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31 comments, 407 views, posted 9:39 pm 08/02/2012 in Requests by ironbutterfly
ironbutterfly has 596 posts, 241 threads, 0 points
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Hey guys, sorry to come on after being such a lurker, but I'm trying to help a friend with his computer and I need some advice.

The problem started when all his games started crashing. Thought that one of the RAM chips had gone out, bought new ram, tested everything and it all tests ok.

Now, however, when booting up there's a message saying that "one of the files containing the system's registry data had to be recovered by use of a log or alternate copy, recovery was a success." Then it hangs on the "loading personal settings screen" and goes nowhere.

It won't let us start in safe mode at all. Windows boot disk won't boot from drive.

He is using XP on a super-crazy-old computer. (What other info would be helpful?)

Thanks for any advice!

Comments

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5:04 pm 09/02/2012

backroom

Quote by FlyOnTheWall:

Aaah - laptop will have only the one drive then. Didn't read everything in detail..

Try booting from some other CD that you know will boot - if the system doesn't boot from the CD, might be your CD drive that is FUBAR.
Is the WinXP CD original? If not, is it a copy? IF it is a copy, whe you burnt it to CD, did you specify that it should be a bootable disk?
Also, with a WinXP CD, you have to actually press a key for it to boot from CD when it prompts you...

Just trying to think of a myriad of factors that could cause this issue....

All good stuff to look at.
Just wish it were in my hands.

1:35 am 10/02/2012

ironbutterfly

Yay! So...

We found out that our USB keyboard wasn't letting us boot from the disk, plugged in a hard keyboard and got in.

did this and we can get back in the system again. AWESOME!

Now...

This whole thing started when my friends' video games started crashing at startup. We're still having this problem. Originally we thought it was due to faulty RAM (in addition to the original 256k ram that came with the machine, my friend was running two 1GB sticks running at 3.6-3.7 volts.) This ran fine for years, but suddenly took a crap. My friend got new RAM, also 2 1gb sticks, Corsair, running at 3.5 volts. However, nothing seems to work.

We can get into windows, run simple applications (surf the web, run itunes, etc) but when we try to run any game (fallout New Vegas, oblivion, etc) the computer tanks out. There's no error or lockup, it restarts itself.

We did a RAM test and all the sticks check out up to 10 passes.

So...now what?

11:55 am 10/02/2012

backroom

Check the error logs to see if it pinpoints the crash.
Possibilities...
Recntly updated vid driver
Has anything been overclocked? Could throw off timing across the board.
Try just one stick of ram. Test in each slot tryiny to duplicate crash. Pehaps the board is going belly up.

6:42 pm 10/02/2012

ironbutterfly

Did that, all four slots and all RAM chips tested ok.

However...kept moving things around and trying different permutations of where the ram is seated. Finally got it booting with 2.5 G of RAM in it, everything smooth/stable (and working better than it had in years). Would love to be able to put the other 2G of RAM we have in there, but think it wont work because of the different voltages involved. The bios are so old there's no option to configure your RAM :p sigh. Oh well. If he ever buys compatible ram I bet it will work. At any rate, all fixed!!

Thank you all so much for the help!

Quote by backroom:

6:49 pm 10/02/2012

backroom

Cool.
Note: XP will only "see" about 3.25GB and a board that old prolly has a lower max RAM.
I think 2.5GB is an achievment.
Good Job!

7:09 pm 10/02/2012

blackspy

Quote by ironbutterfly:

...1GB sticks running at 3.6-3.7 volts.) This ran fine for years, but suddenly took a crap. My friend got new RAM, also 2 1gb sticks, Corsair, running at 3.5 volts. However, nothing seems to work.

So hot when women speak nerd.

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