[Aladar]

Hi all,

Recently I just noticed that my laptop is unable to restart; it gets stuck at the Starting Windows animation screen (the flag animation doesn't even show up, it's just a black screen with "Starting Windows"). After I force shut down by holding the power button, I boot again, and everything seems fine. I tried system restore, but, naturally, it won't restart so I had to force shut down and then turn on again.

Is there a reason why this could be happening? Thanks.

[LincolnSpector]

I'm going to guess that this is a hardware problem--probably heat related. But I'm only guessing here.

Here are two tests you might try:

1) Boot the computer. As soon as Windows is up, reboot it. Does the problem occur?

2) Boot a live Linux disc. I'd go with something big, like Ubuntu, not small like Puppy. Use your PC in Linux for awhile, surfing the web and whatever. Then reboot. Does it successfully reboot?

Let us know the results.

Lincoln

[Aladar]

LincolnSpector, on 02 February 2012 - 08:12 AM, said:

I'm going to guess that this is a hardware problem--probably heat related. But I'm only guessing here.

Here are two tests you might try:

1) Boot the computer. As soon as Windows is up, reboot it. Does the problem occur?

2) Boot a live Linux disc. I'd go with something big, like Ubuntu, not small like Puppy. Use your PC in Linux for awhile, surfing the web and whatever. Then reboot. Does it successfully reboot?

Let us know the results.

Lincoln

OK, so firstly I must let you know that I have my laptop on the whole day, since I work from home. I keep my laptop on top of two books, which hold the laptop's sides from the bottom, but still the books are really hot (probably not an effective heat dispenser).

So I turned off my computer, booted, and rebooted. The problem is still there.

I booted from Ubuntu, used it, then rebooted back into Windows without problem.

[coastie65]

I would suggest getting a cooling pad to put under it. They are inexpensive.

[LiveBrianD]

If you run hwmonitor, what are the temps?

[snorg]

Restart in "Safe Mode"

1. Start Windoze wait 5 minutes.
2. Restart Computer, the moment it shuts down keep frantically hitting F8
3. Choose "Safe Mode"
4. When Desktop loads in "Safe Mode" wait 5 minutes.
5. Restart Computer

Problem solved.

[Aladar]

Sorry for the late reply, I've been really busy lately. Snorg, I tried that and it couldn't even boot; I had to shut it down and restart. I'm working on getting a cooling pad, although I've noticed that the laptop doesn't feel as hot as before.

Unfortunately, it's started crashing and slowing down considerably. I haven't done anything unusual or different than before, and I've uninstalled Skype, which oftentimes gets really laggy and crashes frequently, and it's a little bit better now, but not by much.

Could this be a hardware problem, like related to the heat? Or (I read somewhere) my RAM messed up? I have had to replace the hard drive on this thing, so I'm doubting the hardware...

Thanks.

Edit: MSE comes up clean.

This post has been edited by Aladar: 05 March 2012 - 09:00 PM

[Aladar]

LiveBrianD: I've attached temperatures.

Attached thumbnail(s)

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[LiveBrianD]

For a laptop, I guess those are ok - is that idle or under load?

I don't know if this will help, but have you tried resetting the bios? Just throwing that out there.

[Aladar]

LiveBrianD, on 05 March 2012 - 09:06 PM, said:

For a laptop, I guess those are ok - is that idle or under load?

I don't know if this will help, but have you tried resetting the bios? Just throwing that out there.

Well I'm not doing much right now, just about to do some work. What does resetting the bios do?

BTW were you on Engadget asking about Android PMPs? I just read this: http://www.engadget....-dual-core-med/

[LiveBrianD]

I was thinking that there could be something with it that's causing an issue upon rebooting, when reinitializing stuff. Push the key to get into it, and load the default settings. For instance, with one PC I have, if I hit the reset button on it, it gives me a keyboard error. I have to hold the power button to shut it off, and then try again, and then it works perfectly.

Yep, that's me. To be honest, I was pretty surprised that my question got featured there! (on the other hand, I wouldn't be at all surprised if others had the same question, so maybe not) I sent in the question a few weeks ago, so by now I figured that they'd probably chosen not to post it. It seems like a bit of ios vs android flamewar though in the comments, that's to be expected... I never thought of buying a device with a bad ESN off ebay though... that's a neat idea.

