[newcomer21]

I have a wireless pci card that does not have the drivers installed. That is the only yellow exclamation marks or red x's. I will have to download those from the internet.

Thanks,
newcomer21

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I have the computer up and running. Anything I may need to check to try and find out why the computer ran for a couple of days and then didn't recognize the OS.

[newcomer21]

I have the computer up and running. Anything I may need to check to try and find out why the computer ran for a couple of days and then didn't recognize the OS.

[123Runner]

We need to check the disk. I am concerned about the previous errors you had.
Go to
Start and then to Run
Type in Chkdsk /r Note the space between k and /
Click Enter ...It will probably ask if you want to do this on the next reboot...click Y
If the window doesn't shutdown on its own then reboot the system manually. On reboot the system will start the chkdsk operation
This one will take longer then chkdsk /f

Note... there are 5 stages...
It may appear to hang at a certain percent for a hour or more or even back up and go over the same area...this is normal...
DO NOT SHUT YOUR COMPUTER DOWN WHILE CHKDSK IS RUNNING OR YOU CAN HAVE SEVERE PROBLEMS
This can take several hours to complete.
When completed it will boot the system back into windows.

[newcomer21]

Before I received your post, I installed office 03 - complete install and then installed the office 03 update. after I did that I started having problems again. It wouldn't boot. Then I finally got it to boot in safe mode. I had a BSOD (the 0x000000F4 error). I finally got the computer to boot and ran the chkdsk and it found in stage 1 many errors in $I30 and for stage 2 many orphaned files recovered. Nothing in stage 3, 4, or 5. The computer did boot after the test.

Did a little research about the BSOD and wanted to run a test on the RAM. Can you help with that.

thanks,
newcomer21

[123Runner]

As I suspected everything is pointing to a hard drive failure.
I do not believe it is memory related (at least not yet).
Chkdsk has problems with the files and links on the drive. When chkdsk finds things it starts to point toward a drive issue.
Continue to run the chkdsk command till it finds no errors. Use chkdsk /f/r

Do you know the manufacturer of the hard drive you installed?
If so go to Here and get the manufacturers diagnostics.

We will get to the memory test in a while.

[newcomer21]

I ran chkdsk /r and it ran and said one or more errors have been corrected and now it will not boot. I tried to go to the recovery console and when I get to the prompt and type chkdsk /r it says "the volume appears to contain one or more unrecoverable problems. Should I reload windows again? Also, which diagnostic tool should I use from the western digital on the site you referred me to.

thanks

Edited by newcomer21, 29 December 2009 - 08:19 AM.

[123Runner]

You have a problem with the hard drive.

You want the diagnostics tool. Near the bottom. Usually the CD version.
It will be an iso file so you need to use the proper program.
You do not copy the file but burn it.

If you don't have a burning program that will burn .ISO files get burncdcc from my signature below ..a small FAST no frills iso burning program...

NOTE...do not put a blank cd in until burncdcc opens the tray for you
1. Start BurnCDCC
2. Browse to the ISO file you want to burn on cd/dvd ....in this case its puppy-2.16-seamonkey-fulldrivers.iso
3. Select the ISO file
4. click on Start

Boot the computer from the CD.

[newcomer21]

I ran Ubuntu 9.10 disc checker and it said the disk had no errors. I am in the process of running the Memtest86+ and then I am going to run the Western Digital HDD diagnostic tool. Will let you know how that turns out.

thanks

[newcomer21]

No errors with memtest and I tried to use the diagnostic tool from Western Digital and it said the license numbers didn't match so it wouldn't run. I have been trying to re-install windows with not luck. I can get in the recovery console and get the HDD partitioned and formatted and then when I exit out of recovery console and go to re-install windows the drive is no longer formatted and I can't install windows. Since there are no errors found with the HDD does that mean the controller is bad. If so, is the controller something that you can replace or do you have to replace the entire mobo.

thanks,
newcomer21

[123Runner]

I tried to use the diagnostic tool from Western Digital and it said the license numbers didn't match so it wouldn't run

What license numbers. The tool does not use license numbers.
Are you sure that the drive is a western digital?
Did you get the iso file and use Burncdcc?

You need to run the drive diagnostics from the manufacturer.

Also rerun the chkdsk /f/r from recovery till there are no errors.

[newcomer21]

I used the BurnCDCC and burned another cd and this time it said that there wasn't a WD drive installed. I took the HDD out and it is a WD800BEVE and I downloaded the WD Scorpio Blue (EIDE) software and tried to use it. I can't even get the computer to run any scan disk. I can't even get the computer to re-install windows.

thanks,
newcomer21

[123Runner]

I am confused as to why the drive diagnostics is not finding a WD drive. You have the correct tool.

and this time it said that there wasn't a WD drive installed.

Check in the bios to be sure that it is recognized. I suspect that it might not be fully seated. They are difficult sometimes.

You can also try booting the recovery console CD again and trying chkdsk /f.
It should run. If it does not, then it did not find the drive either and could be it is not seated correctly.

While in bios, look around for "reset bios defaults". and then reset and save.

If the bios can't "hang on to" the drive info, then we can't format and install.
The other odd problem is that when you do "see" the drive again, it is unformatted.

This is not making much sense. We may have 2 issues going on here.

Lets try another boot CD from UBCD
This is a older version because it looks like they have gone to building your own.
It is a iso file and has many tools that can be used.
This is what the UBCD contains

123runner

[newcomer21]

I am confused also. I ran the UBCD hard drive diagnostic for the WD and it brought up the same message. No WD hard drive found. I can't run chkdsk /f or any chkdsk, it tells me "The volume appears to contain one or more unrecoverable problems." When I look at diskpart, it shows the HDD partitioned and then [unknown] for format. I can format C: and then go back to diskpart and it shows the partition [ntfs] format, but when I exit to go back to recovery console, it shows the partition but as [unknown] again. I ran Ubuntu again and it said "check finished: no errors found"

[123Runner]

I am going to have someone else look at this topic.

Where did you get the hard drive?
Was it new? or used?

[rshaffer61]

You know it seems the hd may not be the culprit here. After rereading the whole topic it may be a controller problem on the motherboard.
How old is the system?
I understand the hd is brand new and to be honest that means nothing as I have had bad hard drives right out of the packaging as I'm sure 123Runner has also.
Again I'm leary on saying it is for sure a hd problem. You can test this by getting the Seatools diagnostics and trying it on the drive. SeaTools seems to work with the majority of the drives out right now. If it doesn't find a drive then I would really look at the possibility the controller may be failing.
By chance is there a different system that you can try this drive on by slaving it and running diagnostics through windows?
Being a laptop it's not going to be a ribbon so the only two possible issues is hard drive or controller.