[czfckd]

Hi I hope someone can help a computer phobic

i have been given a sony laptop for my step daughter to use for college. Sadly on starting and after login (owner & no password) this error message appears with click on ok to terminate application then the message dissapears and nothing more happens, I do not have the windows disc but I bough a repair disk form ebay but am unsure if this is of any use despite the claims.

Any help appreciated

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A repair disk? What exactly is on it, a program or a version of a windows install? Need to know for licensing issues and to know if it would be helpful - if you have a link to the eBay store and they have more of them, post it, it could help.

This is a used machine that was given to you?
What do you mean by nothing more happens? Can you use the computer or does it freeze up?
What is the operating system on the machine?

You appear to be missing or have a corrupt system32 file that allows logon, possibly others. This can be fixed, but we need to know more about this disk you bought.

[n3ko]

A repair disk? What exactly is on it, a program or a version of a windows install? Need to know for licensing issues and to know if it would be helpful - if you have a link to the eBay store and they have more of them, post it, it could help.

This is a used machine that was given to you?
What do you mean by nothing more happens? Can you use the computer or does it freeze up?
What is the operating system on the machine?

You appear to be missing or have a corrupt system32 file that allows logon, possibly others. This can be fixed, but we need to know more about this disk you bought.

[czfckd]

thanks for the reply

the link to the disk is http://cgi.ebay.co.u...:EOIBSA:GB:1123

This is a used machine that was given to you? yes
What do you mean by nothing more happens? Can you use the computer or does it freeze up? the desk top screen appears but with no icons and it freezes although the mouse pointer can be moved
What is the operating system on the machine?
XP home

Barry

[n3ko]

Hmmm... There's nothing specific on the link that says what programs are on the disk... Also it's suspicious to me that he claims it's a "catch all" cure disk. This says it could do practically anything that could be wrong, reminds me of snake oil.

Very probably there's a bunch of free programs on there. Possibly some could be helpful, but we can't know since we don't have a list of what they are - likely on purpose. He says they're all GNU License, so that would make them freeware and illegal for him to be selling them - particularly as he's likely not the person who wrote them. At least they're not expensive.

No problem, we shouldn't need it anyway.

First question: Have you tried keystrokes in regular windows? Try Windows Key+R. Does a run dialog pop up? Probably won't but doesn't hurt to check.

Next question: Have you tried booting into safe mode? If so, does it work where the desktop doesn't?

If not, I believe Sony Vaios boot into safe mode with F8. When you reboot, wait for the BIOS splash screen to come up (the very first image you see on reboot) and start pressing F8 repeatedly (every second or so). A black screen with text should come up asking if you want to boot into safe mode, safe mode with networking, etc...

If that doesn't bring up safe mode boot options, reboot again and get a look at that very first screen - it should have text across the bottom that tells you what key to press to get into safe mode. Sometimes it;s the escape key, or F2, or it could be something else. Try again using the button it tells you.

I'm assuming you're getting here via another computer? If so, download XP Recovery Console Here. It's an ISO, a bootable disk image. You'll need to burn it with a program that can burn bootable ISOs, such as Nero.

If you don't have one, this is recommended by Broni:

use ImgBurn: http://www.imgburn.com/ to burn .iso file to a CD (select "Write image file to disc" option), and make the CD bootable.

We may not need this, but then again it's good to get it done just in case. And it can be helpful to you if you ever need it again.

Let us know if you can get into safe mode and if it works, and we'll go from there.

[Broni]

Depending on old that laptop is, it may have recovery partition.
Try pressing F10 key at Sony's logo.

[czfckd]

Try Windows Key+R. Does a run dialog pop up? Probably won't but doesn't hurt to check. Nothing happens

Next question: Have you tried booting into safe mode? If so, does it work where the desktop doesn't? F8 brings up safe mode and it ends up with the same error message, when I press ok it goes back to the black safe mode screen, safe mode in all 4 corners of the screen and windows XP tezt at the top of the screen

I'm assuming you're getting here via another computer? If so, download XP Recovery Console Here. I have downloaded the file and put it into a folder for now.

QUOTE
use ImgBurn: http://www.imgburn.com/ to burn .iso file to a CD (select "Write image file to disc" option), and make the CD bootable. Downloaded and in a folder

thanks for the help, Waitng for the next instructions

[n3ko]

Have you tried Broni's suggestion? Tap f10 as you did with f8.
Note that it may not be f10 - if f10 doesn't work look at the very first boot screen and that text on the bottom - it will say what key to press for boot to recovery, might be f11 or something else...

