My computer died :(

By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics and access other forums reserved for members. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today by clicking here.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

My computer died yesterday, I was looking at some source code from a webpage I had saved in my documents folder, I changed some html and saved the page, all was ok, changed some more and then got an avast antivirus warning across the bottom of my screen, can't remember what virus it said, but it said something along the lines of sample of xxxx.wpg (think it was .wpg) was in xxxx/opera/opera xxxxblahblahblah, turned my computer off, and all I get now is a black screen, will not boot up at all, caps lock light comes on and the light for the floppy disk bit is on also, it's not normally on, sounds like the computer is going to start, but nothing on screen, so I assume the hard drive is bolloxed, I have lost everything, including a new sports website I have spent the last 2 months working on, was going to get the site online this weekend, but now it's all gone, not sure if there is a way to recover it?

I am currently using dial up connection on a very ancient Win95 machine, nightmare trying to get online with it and it's painfully slow, I will have to order a new computer from the catalogue today or tomorrow, so I might not be online much for at least the next week or so, my current baits will have to take a break if I can't handle this dial up slowness, f*cking computers Evil or Very Mad

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:55 pm

Maybe your boot sector was corrupted by the virus. In which case, you could try booting from a recovery disk and attempt to access the HD from there... That is if your BIOS recognises the HD... (Usually, antivirus programs come with an option to make a recovery disk...)

Just a thought....

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 5:02 pm

^^^^ My sad experience with an aggressive virus 18 months ago showed me that "recovery" can be the devil in sheep's wool.

It's a pain, but to be safe: format the disks, reinstall everything.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

@ Weasel, I have not got a recovery disk.

@ KD, I can reformat anything, the screen is completely blank, and I don't have the Windows ME disk to reinstall, I put a Win 98SE and a Win95 installation CD's in the computer and they don't do anything either, you can hear the disks spinning, but nothing happens.

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 5:11 pm

Here yer go SP, Try this site.

http://www.bootdisk.com/

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 5:13 pm

Maybe it's not a software problem and the virus warning was just a coincidence.

On the hardware side it coud be a number of things: video card, motherboard, etc.

Can you get in the BIOS setup?

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 5:42 pm

Quote:

Maybe it's not a software problem and the virus warning was just a coincidence.

That sounds likely, if you can get into the bios and run from floppy or cd then you could save your hd data , if its boot sector is indeed infected.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

@ Windy, I downloaded a bootme.exe file from that link you posted, I assume I have to burn that bootme.exe file on to a CD?

Currently trying to do that, but the Nero burning rom said erros occured and it din't burn, now I can't get the disk out of the computer, I might add that this Win95 puter is a bit bastardised, it's a Compaq, but it has a different Hewlet Packard drive slotted in place of the original.

@ KD, I can'yt get anything at all, the computer turns on like it should and makes the same noise, but the screen stays blank and nothing I can do, been thumping it and turning on and off continually, still the same screen, no text comes up at all on it.

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:07 pm

I think that boot disc fits on to a single floppy, if you have one. I suspect that your computer will boot from there first.

It may be worth checking to see that the air ports are clear, fans working, cooling fins not clogged up with dust before you try any kind of reinstall? Press any memory or video cards down just to make sure they have not come loose.

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:17 pm

@ WEC, thats great advice but does not help SP right now. As in right now, right now, in the George Lopez mode.

@SP. Can it be started in Safe Mode?
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/chsafe.htm
Walks you through most versions of Windoze.

Do you get any motherboard beeps?

Some of those pesky porn associated viruses try and run your monitor/video card in unsupported settings for your system causing physical damage.

It sounds scary but you might try a combination of swapping out your video card and starting up in Safe Mode if just Safe Mode does not work.

The info on the HDD can be read from another computer. Have Windoze run it as a slave.
If and when you do junk your system, do what I did yesterday, take a hammer to the HDD, and then take it all to the recycling center.
Good luck.

Edit-added another thought on what to do to a HDD.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

Connie L. Gus wrote:

Do you get any motherboard beeps?