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 05 March 2012 - 09:39 PM

[Aladar]

LiveBrianD, on 05 March 2012 - 09:20 PM, said:

I was thinking that there could be something with it that's causing an issue upon rebooting, when reinitializing stuff. Push the key to get into it, and load the default settings. For instance, with one PC I have, if I hit the reset button on it, it gives me a keyboard error. I have to hold the power button to shut it off, and then try again, and then it works perfectly.

Yep, that's me. To be honest, I was pretty surprised that my question got featured there! (on the other hand, I wouldn't be at all surprised if others had the same question, so maybe not) I sent in the question a few weeks ago, so by now I figured that they'd probably chosen not to post it. It seems like a bit of ios vs android flamewar though in the comments, that's to be expected... I never thought of buying a device with a bad ESN off ebay though... that's a neat idea.

Every post on Engadget seems to turn into an ios/android war...

I just went into the bios, reset to default, and came back out. The machine wouldn't boot. I powered it off, then started again, and it turns on. I might also note that back when I posted my previous comment, I was booting for the first time without Skype, now I'm on the second, and it's running fairly smoothly.

By the way, unlocked phones or no-term contract phones are quite popular (at least in Canada), and sometimes you can get a good deal on one and use it on prepaid or whatever. I have a voice only plan with no contract for my Nexus S, which I got for 300.

[LiveBrianD]

On ebay, whenever I search the name of something (ex. nexus S bad esn), it gives me that stupid product page that's completely irrelveant to what I want. ughh... I had to change to a mobile browser user agent to get around that, at which point it gave me the regular useful search page. This'll be harder than I thought... (and mobile pages don't look very good on a 1920x1080 screen, all the text is super wide and stuff, pages are sparse in terms of features)

So, you can't reboot, even from the bios? What if you unplug it and remove the battery for a minute or two, and then try it?

Here in the US, most phones are on contact, though prepaid is gaining ground. There are quite a few nexus S phones on ebay, bad ESN (it isn't on verizon yet, the carrier my family has, but due to the data plans I'm probably not going to bother with that anyway).

On a really off-topic note, how is the life of rechargable batteries compared to aklalines in your experience? I have NiMH ones in my mouse, which started giving me the low battery light a few days ago. An hour ago, it died completely. Normally, I have about 3 weeks of warning! I plugged in a spare mouse I have in the closet for now.

[Aladar]

LiveBrianD, on 05 March 2012 - 10:00 PM, said:

On ebay, whenever I search the name of something (ex. nexus S bad esn), it gives me that stupid product page that's completely irrelveant to what I want. ughh... I had to change to a mobile browser user agent to get around that, at which point it gave me the regular useful search page. This'll be harder than I thought... (and mobile pages don't look very good on a 1920x1080 screen, all the text is super wide and stuff, pages are sparse in terms of features)

So, you can't reboot, even from the bios? What if you unplug it and remove the battery for a minute or two, and then try it?

Here in the US, most phones are on contact, though prepaid is gaining ground. There are quite a few nexus S phones on ebay, bad ESN (it isn't on verizon yet, the carrier my family has, but due to the data plans I'm probably not going to bother with that anyway).

On a really off-topic note, how is the life of rechargable batteries compared to aklalines in your experience? I have NiMH ones in my mouse, which started giving me the low battery light a few days ago. An hour ago, it died completely. Normally, I have about 3 weeks of warning! I plugged in a spare mouse I have in the closet for now.

Oh you meant reboot from bios... I shut down, then turned it on again. I'll try that and let you know.

Well yeah 2 year contracts aren't THAT bad compared to 3 years... after 3 years tech could be changed completely.

Um I'm not sure about the batteries; are you talking about something like this: http://www.energizer...es/default.aspx versus just "regular" unrechargeble batteries? I have some pretty decent rechargeable ones that I use for my camera, but that's about it. I use a USB laser mouse, doesn't have a battery in it.

[LiveBrianD]

In my case, my family is on verizon, and you need a minimum 2GB ($30) data plan for a smartphone! I'm not willing to pay for that, and I doubt my parents will either. That's why I'm considering a PMP sort of thing. (or maybe a nexus S with a bad esn off ebay, effectively a pmp sort of device though I know that one'll have updates for a while, and no bloatware)

Yes, I mean those batteries.