If that doesn't work, try one more thing - f8 to that screen with all the safe mode choices again. Is there an option to "Boot to last known working configuration"? If so, give it a try.

Let us know - if none of these work, burn that disk. Looks like we'll be needing it.

[czfckd]

Here is the list of whats on the ebay disc along with the introduction;

The following are hints, tips and tricks gleaned over many years of working diagnosing, tuning and fixing PCs.

Adobe Reader 6.0.1
Anti Virus from AntiVir
BIOS Flash
Boot Log Analyzer
CPU Detector
Data Destroyer
Data Recovery
Deadlink
Disk Clone
Disk Report

DLL Archive
Drive Clutter Buster
Easy System Cleaner
File Cleaner
File Manager
Firewall
Fresh Devices
Key Finder
Low Level Format
Mouse
Mouse USB
Network Pinger
Network Sniffer
OpenOffice

Partition Manager
Partition Recovery
Partition Resizer
Password Recovery
PCI Sniffer
Read NTFS
Registry Cleaner
Resource Meter
Restoration
Route Tracer
SANDRA
Search & Destroy
Spyware Detector
Startup
Startup Monitor
System Information
System Monitor
Tuff Test
TweakUI
Windows Error Messages
XP Tuner (XP only)

I have tried the F10 thing and the screen just goes black.

The burn software asks me for which type of disc I want to burn which do I choose?;

Do you wish to create an audio/music CD playable in a CD player or other home-theatre system?


Do you wish to create a mp3 CD or mp3 DVD?


Do you wish to create a data disc (CD, DVD, Blu-ray, HD-DVD) for storing or backing up your data?


Do you wish to create a Video DVD of your movies to play on your DVD Player?

[n3ko]

LOL, yup... All of it freeware, and if he wrote anything in that I'd be surprised. There's stuff on here that he shouldn't be using or recommeding (never mind selling) if he really has the experience he claims.

Some of it's good, but it may be outdated. Best do DL it yourself and get the newest version.

Regardless, you need Recovery Console now and that's not on here. If it were it would be useless, since it's not in a bootable version.

I've not tried that burning software... Broni's instructions say to select "Burn Image to Disk". My software lists it as "Make a Bootable CD".

I have to head home, but I'll check out Broni's recommended software when I get there, if you can't find it.

[czfckd]

I have managed to create a bootable disc.tried to use it and a message was displayed about unable to access final user agreement (not exact words)

Barry

[n3ko]

Well, then. I'll need to check this, can you do it again and get the exact words? I can't tell if this is your problem on the system that doesn't allow it to load, or if it's maybe that copy of the file. I'll look for alternate downloads too. Possibly PE...

Or it could be the hard drive.

When you reboot the computer, get into BIOS. Look at that first splash screen to find out what button to press to "Enter Setup" or BIOS. Get a look at the listings for your drives, and post them here if you're not sure which is the Hard Drive.

Copied from Broni (much thanks):

Run hard drive diagnostics: http://www.tacktech....ay.cfm?ttid=287
Make sure, you select tool, which is appropriate for the brand of your hard drive.
Depending on the program, it'll create bootable floppy, or bootable CD.
If downloaded file is of .iso type, use ImgBurn: http://www.imgburn.com/ to burn .iso file to a CD (select "Write image file to disc" option), and make the CD bootable.

NOTE. If your hard drive is made by Toshiba, unfortunately, you're out of luck, because Toshiba doesn't provide any diagnostic tool.

Edited by n3ko, 18 September 2009 - 07:26 PM.

[czfckd]

The hard drive is a Fujitsu MHT2040AT-(PM)

I have downloaded the new futitsu dianostic file and put in on the disc.
I tried to boot from the disc, was that the right thing to do? and the original error message was displayed again, pressed ok and the same as before windows desktop, no icons mouse pointer still moving ????

I was unable to recreate the user agreement message with either of the discs I now have, is there any way of checking that the discs I have created are ok?

Edited by czfckd, 19 September 2009 - 12:36 PM.

[czfckd]

I have just tried again using the new disc, pressing F10 at the Sony image,(FJTD.EXE) Fujitsu diagnostic tool and while still on the blue screen this message was displayed;
setup cannot find the end user licensing agreement <EULA>
Setup cannot continue. To quit, press F3.

[Broni]

I don't think, you're booting from the CD.
Do you see a message:
"Press any key to boot from CD"?
If not, check BIOS boot order.

[czfckd]

yes i do see that message