[bnmd]

Can someone help me get my PC past boot? The computer had been booting and starting up fine (although it's always run pretty slowly), but something's happened. Here's where it's getting stuck:

Serial ATA ACHI BIOS Version iSrc 1.02.25 07222007

 

...

Controller Bus#00, Device #1F, Function#02: 02 Ports, 02 Devices
Port-00: Hard Disk, SAMSUNG HE103SJ
Port-04: CDROM, TSTcorp DVD+/-RW TS-H653G
AHCI BIOS installed

I'm running Windows 7 on a Dell Precision 490 with an Intel Xeon processor.

Sorry if any of the above isn't relevant or is incomplete. I have no idea what I'm doing. For anyone willing to help, please talk to me like I'm 5, since this all is way above my depth. (This issue seems to be addressed plenty online, but I can't make any sense of it. Sorry and thank you.)

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   bnmd,

 

A HDD is detected by the BIOS which may unfortunately mean that the HDD has failed or that the OS (Windows 7) has become corrupted or if a fresh install it has not installed properly.

 

Your model of computer shipped with either XP or Vista as the operating system which suggests that at some point the OS has been upgraded to Windows 7, can I ask when this was please and had you made any hardware or software changes just previous to this happening.

 

Additional questions, have you tried continually tapping the F2 key when the Dell logo appears on the screen, if yes, what happens, if no, try it.

 

Have you tried continually tapping the F12 key when the Dell logo appears on the screen, if yes, what happens, if no, try it for us.

 

TIP

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[phillpower2]

   bnmd,

 

A HDD is detected by the BIOS which may unfortunately mean that the HDD has failed or that the OS (Windows 7) has become corrupted or if a fresh install it has not installed properly.

 

Your model of computer shipped with either XP or Vista as the operating system which suggests that at some point the OS has been upgraded to Windows 7, can I ask when this was please and had you made any hardware or software changes just previous to this happening.

 

Additional questions, have you tried continually tapping the F2 key when the Dell logo appears on the screen, if yes, what happens, if no, try it.

 

Have you tried continually tapping the F12 key when the Dell logo appears on the screen, if yes, what happens, if no, try it for us.

 

TIP

To ensure that you receive notification of any reply to your topic please click on the Follow this topic tab at the upper right corner of the page. 

[bnmd]

   bnmd,

 

A HDD is detected by the BIOS which may unfortunately mean that the HDD has failed or that the OS (Windows 7) has become corrupted or if a fresh install it has not installed properly.

 

Your model of computer shipped with either XP or Vista as the operating system which suggests that at some point the OS has been upgraded to Windows 7, can I ask when this was please and had you made any hardware or software changes just previous to this happening.

 

Additional questions, have you tried continually tapping the F2 key when the Dell logo appears on the screen, if yes, what happens, if no, try it.

 

Have you tried continually tapping the F12 key when the Dell logo appears on the screen, if yes, what happens, if no, try it for us.

 

TIP

To ensure that you receive notification of any reply to your topic please click on the Follow this topic tab at the upper right corner of the page. 

Hi phillpower2,

 

Sorry my response is late, and thanks so much for replying. I'm now following the topic to make sure I have no more lapses.

 

The computer came to me about six to eight months ago refurbished from newegg. I think the unit's an old rental that newegg updated with Windows 7 at some point. It's had that OS since arriving at my door.

 

As for hardware or software changes, no, I don't think so. Norton's on there, as are some other programs, but mostly (I think) harmless, quotidian stuff, like Office 365 and some driver to help with the WiFi receiver. I'm less certain about hardware changes because—

 

—my girlfriend may or may not have turned off a driver in Setup when this problem first began. So yep, F2 has worked this whole time, and whatever my girlfriend did had worked temporarily. (Not sure if this action counts as a hardware change though.)

 

F12 also works, bringing me right to the Boot Menu after rolling through where the boot normally stalls (AHCI BIOS installed).