[Aladar]

Wow, 30 plus talk seems a bit steep. Some of our new entrants have unlimited local talk+text+data for about 45, but they cap you at like 3GB.

So I did that, rebooted into bios, then went to default, and it actually did get through the splash logo into Windows. But then I immediately tried it again, this time without going into bios, and it got stuck.

On another note, I reinstalled Skype for a final try, but (I presume) it starts crashing my computer. Like right now, when it's not running, I'm fine, but once it starts, things get crazy. Even imo.im has that same problem. As I installed it yesterday, I read that Skype takes up a lot of bandwidth, especially from those who have fast internet; would this be a reason why I'm getting ridiculous charges for internet usage? Like 76GB a month, without streaming movies (just a few episodes each week).

Thanks.

[LiveBrianD]

AND you can't share the data with other people on your plan. (data is separate for each phone, required for smartphones, while voice and texting are shared)

For 4G devices, you get 4GB for $30/month (still 2GB for $30 for 3G ones though) Then, there's $40/month for 450 minutes of voice. Then there's 1000 text messages for $10/month or unlimited for $20/month (or pay as you go, .20/message). So, at minimum, with a basic texting plan, that's $80. Ouch. Prepaid is cheaper though.

Could you try doing a repair install of Windows? Also, use ccleaner - what items are there in the startup tab?

I would assume skype doesn't need much as long as you're just dealing with voice. Here in the US, comcast gives you a cap of 250GB/month, which I haven't found an issue. (you're in Canada, right?) Also, use this: http://addgadget.com/network_meter/ (win vista or 7 required) Reset the 'current' counter (that's per session, reset when you reboot the PC or click the little button above those stats) and then use skype or stream a video or something to see how much you use while doing that.

[Aladar]

LiveBrianD, on 06 March 2012 - 08:43 PM, said:

AND you can't share the data with other people on your plan. (data is separate for each phone, required for smartphones, while voice and texting are shared)

For 4G devices, you get 4GB for $30/month (still 2GB for $30 for 3G ones though) Then, there's $40/month for 450 minutes of voice. Then there's 1000 text messages for $10/month or unlimited for $20/month (or pay as you go, .20/message). So, at minimum, with a basic texting plan, that's $80. Ouch. Prepaid is cheaper though.

Could you try doing a repair install of Windows? Also, use ccleaner - what items are there in the startup tab?

I would assume skype doesn't need much as long as you're just dealing with voice. Here in the US, comcast gives you a cap of 250GB/month, which I haven't found an issue. (you're in Canada, right?) Also, use this: http://addgadget.com/network_meter/ (win vista or 7 required) Reset the 'current' counter (that's per session, reset when you reboot the PC or click the little button above those stats) and then use skype or stream a video or something to see how much you use while doing that.

Well in Skype I only deal with IM, not even voice. But I now have Skype on and off, and it seems to work fine so far.

A repair install as in reinstalling Windows? So like the backup procedure again? My CCleaner doesn't seem to have a tab called "startup", are you talking about the start menu startup folder? I only have Stickies in there.

[LiveBrianD]

No, boot off the Windows disc (get the ISO here http://www.mydigitallife.info/download-windows-7-iso-official-32-bit-and-64-bit-direct-download-links/ and burn it to a DVD if you only have a recovery disc), boot from it, and do a repair install. Also, I just realized, it's actually Tools>Startup in ccleaner.

[Aladar]

Hmm well I have:


Yes HKCU:Run F.lux "C:\Users\JL\Local Settings\Apps\F.lux\flux.exe" /noshow
Yes HKCU:Run Sidebar C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\sidebar.exe /autoRun
Yes HKLM:Run Acer ePower Management C:\Program Files\Acer\Acer ePower Management\ePowerTray.exe
Yes HKLM:Run BackupManagerTray "C:\Program Files (x86)\NewTech Infosystems\Acer Backup Manager\BackupManagerTray.exe" -h -k
Yes HKLM:Run BCSSync "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14\BCSSync.exe" /DelayServices
Yes HKLM:Run EgisTecPMMUpdate "C:\Program Files (x86)\EgisTec IPS\PmmUpdate.exe"
Yes HKLM:Run EgisUpdate "C:\Program Files (x86)\EgisTec IPS\EgisUpdate.exe" -d
Yes HKLM:Run itype "C:\Program Files\Microsoft IntelliType Pro\itype.exe"
Yes HKLM:Run LManager C:\Program Files (x86)\Launch Manager\LManager.exe
Yes HKLM:Run LWS C:\Program Files (x86)\Logitech\LWS\Webcam Software\LWS.exe -hide
Yes HKLM:Run MSC "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Security Client\msseces.exe" -hide -runkey
Yes HKLM:Run mwlDaemon C:\Program Files (x86)\EgisTec MyWinLocker\x86\mwlDaemon.exe
Yes HKLM:Run RtHDVCpl C:\Program Files\Realtek\Audio\HDA\RAVCpl64.exe -s
Yes HKLM:Run StartCCC "C:\Program Files (x86)\ATI Technologies\ATI.ACE\Core-Static\CLIStart.exe" MSRun
Yes HKLM:Run SuiteTray "C:\Program Files (x86)\EgisTec MyWinLockerSuite\x86\SuiteTray.exe"
Yes HKLM:Run SunJavaUpdateSched "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Java\Java Update\jusched.exe"
Yes HKLM:Run SynTPEnh %ProgramFiles%\Synaptics\SynTP\SynTPEnh.exe
Yes Startup User Stickies.lnk C:\Program Files (x86)\Stickies\stickies.exe


Yes Extension OneNote Linked Notes C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14\ONBttnIELinkedNotes.dll
Yes Extension Send to OneNote C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14\ONBttnIE.dll
No Helper Groove GFS Browser Helper C:\PROGRA~2\MICROS~4\Office14\GROOVEEX.DLL
Yes Helper Java™ Plug-In 2 SSV Helper C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre6\bin\jp2ssv.dll
Yes Helper Office Document Cache Handler C:\PROGRA~2\MICROS~4\Office14\URLREDIR.DLL


Yes Task GoogleUpdateTaskMachineCore C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe /c
Yes Task GoogleUpdateTaskMachineUA C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe /ua /installsource scheduler
Yes Task RealDownloaderDownloaderScheduledTaskS-1-5-21-1544039156-2245408155-1790017484-1001 C:\Program Files (x86)\RealNetworks\RealDownloader\recordingmanager.exe /bgrecordaliveevent
Yes Task RealDownloaderRealUpgradeLogonTaskS-1-5-21-1544039156-2245408155-1790017484-1001 C:\Program Files (x86)\RealNetworks\RealDownloader\realupgrade.exe /logoncheck
Yes Task RealDownloaderRealUpgradeScheduledTaskS-1-5-21-1544039156-2245408155-1790017484-1001 C:\Program Files (x86)\RealNetworks\RealDownloader\realupgrade.exe /scheduledcheck
Yes Task RealUpgradeLogonTaskS-1-5-21-1544039156-2245408155-1790017484-1001 C:\Program Files (x86)\Real\RealUpgrade\RealUpgrade.exe /logoncheck
Yes Task RealUpgradeScheduledTaskS-1-5-21-1544039156-2245408155-1790017484-1001 C:\Program Files (x86)\Real\RealUpgrade\RealUpgrade.exe /scheduledcheck
Yes Task {106F4AF9-34EB-446B-B113-01302810EAE9} "c:\program files (x86)\google\chrome\application\chrome.exe" http://ui.skype.com/...r&page=tsPlugin
Yes Task {42FB3D2E-3DA4-4976-B7B8-D1859DBE7E15} "c:\program files (x86)\mozilla firefox\firefox.exe" http://ui.skype.com/...red;notincluded
Yes Task {5FD56B30-56F4-433C-9A70-C71E5A538AF1} "c:\program files (x86)\mozilla firefox\firefox.exe" http://ui.skype.com/...red;notincluded
Yes Task {DDC05C30-C4CF-48D7-9374-D0139C17D2CA} "c:\program files (x86)\google\chrome\application\chrome.exe" http://ui.skype.com/...=lightinstaller