Yes, it has been beeping quite loudly from the internal speakers a few times, 1 beep followed by about a 2 second pause, followed by 3 more loud beeps.

I can't get in to safe mode, it doesn't get that far, the puter only tuns on, makes a loading noise and thats all, clicking F8 does nothing.

And don't worry, I will take the hard drive apart before I take it to the dump, anything else inside the puter I need to trash thatbholds information, or just the had drive?

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:44 pm

1 beep is a Memory refresh error.
3 beeps is a base 64 kb error.

My book says, take out the memory cards and clean the contacts. Alcohol should do it.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

^^^^^ What does a memory cards look like? It's a Windows ME.

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:57 pm

Just read a little further.
If it's one long beep followed by three short it's either:

A, Video card error.

B. The CMOS battery has run down.

If it has a video card take it out and see what happens.
If that doesn't work you'll need a CR32 battery, they cost about 50p-�1 depending on where you get it from.

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:00 pm

You can see them next to the processor with fan on top. They are about 4.5 - 5" long.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/GoldenOrb2/images/memory.jpg

Baiting Guru Joined: 11 May 2004 Posts: 2163

SP sell that old beast of yours at Ebay. That thing almost needs it own techsupport forum.

Rare Vintage Windows Millenium 98 SE should get you some money

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

@ Windy, yes, it's a long beep that last for a second or so, then a small pause before it does 3 beeps in about 1 second.

@ Klaasvaak, feck off Twisted Evil

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:08 pm

k... it depends or your bios version as to what it indicates.

Try the suggestions I gave you.

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:08 pm

Either youve been banging it with your head, for some reason, and have dislodged some hardware or a component has fried.
Its not your hard drive and its not a virus.

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:12 pm

If there is no video card you can take out the battery from one rig and swap it with the non working one.
It looks like this:

And is about the size of a ten pence piece. The holder can sometimes be upright as well as flush to the motherboard.

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:12 pm

Ahah!

It is a video card problem.
If cleaning the contacts won't do it for you, and I doubt it will, you get to do the scary thing of swapping out the video card and then going for a Safe Mode start. You may be able to get one for dirt cheap in a second hand store. This is not the time to get the 512 Meg 3D video card.

If there is no video card, and its on board the mother card, a cheap video card should do the trick. However, it is not as sure of a thing as a swappable card.

A bad battery usually only means you will not get a clean boot and will not stop a Safe Mode boot. You end up having to reset your system clocks and stuff.

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:12 pm

This site shows you what RAM looks like and how to remove and replace it. If it's the older style (pc100 or pc133 - it should say on it) RAM then I have about a dozen sticks of it sitting here. I could send you some to replace yours if it's faulty. If you're lucky it just needs removing, cleaning and replacing though.

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:49 pm

If you hear the POST (Power On Self Test) beep codes (1 followed by 3) then you know that the power supply is probably good. That means you move on to the motherboard, cpu and fan, memory, and video card. Judging from your posts, I think it's safe to assume that you're not the most computer technically inclined person. (I mean that in a nice way). If you can take the cover off of the case. (philips screwdriver should do the trick) then try to boot it up again. Somewhere on the motherboard will be the cpu, with a heatsink and fan on top. When you try to boot it up again, see if the fan is working. If it is not, then either the cpu or the HSF (HeatSink & Fan) has died. Sometimes a flick of the finger gets the fan started again. The next step would be to take out the memory and/or video card and put them back in. I've had PCs that magically come back to life after this. When opening your computer, make sure you discharge any static electricity that you may have. (Just grabbing the metal cage is often times enough). It probably wouldn't hurt to blow out all the dust bunnies that have accumulated either.

Hope this isn't too technical, and that it helps.

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:56 pm

if everything else fails:

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

Cheers all, I will take the case of later and rip out anything that moves or unplugs and give it a clean, I know the fan at the back is well blocked up with brown dusty stuff, so it's probably like that insde in places as well, if it's still not working after a good clean, I will use Don's suggestion Laughing