 

But, plot twist, Windows began running after Esc'ing from the Boot Menu. It still seems slothly slow, but it's going. If you don't still mind helping, that'd be great, since I don't think start-up—just a bypass?—is wholly reliable.

 

Thanks!

Edited by bnmd, 01 June 2015 - 08:20 AM.

[phillpower2]

No problem, we all have other things to take care of so understand that you cannot be around 24/7, none of us can.

 

Good that you have managed to boot into Windows but if you have not done so already can I suggest that you create recovery media for the Dell before doing anything else, see here

[bnmd]

So, because surprises are fun, I can't find this option on my computer. No such name appears in my Start menu, and searching doesn't spit anything back for "DataSafe" or even "Dell." From the short, irresponsible digging I've done online, the factory needs to download the program; I can't do it myself.

 

Is this true? Do you have any suggestions on how I could dig it Dell DataSafe if it's hidden somewhere in my computer?

 

Thanks for following me down this rabbit hole.

[phillpower2]

It looks like the HDD may have been formatted or even replaced prior to you purchasing the computer from Newegg, we will have a better idea on this if we can take a look at any partitions that may be on the HDD, see below;

 

1.        Click on the Start button and then choose Control Panel.

2.        Click on the System and Security link.

Note: If you're viewing the Large icons or Small iconsview of Control Panel, you won't see this link so just click on the Administrative Tools icon and skip to Step 4.

3.        In the System and Security window, click on the Administrative Tools heading located near the bottom of the window.

4.        In the Administrative Tools window, double-click on the Computer Management icon.

5.        When Computer Management opens, click on Disk Management on the left side of the window, located under Storage.

After a brief loading period, Disk Management should now appear on the right side of the Computer Management window.

Note: If you don't see Disk Management listed, you may need to click on the |> icon to the left of the Storage icon.

 

To capture and post a screenshot;

 

Click on the ALT key + PRT SCR key..its on the top row..right hand side..now click on start...all programs...accessories...paint....left click in the white area ...press CTRL + V...click on file...click on save...save it to your desktop...name it something related to the screen your capturing... BE SURE TO SAVE IT AS A .JPG ...otherwise it may be to big to upload... then after typing in any response you have... click on browse...desktop...find the screenshot..select it and click on the upload button...then on the lower left...after it says upload successful...click on add reply like you normally would.
 

Screenshot instructions are provided to assist those that may read this topic but are not yet aware of the “how to”.

[bnmd]

Thanks for the clear directions. Here's the screen cap.

 

Please let me know if I've missed anything.

 

 

Attached Thumbnails

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[phillpower2]

Thanks for the screenshot 

 

There is no Dell recovery partition meaning that the HDD has either been formatted or replaced, no problem with creating a back up disk though as you can use Macrium Reflect (free) to create an exact image of what is on the HDD, be sure to create a new restore point and make sure that Windows and other important software such as your AV protection are fully up to date first, see the tutorial provided courtesy of Essexboy here

[bnmd]

Hey phillpower2,

 

Again, sorry I've taken so long to get back to you. The computer isn't mine, but my girlfriend's; she's trying to track down an external hard drive so we can use Macrium Reflect without much worry. I really appreciate your patience.

[phillpower2]

No worries and thanks for the update 

[phillpower2]

Not heard from you for a while, do you still require assistance or is the issue now resolved, an update would be appreciated.

[bnmd]

I am very, very sorry. The issue isn't resolved, but my girlfriend works a ridiculous amount, so this issue has moved to the back burner. Please do whatever you want to mark this thread; I don't want to idly sit on your queue. 

 

Once again, thanks for all of your ready help. If I ever revisit this issue, I hope I get help like yours again.

[phillpower2]

No worries and thank you for the update bnmd 

 

There are no time limits on our help but we may ask for an update to check if a person still requires assistance or to see if a thread has been abandoned. 

 

Post back when you are ready, we now understand that it may take some time which is fine 

 

You are welcome btw 

[blackbird12]

i need to updata my bios on my pc tower