Computer failed after holiday

[joddle]

Having returned from a long holiday, one of my PCs failed to boot up.

 

It got as far as the windows screen then crashed saying fault with boot sector on hard disk. however replaced the hard disk with disk from another identical machine and it crashed with notice saying there was a fault.

 

Tried booting from recovery disk but blue screen crashed again after attempting to load many files.

Tried safety mode and got half way through load when crashed again with same message.

 

Ran diagnostics and get this message

 

error code 0146

MSG .. error code 2000-0146

msg hard drive 0- self test log contains previous errors

 

Tried using the main HD on another identical PC but seems full of errors and crashed the PC

 

When it fails using the origional disk the blues screen message comes up in Spanish (it has a spanish OS system on the HD)

When it fails with the other HD the message comes up in English (that disk is from a UK OS)

 

All Pcs here using XP pro SP3

 

Dont know what to try next - any ideas please????

[KenB]

error code 0146

Is this a Dell machine ?

 

If so - this error code indicates a failing hard drive.

 

replaced the hard disk with disk from another identical machine and it crashed with notice saying there was a fault.

Presumably a different fault? ( you give no details )

 

When you say you ran diagnostics .... Was this the hard drive manufacturers software ?

If not - I suggest you download the manufacturers software from their website and run that.

( obviously you will need to have the HDD connected to a working machine )

 

You will either get a pass or fail on the drive.

Often there is a short test and a longer one. If either fail I would replace the hard drive.

 

XP is not very forgiving when you change hard drives - even in similar systems.

This may explain why you got an error when you swapped drives.

[gracebie]

The most common reason of error code 0146 due to overcharging the battery or fluctuation in power supply. It will directly impact your hard disk and cause it to fail or become corrupt.

I have found video tutorial that has further information to resolve the problem completely. I just want to share the video with you

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drAze8FrSr8

 

 

Hopefully you will get better results

[KenB]

Hi gracebie and welcome to ExTS :)

 

The most common reason of error code 0146 due to overcharging the battery .....

I assume you are referring to a laptop battery ?

I suspect that joddle is having problems with a desktop machine ( I may be wrong ) and his hard disk in particular.

 

Thanks for posting the video - it may help.

We will not know until joddle replies.

[joddle]

Thanks for all the above - It is a desktop - Dell 755 It gets really odd now.

 

Having assumed there was an error on the main HDD I tried loading a new OS onto a new HDD. The problem reoccures at the exact same place as when attempting to run in safe mode from the old HDD - ie when the "Starting Windows" message appears. It does not get as far as the splash screen but fails soon afer the "starting windows" message appears. This is the same situation on two new HDDs I have tried and also when attempting to reload the OS from the correct dell reinstallation dish onto a different tested HDD. It even fails at the same place with no HDD connected!

 

If the old disk is reinserted, on F8 the safe mode menu appears in spanish (not surprising as the instalation of this machine is in Spanish) but if I try and run the "last good profile" or "run normally" the system attempts to load windoes, stops at the splash screen with the blue bars going across then files with a message saying the HDD is unmountable. I cant get as far as the "repair system" menu.

 

From that I assume the old HDD is corrupt - but why then cannot I reinstall a system on a new HDD?

 

Just as a check, I swapped out all the memorey sims from an identical known working PC but the faults are exactly the same the same so that rules out a memory fault I think.

 

AS the problem always seems to happen when its trying to "open windows", could that be a clue? - My local repair shop have suggested it could be a MOBO fault ( but they have not examined the machine yet) in which case I would not mind swapping to another MOBO (they are cheap enough on Ebay) but I want to be sure all the effort and time is going to be worth it!!! If not the machine seems to be scrap and I shoud perhaps just get another SH one or a later 380 or 780 complete with a newer OS installed!

 

A bit sad as I have 4 of these machines running for several years and never had a serious issue with any of them before!

[KenB]

Hi again

 

the problem always seems to happen when its trying to "open windows", could that be a clue?

If it is getting this far it has gone past POST ( Power On Self Test ).

At this stage the system is looking for an OS to run.

 

I tried loading a new OS onto a new HDD.

Did you manage to install the OS or were there problems ?

 

but why then cannot I reinstall a system on a new HDD?

I assume this answers my question above ?

 

Basic question .....

When you tried to load a new OS onto the new HDD .......... did you check to see if the CDROM was the first Boot Device in the BIOS ?

If it isn't the system will go straight to the HDD ......... not find an OS to run ...........error message.

[joddle]

Hi again

If it is getting this far it has gone past POST ( Power On Self Test ).

At this stage the system is looking for an OS to run.

 

Did you manage to install the OS or were there problems ?

 

I assume this answers my question above ?

 

Basic question .....

When you tried to load a new OS onto the new HDD .......... did you check to see if the CDROM was the first Boot Device in the BIOS ?

If it isn't the system will go straight to the HDD ......... not find an OS to run ...........error message.

 

I set setup to use the CD as the first disk and ensured it was loading form the CDrom when trying a new install. Its realy odd because even at that stage, all the files appeared to be loading (I assume into memory) and after that I get the normal "starting windows" message at the foot of the screen. Then it seems to pause a second or two then blue screens with the very unhelpfull message that it had stopped to avoid damaging the PC and to check for Viruses etc - on a newly re formatted HDD!!!!!

