[Mel26]

Hello,

After reinstalling windows xp on one of my pcs, for some reason, in the middle of the setup, when it reaches the "34 minutes remaining" point, I get a blue screen with a message saying windows shut down to prevent damage to your computer... I tried 5 times already... any tips please? Thank you!

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Hello,
You might read THIS page.

Do you have a USB mouse or keyboard connected to the computer?

[makai]

Hello,
You might read THIS page.

Do you have a USB mouse or keyboard connected to the computer?

[Mel26]

Hello,

Thanks for helping me, but no, I don't have anything connected to the USB ports on my computer, it's just the power cord, monitor, original mouse and keyboard. Not sure what to do now...

[makai]

Well, I've also read it could be any number of things. One guy had to use an old video card.

Your post says you're reinstalling, which I take to mean you had XP on this machine before. Have you added anything new (or newer) to the computer lately or in the recent past since it was built?

Edited by makai, 17 August 2009 - 07:50 PM.

[Mel26]

I used to have XP, same thing, then I started getting the blue screen, so i decided to reinstall windows, as I have done, many other times, but this time, it won't go pass setup point... didn't add anything to it in the past... it just shut down suddenly..

[makai]

I've set up and repaired quite a few XP machines and never experienced this problem before. I've heard of it though so you're not alone, that's for sure.

What you might try to do is to pull everything out of the case except...

1 ram stick (if you happen to have more installed )
Video card (swap if you can)
Keyboard - PS2
Mouse - PS2

While you're at it, if you have additional CDRoms, or other harddrives connected, disconnect their power connectors. Be sure to also disconnect any other peripherals... printers, scanners, etc. I know you mentioned you don't have anything connected, but I had to mention it anyway. The idea is to minimize on the install. It also might be a good idea to zero the hard drive and reformat, or just reformat, up to you. By the way if you zero the drive, you don't have to zero the entire thing... 20% is good enough, or bare minimum the first 64Kb. Do you know how to do this by the way?

Then... try installing XP again.

Something to try at least.

Edited by makai, 18 August 2009 - 02:06 AM.

[Mel26]

That sounds good, but I would need you to guide me through it if you would.. cause I don't dont how to do that, Im sure I can though, I just need a little more info on what to pull out.. ;-)

[makai]

No problem, I can guide you, but I need a little bit of information.

What kind of computer is this? Did you build it, or have someone build it for you? Did you buy it from and OEM manufacture like Dell, HP, etc, and if so, what's the full model number?... please don't leave any digits out of the model number.

Also, what do you have currently connected to the computer... besides the stuff needed to run the computer? Any printers, scanners, etc?

Lastly, have you ever worked on the inside of a computer?

[Mel26]

Thank you!!

Ok, It's a Dell Dimension 2400, I bought it from Dell, after 3 yrs, the hard drive got damaged, so I had it replaced. There's nothing else connected to it.
I have never really done any major work inside of a computer, however, i have played with a few things though, replaced the memory card, cleaned up, simple stuff, but im pretty good at following instructions, if you can bear with me. Im ready whenever you are! Once again thank you!


The model # is MTC2


Hope that helps...

[makai]

Please edit your last reply and remove your product key and serial number. They are never needed.

I'll go do some research about your computer. I'll be back in a while then we can look at a few things. I'll be patient, you be patient too!

[makai]

The first thing I need you to do is go HERE and bookmark this page. This is the online service manual for your computer. If you already have the service manual you can refer to, then you needn't bookmark the page. We may need to refer to it, so we want it available.

The next thing to do is to turn off the computer we're going to work on. On the back of it may be a power switch. It may have a "1" and "0" on it. Switch it to "0" position, then unplug the AC cord.
Next, turn off you monitor, and disconnect the monitor cable at the "computer" end. No need to disconnect at the monitor end.
Next, remove all other connections from the back of the computer... mouse cable, keyboard, etc, until all connections have been removed.

You're going to need room as you need to remove the covers. Refer to the service manual to see how to do this.

One word of CAUTION here... and you need to keep this in mind anytime you work inside a computer... ALWAYS, before touching anything inside a computer, ground both hands on the computer chassis to rid yourself of any static electricity build up before touching anything inside. Rub your hands on a bare portion of the metal to discharge yourself. Do this EVERY TIME, and try to keep your arm rested on the chassis as you work inside just to keep any static from building up.

After you get the covers off, I need you to take a picture of the inside of the computer and post it here. The photo you need to post will look something like this...



This is just a sample and your insides may not look like this. Try not to make the picture as small as the one I posted as I need to see what your have in there. The reason for the photo... I was once involved in a thread over 100 pages long on this forum. Had I asked for a photo up front, it would have saved a lot of time. This time, I'm asking for the photo first!

I'll wait for the photo and get back to you. By the way, as you can guess, this will take quite some time, and we'll probably not be online at the same time, but I'll definitely be tracking this tread.

Edited by makai, 18 August 2009 - 04:08 PM.

[Mel26]

Ok awesome makai!
Lets do it!
Attached is the pic you requested.

Attached Thumbnails

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[makai]

Ouch! That's one dirty puppy!

One of the key things about maintaining computers is that every once in awhile you need to clean out accumulated dust. I understand this is an old machine, but this is not how it shoud be looking!

To clean the machine, you need to purchase a couple of cans of compressed air from your local computer store. You then need to follow the manual to remove the CPU fan shroud... the green colored thing, so you can access the CPU heatsink. Judging by the photo, the heatsink under the shroud will probably be quite caked with dust... major cause of overheat shutdowns. You also need to blow out every where else you see dust. Take this thing outside when you do it. Also be sure to blow out the Power Supply, and it's fans. When you blow air, don't blast it. Use light blows of air so you don't generate Static Electricity and blow up the motherboard. Go Slow! Use the grounding CAUTION as stated in my last reply as you work and blow this puppy out.

After you clean it, we can continue, so let me know when you're done. By the way, I'm a working man, so be patient if my replies are spaced out throughout the following days. This weekend I'll have a lot of time so we'll probably do most work then.

By the way, since you already tried to reinstall a few times, did you ever format the drive before installing?

[Mel26]

Ok, sorry about that.. it has been about 2 yrs since the last cleanup, but I will do it today, when I get it done, I'll post again. Also, take as much time as you need, i understand how it is..

Btw, I never formatted the drive.. I don't know how to do that.
I'll be back soon with a new clean pic. ;-)
Thank you Makai!
Mel

Edited by Mel26, 19 August 2009 - 01:06 PM.

[makai]

Ok, sorry about that.. it has been about 2 yrs since the last cleanup, but I will do it today, when I get it done, I'll post again.

No problem. Most people don't clean their computers at all!

Go slow, take you time, and don't get too aggressive with the air blasts... very important.

No problem about not formatting. Windows can be made to do it.

I'll check back later.