[raechan89]

Hi! My computer was freezing up, so, figuring my problem was with my registry, I ran chkdsk /r, as that was reccomended the last time I came here, and it worked. However, this time it didn't find any files missing in my registry, and when it finished, instead of returning me to the log in screen, it froze. I unplugged it, not knowing any other way to reset it. Now when it boots up, it goes on to the regular blue hp start up screen, like it always does, but then it goes to a screen that says, "Intel ® Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v 6.0.0. 1022 ICH8R wRAID5 Copyright © 2003-06 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved," then goes to a flashing _ after a while, and then does nothing else. This is all accompanied by a strange clicking sound I've never heard my computer make before. The screens I'm seeing may be the normal start up screens, but slowed down a lot or something.

I'm honestly very worried. The clicking sound may indicate that there's some part that's broken. The computer doesn't feel hot. It was actually working fine until today, but it was gradually getting slower. I would prefer to fix this without losing all my data and paying as little as I can, but I don't know if that's even possible at this point. It might have taken a charge; we've been having quite a few thunder storms, and I may have slept through one before I got the chance to unplug my computer. Either that, or maybe all this unplugging and replugging messed it up somehow. Regardless of the cause though, I doubt this will be an easy fix this time.

I'd appreciate any help you guys can give me; you were very helpful last time , although I don't know what advice you'll be able to give in this case. Thank you for your assistance; I'll be more than happy to give you any additional information you need to figure out what's going on here. Thank you again!

Edited by raechan89, 22 July 2010 - 06:57 PM.

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It won't even let me access the bios; in fact, it's not responding to any keys I press when it starts up. Please help; all my photos are on there, as well as a bunch of other important things, and we can't really afford to get a repairman again, let alone purchase a new pc.
Again, any help would be appreciated!

[raechan89]

It won't even let me access the bios; in fact, it's not responding to any keys I press when it starts up. Please help; all my photos are on there, as well as a bunch of other important things, and we can't really afford to get a repairman again, let alone purchase a new pc.
Again, any help would be appreciated!

[raechan89]

If there's a way to save my data, any information on that would be useful as well.

Edited by raechan89, 26 July 2010 - 01:10 PM.

[Jacobred]

Be patient?

Just wait until someone gets round to you, your data will be fine. Have you tried running your installation disk? to repair your installation? What OS do you use? XP, Vista, 7, Me?

In order for someone to help, they need those details.

[123Runner]

figuring my problem was with my registry, I ran chkdsk /r,

The chkdsk /r is for error checking on the hard disks and not the registry.

I am worried on the

This is all accompanied by a strange clicking sound I've never heard my computer make before.

This may be the dreaded "click of death" associated with a dead hard drive.
Also Intel ® Matrix Storage Manager option ROM v 6.0.0. 1022 ICH8R wRAID5 Copyright © 2003-06 Intel Corporation is related to the disk controller.

I would suggest that you run the hard disk diagnostics for your hard drive (link in my signature). This will tell us whether the drive is dead.
Since you gave us no info on your computer, it is difficult to give you much more detailed advise.

Is this desktop or laptop?
What is the manufacturer? HP, Dell, Compaq, home made?

To get the data will depend on what you have. We can put the drive in a USB enclosure, slave to another desktop, or use a live linux CD. The process depends on what you have. Also depends on whether the drive is mechanically dead.

NOTE: I will have no access to emails from July 25th to July 30th due to vacation.

[raechan89]

Sorry about my impatience; I've just never had this happen before, and it's worrisome (not to mention those pictures and documents are important to me). The computer's a PC, a HP a1640n, and it's OS is XP (home edition I think). In case you're wondering, I'm typing this from my laptop.

Letting it sit a little longer though, it comes to a screen that says this: "DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER." I don't think my computer came with a system disk... Do I have to order a disk, or is there someplace online I can get the same? And would it have the repair option so that I could at least save my files?

Anyways, thank you for responding, and I'll wait until the 31st if I have to. Again, sorry for my rudeness. I'll give you anymore information that you need as well.

Oh, and how do I get one of the hard drive diagnostics programs to run on my computer at this point? I'm not even sure if the computer would respond to it...

Thank you for your help!

Edited by raechan89, 26 July 2010 - 05:34 PM.

[phillpower2]

A failed HDD will not prevent you getting into the BIOS.
If your computer was manufactured before 2006 tap F1 if it was built
2006 or after tap F10 to get into BIOS.
Are you using a wireless or USB keyboard if so try using the PS2 type.
"DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER."
Do you have or can you loan a copy of the edition of XP or higher
that is on the HDD?
If you have the XP CD & you can get into the BIOS change the boot order
to CD 1st then HDD 2nd then save & exit, pop the CD into the drive &
restart your computer, press any key to boot from the CD then try & do
a repair instalation of XP, if sucessful you should be able to retrieve
your data.
Below is a link to some HDD diagnostic programmes;
http://www.tacktech....ttid=287#maxtor

[raechan89]

I probably wasn't clear enough before; the computer doesn't respond to anything I press, including F10. Therefore, I can't get into the bios. My computer also didn't come with an Xp installation disk (probably they assumed I wouldn't f--- up my computer this badly, assuming this is somehow my fault ). I don't have a wireless keyboard.

