[xzmattzx]

How long does it take for the scan to run? I had it running for 5 hours and it still wasn't done. I started it back up a while ago to see if maybe it wasn't working correctly, and the little zooming update bar is moving, but we'll see how long it takes again.

EDIT: I left it running overnight, and it still wasn't done scanning after 8 hours. Something must be wrong with it.

[Essexboy]

FRST should take no longer than 10 minutes to run the scan. I will check this out

[xzmattzx]

Thanks. I figured that it would take a while when it first got started, but seeing that it took so long with no results twice, I figured something definitely wasn't right.

[Essexboy]

OK lets clarify where we are at the moment

You are typing FRST.exe and the programme is starting, showing this dialogue



You then press scan

And what does the programme appear to do next ?

[xzmattzx]

I'm not typing in FRST.exe; I'm going into My Computer, going to the Removable Disk, then selecting the program. I get that view that you've shown, then click 'Scan'. ('List Drivers MD5' is clicked in my version.) Once I click 'Scan', underneath the Search section is a little rolling activity bar, where the dots go across to indicate activity. It does that for hours and hours.

[Essexboy]

That indicates to me a hard drive problem

What is the make of the laptop and I will find a drive diagnostic progamme to check that out

[xzmattzx]

It's a Toshiba Satellite L455-S5975

[Essexboy]

Download this small utility and burn to a cd
Reboot the computer using this and run the comprehensive test

Let me know the result of the test please

Also is there any important data that needs to be removed from the hard drive

[xzmattzx]

Run the same FRST test? Also, I'm assuming that you're talking about putting important files on a flash drive or elsewhere for a potential reformatting or something like that?

[Essexboy]

Yes that is a probable outcome.. Although it depends on the condition of the hard drive

But yes try FRST again please

[xzmattzx]

I'm getting a message as I run that program "PXE-E61: Media not found - check cable", or something lke that. Should I have an ethernet cable plugged into this or something?

EDIT: I ran the laptop without that new CD in, since I had taken it out , and got the same message. Could the message be from disabling booting from the hard drive, as was done during the OTLPE process?


If this is a hardware problem, would you think that the business where this refurbished laptop was bought might have reformatted or reinstalled something incorrectly, or is trying to get more life out of this thing than it can handle?

[Essexboy]

Quote

"PXE-E61: Media not found - check cable",

This indicates a hard drive problem .. The quote below is taken from the Dell tech site

Quote

The error messages you are seeing are from the BIOS not finding a bootable disk, so it tries to boot from Ethernet. The HDD: none is indeed the source of your problem. Whether that means that the hard disk is dead or something else is wrong is hard to determine.

Quote

If this is a hardware problem, would you think that the business where this refurbished laptop was bought might have reformatted or reinstalled something incorrectly, or is trying to get more life out of this thing than it can handle?

I would assess that the hard drive has died, or the connector cable is broken/loose.
If there is still a warranty on it then get them to replace the hard drive. A new hard drive would cost in the region of £45.00 ($70.00) or cheaper

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news

[xzmattzx]

I went into setup and enabled the hard drive again. Once again, we're back to the same problem; the laptop begins to start up, I see the Windows icon for a couple seconds with that Night Rider-esque progress bar, and then the screen goes black. Is this consistent with the hard drive being dead, or the connector cale not working?

EDIT: The laptop actually made progress from the black screen that I just mentioned, and the Windows Startup Repair that I selected when prompted actually began to work. It got to the point where it asked for the Windows reinstallation CD, which I don't think came with the laptop. Hopefully the place where the computer is bought will just pop it in and let it finish.

No need to apologize if the hard drive needs to be replaced. On the contrary, I appreciate knowing what is wrong, and can have my nephew go into that place with a little bit of knowledge when he goes to get it fixed.

[Essexboy]

With progress being made I would tend to suspect the cable over the hard drive, but it is difficult to tell from a distance

[xzmattzx]

Thanks, I'll have him keep that in mind. How big of a process is that to have fixed or replaced?