 

I tried using the Avira rescue disk to check for viruses on the old HDD - it runs under Linux and everything worked fine and two hours of checking found no virus - but of course its not trying to load anything onto the HDD only reading from it. What I find strange is that it did not cause any blue screen which seems to suggest most of the PC is fine! - but something happens when it tries to start windows - for either a new install, or from an attempt at a safe load, or even from the old OS disk. What it it trying to do at that stage? - is that a clue?

 

I have tried using the Dell onboard diagnostics and it reports a fault (as expected) with the old HDD - I suppose I should try the same thing using a new H disk before attempting to load an OS!

[joddle]

Well I tried it and nothing different - with a new HDD ther is apparently no issue with the PC according to the dignostics. I even tried the re-install disk on another machine to check there was no error there, but it loads fine to the install screen - so its not the problem either.

 

So what happens after the install or safe mode reaches the point wher it says "setup is starting windows" because that is when it always fails and never gets to the setup menu?

[KenB]

So what happens after the install or safe mode reaches the point wher it says "setup is starting windows"

At this stage it is looking for the OS to boot from.

 

Download Linux Mint ( or an other Linux OS ) and try to install this on the new HDD.

See if the system will boot from this.

 

click here

 

You will need to burn this to a CD.

You can run this OS from CD or install it.

Try both.

If it installs and runs OK - then there possibly is a problem with the Windows disks.

[joddle]

At this stage it is looking for the OS to boot from.

 

there possibly is a problem with the Windows disks.

 

You hit the nail on the head - after two days of fruitless messing about, the PC is up and running normally (well almost). The problem seems to have been in the install CDs after all - all 3 of them!!! They all work fine on my other PCs but not on this one for some strange reason. I remembered that some were actualy copies of the original Dell disk but with SP3 slipstreamed onto them so when I tried other disks I got the same problem.

 

Now I have found I have another Dell XPsp3 install disk so tried that and hey presto all loaded fine apart from one thing. My new installation is in English but I need Spanish! So does anyne know where to get a Spanish version of a Dell XP SP3 install disk? - Looked on ebay but cant find one - so maybe I'll just have to go straight to W7.

 

Thanks to all for your help and suggestions - Problems now almost resolved!

[Plastic Nev]

Microsoft may still have a language pack available for XP, I can only advise looking on the Microsoft website, type "Language packs" into the search bar on the Microsoft site itself or search Google for XP language packs.

These packs can convert Windows to run on whichever language you wish.

 

Nev.

[KenB]

Good to hear we are nearly there :)

 

Take a look here: ( prompted by Nev )

click here

 

Does this help at all ?

[joddle]

I thought I had solved everything but now the issue has come back to haunt me.

To recap the situation is:

 

a) I have several Dell 755s, - very similar but with different processors 2,2gb, 2,4gb and 3gb

b) All have been running XP pro - two in English and one in Spanish - no problems at all

c) I have Dell reinstall disks only for the English OS

d) Ealier in the year the Spanish PC failed with a HD issue

e) The dell diagnostics comes out fine - no issues found

f) On trying to reinstall the OS from an Spanish XP disk loaned to me the PC crashed with a blue screen as soon as it finshed loading the temp files - ie at the stage is says "starting windows"

 

I thought I must have a PC problem as the same disk loads up fine on all my other machines. However when I tried the UK version of the Dell Reinsall disk with SP3 it loaded that system perfectly and runs fine.

 

Yesterday another freiend loaned me another XP system disk with a VL licence code but this failed at the same point as before - ie all the files appear to load bue then when it says its going to "start windows" it crashes.

 

I have tried a new HDD and thats not the issue - I have run memory tests and all checks out - I can load from the SP3 version of the reinstall disk but not from any other types of XP OS disk I have tried even when I have good licence codes.

 

So the big question what can be going on? - its only this one machine casuing a problem - all the others are fine! Is there something built into Dells which can cause this problem? Can the bios or extended bios have an effect? Is there a setting or tweek somewhere I am missing?

 

At the moment the machine is happily running without any issues with the UK version of XP pro from the Dell sp3 reinstall disk - I have tried to get a spanish version of the reinstall disk but can only fine one with SP2 - and here is the rub, when I tried loading a UK Dell reinstall disk with SP2 - guess what - it crashes at exatly the same point!!!! Yet that CD also loads fine on all the other machines!!!!

 

There something very odd somewhere - any ideas at all? and what other tests can I do?

[Plastic Nev]

Hi, just a long shot, and should not cause any problem, I am wondering if there may be a BIOS problem, so I suggest disconnecting all power, then remove the cover and take out the C.Mos battery, leave it out for about five minutes then replace the battery. That should reset the BIOS back to default settings and hopefully the Spanish disk should then install.

 

Nev.

[KenB]

Hi again,

 

There something very odd somewhere - any ideas at all?

I have re-read the whole thread and, as you say, there is something odd going on.

 

I have also done a bit of background reading and it seems that somebody else had a similar problem to yourself ( hanging / blue screen at Windows splash screen when installing )

Try this:

Go into the BIOS and locate the onboard LAN and USB controllers.

If they are there - disable them both.

 

Don't forget to Save and Exit ( usually F10 )

Try installing XP again.

 

If successful go back and enable the two again.

 

It will look a bit like this:

 

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1069.vB5-legacyid=2011[/ATTACH]

 

With the USB Controllers you may have an option to select USB 1.1 & 2.0 when you enable them again.

This is the better option than just 1.1 by itself.

The USB ports will transfer data faster.

 

Why this worked for him I have no idea - but it did.