My laptop won't boot up
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From: sigma3 on 9 May 2010 05:38 I have a Gateway 340UA that is about three years old and has been reliable until maybe 2 or 3 months ago, when it started to fail to boot up, but intermittently. I would have to do a reset by holding the power key down for five seconds, and then try again. Sometimes it might take two or three attempts, sometimes a lot more. After one attempt took more than (I guess) 80 or 90 goes before it started, I decided to see what I could do to improve it. I run regular diagnostics, defrag the hard drive, run check disc, run RamRush to optimise memory all of the time, use CCleaner to clean junk and registry almost daily (I probably Thursday of this week ituse the laptop for at least six hours a day). I also defrag the registry, and check for anti spyware regularly even though my anti virus is permanently updated and the firewall is always on. So I decided to backup all of my data, and do a clean install of Windows 7 Professional. I also upgraded the RAM to 3gb at the same time. Almost immediately I noticed that the problem hadn't gone away, but it was a little less frequent, and obviously a clean hard drive and registry improved boot up times. On Thursday of this week, I was partway through some work when the screen went blank, and nothing could bring it back, even though the web page that I was on was playing a news item so I know the laptop was still working. Eventually, I had to try to bring up the Task Manager, and that was when it died completely. I must have tried two hundred times to get it to start without any success. The Windows 7 recovery disc doesn't help, all that happens when I try to start is that the hard drive light flickers for a small fraction of a second, then nothing. If the recovery disc is in place, the DVD light flickers for a bit longer, but there seems to be no attempt to access the registry, the boot sequence, nothing. I though that maybe my hard drive was the problem, but after the last check disc about four days ago I discounted that, particularly since it won't boot from a DVD. I've run out of answers - can you help? Sigma-3
From: MJMIII on 9 May 2010 07:50 Buy a Dell? -- "Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you." "sigma3" <sigma3.net(a)googlemail.com> wrote in message news:688fd434-a9c8-41c1-a08c-3c8700c809ac(a)r11g2000yqa.googlegroups.com... > I have a Gateway 340UA that is about three years old and has been > reliable until maybe 2 or 3 months ago, when it started to fail to > boot up, but intermittently. I would have to do a reset by holding > the > power key down for five seconds, and then try again. Sometimes it > might take two or three attempts, sometimes a lot more. After one > attempt took more than (I guess) 80 or 90 goes before it started, I > decided to see what I could do to improve it. > > I run regular diagnostics, defrag the hard drive, run check disc, run > RamRush to optimise memory all of the time, use CCleaner to clean > junk > and registry almost daily (I probably Thursday of this week ituse the > laptop for at least six hours a day). I also defrag the registry, and > check for anti spyware regularly even though my anti virus is > permanently updated and the firewall is always on. > > > So I decided to backup all of my data, and do a clean install of > Windows 7 Professional. I also upgraded the RAM to 3gb at the same > time. > > > Almost immediately I noticed that the problem hadn't gone away, but > it > was a little less frequent, and obviously a clean hard drive and > registry improved boot up times. > > > On Thursday of this week, I was partway through some work when the > screen went blank, and nothing could bring it back, even though the > web page that I was on was playing a news item so I know the laptop > was still working. > > > Eventually, I had to try to bring up the Task Manager, and that was > when it died completely. I must have tried two hundred times to get > it > to start without any success. The Windows 7 recovery disc doesn't > help, all that happens when I try to start is that the hard drive > light flickers for a small fraction of a second, then nothing. If the > recovery disc is in place, the DVD light flickers for a bit longer, > but there seems to be no attempt to access the registry, the boot > sequence, nothing. > > > I though that maybe my hard drive was the problem, but after the last > check disc about four days ago I discounted that, particularly since > it won't boot from a DVD. > > > I've run out of answers - can you help? > > > Sigma-3 > >
From: lgreenwood on 9 May 2010 10:01
On May 9, 3:38 am, sigma3 <sigma3....(a)googlemail.com> wrote: > I have a Gateway 340UA that is about three years old and has been > reliable until maybe 2 or 3 months ago, when it started to fail to > boot up, but intermittently. I would have to do a reset by holding > the > power key down for five seconds, and then try again. Sometimes it > might take two or three attempts, sometimes a lot more. After one > attempt took more than (I guess) 80 or 90 goes before it started, I > decided to see what I could do to improve it. > > I run regular diagnostics, defrag the hard drive, run check disc, run > RamRush to optimise memory all of the time, use CCleaner to clean > junk > and registry almost daily (I probably Thursday of this week ituse the > laptop for at least six hours a day). I also defrag the registry, and > check for anti spyware regularly even though my anti virus is > permanently updated and the firewall is always on. > > So I decided to backup all of my data, and do a clean install of > Windows 7 Professional. I also upgraded the RAM to 3gb at the same > time. > > Almost immediately I noticed that the problem hadn't gone away, but > it > was a little less frequent, and obviously a clean hard drive and > registry improved boot up times. > > On Thursday of this week, I was partway through some work when the > screen went blank, and nothing could bring it back, even though the > web page that I was on was playing a news item so I know the laptop > was still working. > > Eventually, I had to try to bring up the Task Manager, and that was > when it died completely. I must have tried two hundred times to get > it > to start without any success. The Windows 7 recovery disc doesn't > help, all that happens when I try to start is that the hard drive > light flickers for a small fraction of a second, then nothing. If the > recovery disc is in place, the DVD light flickers for a bit longer, > but there seems to be no attempt to access the registry, the boot > sequence, nothing. > > I though that maybe my hard drive was the problem, but after the last > check disc about four days ago I discounted that, particularly since > it won't boot from a DVD. > > I've run out of answers - can you help? > > Sigma-3 Post to the gateway group: alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000 Larry |