Under the circumstances, I also don't see how I'm going to be running any sort of program in my pc at this time (sorry if that sounds rude ).

This isn't looking good at all; from what I'm gathering, my PC may be good as dead... I'm not even sure where to get a Windows XP installation disk; if someone could point me in the direction of where I could obtain one, I'd greatly appreciate it (with at least an estimate of how much it would cost as well.... )

I'm not sure if I can save my computer now, let alone my data... If someone could shed some more light on the situation with this new information, I'd greatly appreciate it.

[raechan89]

Thinking about it further, I think this might be the click of death, but I don't know for sure. It would occasionally make a squeaking sound in addition to the clicks.

I'm honestly scared; this really, really doesn't seem good. (I wish there was a crying emocon on here...). From booting it up several times, I may have lost data, and that data was important. Worse, it'll cost something around $1,000 or more to recover what's left, if there's anything left.

It didn't even start clicking until I tried booting it up again after I unplugged it when it froze after it finished running chkdsk /r, so I had no warning that I should be backing up my data (if I could). Before that, the computer just froze, and it seemed to be running normally other than that. I don't know if chkdsk is what potentially killed it or not.

If anyone can pull out some ray of hope from all this information, I'd really, really, really appreciate it. Because, quite frankly, I'm feeling pretty hopeless right now.

[phillpower2]

Are you using a wireless or USB keyboard if so try using the PS2 type?
Answering this question was/is important! What type are you using if not
wireless? This may make a difference between being able to get into BIOS
or not, if you are using a USB type trying it with a PS2 adapter may work.
If none of the above work you will need to open the case up & clear the
CMOS to restore the factory settings.
If this is the case you should probably start a new thread in the hardware
section & include a link to this thread so people can see what steps you
have taken to resolve the issue so far, see the link below for clearing the
CMOS, this will also allow you to have a clean inside the case & inspect
the HDD.
http://h10025.www1.h...t=3245028#N1488

[123Runner]

We need to see if the bios recognizes the drive.
Upon bootup, is the keyboard recognized? Do the lights on the keyboard flash? (num lock, caps lock, and scroll lock)

I don't have a wireless keyboard.

This must mean you have a USB keyboard. Try a adapter and a PS2 keyboard.

Open the case and look at the hard drive.
What is the make? (seagate, western digital, maxtor, etc)

[raechan89]

I couldn't get the panel off the darn thing, but hp's website says it's a 250 GB SATA 3G. I don't even know if that's the brand name...

I own a PS2 and a PSP, but I don't own a PS2 keyboard. How much will this and an adapter cost? Because my college closed on me and there are additional costs with my new one, we're a bit strapped for cash, so I need to know the price.

Assuming that I couldn't get to the bios, would that mean that my data is good as gone? Those pictures are very important to me (I know, I know, I should have backed it up, but let's just say these past few months have been... a bit unusual ). Thank you for your help.

[123Runner]

Upon bootup, is the keyboard recognized? Do the lights on the keyboard flash? (num lock, caps lock, and scroll lock)

What is the answer here?

If the keyboard is not wireless (no cables) then it is either USB or PS2 (old style).
We are trying to do this as easy as possible.
If the bios does not see the hard drive it could be dead. We need to get in to the bios. This is the simplest start for you.
According to your manual you can have wireless or PS2. USB also works.
Google search for USB to PS2 adapters. Average price around $5.
Prices vary quite extreamly for keyboards due to styles and color. TigerDirect.com for keyboards

In order to test the hard drive we will need the following.
We need to know the manufacturer (259gb sata 3g is not the manufacturer) to create the correct diagnostic CD.
We need to get the side panel off and physically look at the drive.
We need the computer to be able to boot from CD. (requires getting in to the bios)
Manual for your HP. Page 6 shows how to get the side panel off.

To save the data you can remove the drive from the computer (which you are not sure how to get into the computer yet)and slave it to another desktop, or, boot from a linux live CD Requires getting in to the bios to boot from the CD, or placing the drive in to a USB enclosure and using another computer.

Bottom line....
We need access to the bios and access to the inside of the computer.

[raechan89]

I don't know if the computer actually recognises the keyboard (it won't respond to any keys), but the lights on the keyboard do flash on when the computer is turned on. I'll also get an adaptor as soon as possible. Sorry I've been such a pain through all of this; I guess I'm not as familiar with all this as I thought I was.

I've also attempted to get that side panel off again. I read the manual, and it seems not to account for something else that is holding that side panel on; when I remove that screw, I can still barely even budge it. I don't know if I can get the darn thing off without help, which, currently, I don't have. Do you know what's keeping the side panel on so securely?

Again, thank you for your help.

Edited by raechan89, 31 July 2010 - 02:16 PM.

[raechan89]

Gah, just figured something out; my current keyboard is a PS/2 type keyboard. The one that came with my computer wore down, so we went ahead and put one from one of our older computers on there. What does this mean for my computer then? Should I try to find my usb keyboard (assuming that's what it is), and see if that works?