (or something similar) - save and exit BIOS.

Post back with the computer specifications - don't forget the PSU.

 

[Zagar.James]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

Thanks for the help, I followed your insatruction, and moved jumper pins, and reset the battery...and then checked my RAM, and noticed that one was not quite in the slot, but the securing pin had been closed down on it anyway. So I opened it and placed th RAM all the way in the slot, and now it starts. It still won't boot because of the NTLDR is compresed thing, but it will start.
PSU (Power Supply Unit?)...What did you want to know about it.
Thank you so much for your help.
Sys specs:
OS- XP Pro (sp 2)
4096 Gb DDR2 RAM
Core 2 Duo

 

[Deleted090308]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

Do you mean "NTLDR is missing"?

If so:
Start the computer with the Windows CD.
At the Welcome to Setup screen, press R to select the repair option.
You will have to enter the Administrator password - if none, just press <Enter>.
At the command prompt - type chkdsk /r > press <Enter>.
When the disk check is done:
Type Exit > press <Enter>.
Take the Windows disc out and reboot.

 

[Zagar.James]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

before I actually get to the boot screen (before the OS boots), the screen gives me the option of pressing F11 to select a recovery option, and then within the same second, it says NTLDR is Compressed, Press control+alt+del to restart. I can restart it and continue pressing these keys for all eternity, but it would do me no good. I can recover, but it skips about half of the recovery by manual cancel (otherwise it would not progress), but upon start up, it does the same thing. I may have deleted a needed file somewhere, but I checked the parent folders and they said there was nothing in them, I also checked for hidden files before proceding.
This problem started after the above described events, and I restarted and attempted recovery because the computer kept telling me that I had insufficient privilege to Install or modify. I was trying to install Crysis before all this happened. Anyway, it will not boot OS. Any advice?(other than what you have already said-Which I will try)?

 

[Deleted090308]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...&cc=us&dlc=en&product=12455&docname=c00220758

 

[Zagar.James]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

Thanks a lot, this may fix my problem. I'll post back with the results.

 

[Zagar.James]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

Okay... I went to the site you provided, and follwed all of the instructions, and went to other sites I researched, and followed those instructios too, but to no avail.

In the recovery console I pressed alt+d to open command, and the things I typed, and the results I recieved are detailed as follows;

In command, I typed:
"Attrib -C NTLDR"

Command responded with:
"Invalid switch - -C"


In command, I typed:
"Copy C:\i386\NTLDR C:\"

Command responded with:
"Access Denied
0 Files copied"

In command, I typed:
"Expand C:\i386\NTLDR C:\"

Command responded with:
"Can't open output file C:\NTLDR|

Command also tells me (When I type "Boot cfg/rebuild") that "boot" in not a command, which it is.

It also does this with "Fixboot" and "FIXMBR".

Please, I desperately need some hope of fixing this problem. If you have any other tricks that may restore my machine, I am totally open.

 

[Deleted090308]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

When/how did all this start? Power failure or surge?

Can you "see" the hard drive in BIOS?

 

[Zagar.James]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

The hard drive is still visible in BIOS, and the cd-ROM still works. This started after neither power failure or surge, but after I was clearing out some folders that had absolutely nothing in them. I also compressed C:\Local Disk. I may be be able to fix it by formatting it, but I don't know the (C:\) volume label.

 

[Deleted090308]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

Are you sure you typed boot cfg /rebuild correctly? There has to be a space after cfg.

 

[Zagar.James]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

I may have typed incorrectly... boot cfg/ rebuild. I'll try it, thanks.

 

[Zagar.James]

Re: "NTLDR is compressed"

I tried the boot cfg /rebuild, and it told me boot was not a recognized internal or external command.

attrib -c C:\NTLDR

does not work either, command says "invalid switch - - c".

 

[Deleted090308]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

Sounds like the C drive doesn't "exist".

What make/model is the computer?

What version is your Windows disc? Recovery/retail/OEM?

 

[Zagar.James]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

It is a Gateway, model no# GT5268E,
and the disc is recovery (XP Media Center vsn. 2005 w/ update rollup 2 (sp2).

 

[Deleted090308]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

See if you can perform a fast repair install with your recovery disc. http://support.microsoft.com/?id=238359

If that won't work I think you have to low-level format the hard drive.
Before you do that we have to make sure there's nothing on the drive that can't/shouldn't be erased.

 

[Zagar.James]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

I will try to fast repair, but if it doesn't work, how do I "low-level" format the hard drive if it comes to that. And how should I determine what can't and shouldn't be erased?

 

[Deleted090308]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

A low-level format can be done with, for example, DBAN.
But, there may be a recovery partition on the HDD needed to reinstall Windows.
If you perform a low-level format everything, including your data, will be erased - with no chance of getting it back.

To see what's on the hard drive:

Please download and burn the ISO image of Parted Magic.
Boot the computer with the CD. When Parted Magic has loaded click the arrow next to the Tools icon and choose TestDisk.

Each of the steps (A, B, C etc) below corresponds to a new TestDisk window.
Use the keyboard's arrow keys to navigate.

A. At the first window, select “No Log” and press the <Enter> key.
B. Select which drive to analyse, choose “Proceed” and <Enter>.
C. Select partition type – Intel if it’s a PC then <Enter>.
D. Select “Analyse” then <Enter>. The drive will be analysed.
E. Select “Backup” at the next screen, then <Enter>.
F. Press “Y” if the partitions were created under Vista – “N” if not.
G. Select which partition to analyse and press <P> to list any files in the partition.

Is there a C: drive? Any files/folders on it? Other partitions?

 

[Zagar.James]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

when I key "dir C:\", it looks as if the is a C:\ drive, and that it has folders on it, that is the extent of my knowledge. The user partition is H:\.

Thanks for the iso, I will try it.

 

[Deleted090308]

Re: "Black Hole (Screen?)"

What's the name of the folder on the C drive?
What's on the H drive?