Laptop won't boot anymore

DesperateDan

Hi all, my friend has an Acer eMachine (€400 Tesco job) that I'm pretty sure is out of warranty. Afaik there is no recovery disc and it came pre-installed with Windows 7 but I will check about the recovery disc with her later.

So it won't boot at all, I can get into the Bios, but after that splash screen it's just blank and there ain't no life from it. Apparently it hasn't been starting properly for like a couple of weeks and she only started getting worried about it now :rolleyes:

I watched it try and do it's final system recovery thing before it finally died, and it actually said it could not repair the system, contact the manufacturer / admin etc.

So what should I try first? I was going to try and take it apart and check all the connections. Ideally we would like to get most of the files off of it unfortunately. I have an old windows 7 disc from my own pc, will that be of any use?

FSL

Create a bootable usb stick with a lightweight Linux distro on it. See www.pendrivelinux.com Boot from the usb stick and see if you can see the hard drive and recover all you can to another USB stick.

With a bit of luck its just a corrupt MBR or some of the system files or it could be a dead hard drive.

riclad

ITS easier to make a boot cd, try mint linux 10, 32bit ,fits on 1cdr .boot from cd,
then browse to drive c.it may be possible to reload windows from hd hidden partition.
http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=67
You can copy data from drive c,to a usb disk, or even
install mint os, to hd, needs bout 5 gigabyte free disk space.
or just run it from cd disk,
it has web,browser ,music player on the cd.
you,ll need to download iso file,use imgburn free, to burn to a cdr disc or dvdr
what model acer is it.

riclad

OR try f8,safe mode, directory services restore mode,
this ,ll try and fix,replace the windows boot files that are missing or damaged.When the eMachines splash screen appears, tap the Alt and F10 keys simultaneously. A screen stating "Starting eMachines eRecovery" should appear.

this will erase all data on the disk, drive c;

http://support.gateway.com/us/en/emac/product/default.aspx?tab=2&modelId=1814


to use windows recovery here,
http://gateway-us.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2631/related/1/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xMzU2MzYwMzQzL3NpZC9uaFFDSHllbA%3D%3D

if recovery process doesnt work, it likely means hd is faulty,
ie you need a new hardrive .

riclad

You can use mint live cd to acess the net,copy data from drive c,
even if hd doesnt work 100 per cent.
if recovery doesn,t work, try mint linux install, click install mint icon,
set aside 5 to 6gig for linux partition.

DesperateDan

Okay thanks, about to try the Linux mint method suggested. Its an E732 btw. I have a question though, if I can recover the files, can I re-install windows and re-use the product key on the bottom of the machine?

yoyo

DesperateDan wrote: »

Okay thanks, about to try the Linux mint method suggested. Its an E732 btw. I have a question though, if I can recover the files, can I re-install windows and re-use the product key on the bottom of the machine?

Yep download Windows 7 disc image here and activate using the serial underneath the laptop (install the version that matches the serial obviously )

Nick

DesperateDan

Sweet thanks, so I was just trying to partition it correctly in order to install, kind of confusing so I decided to quit and google what the options were and retry. Before I quit I was looking at 3 partitions, 1 was about 15mb, 1 was 10gb, and 1 was 300gb.

When I quit I got two errors (something about "Input/output error during read on /dev/sda" and then something about not being able to run /f something something, it said that running /f was important, and to reboot into windows twice - which of course I can't do).

Anyway now the 320gb eMachine drive that was in the Computer section is gone. All that remains is a File System folder. So I tried to install again, and it says I don't have 2.6gb free to do it. What could have happened here?! :S

yoyo

DesperateDan wrote: »

Sweet thanks, so I was just trying to partition it correctly in order to install, kind of confusing so I decided to quit and google what the options were and retry. Before I quit I was looking at 3 partitions, 1 was about 15mb, 1 was 10gb, and 1 was 300gb.

When I quit I got two errors (something about "Input/output error during read on /dev/sda" and then something about not being able to run /f something something, it said that running /f was important, and to reboot into windows twice - which of course I can't do).

Anyway now the 320gb eMachine drive that was in the Computer section is gone. All that remains is a File System folder. So I tried to install again, and it says I don't have 2.6gb free to do it. What could have happened here?! :S

Did you choose to install or run the linux cd live? The problem you probably have is the hard disk drive has failed and you need to replace it before reloading Windows 7. A diagnostic tool will tell you if it has failed or not. Run the linux live disc and the file system mount should be the hard disk containing the windows install usually. Find it under places>file system

Nick

tuxy

The 10gb would contain the backup of the original windows install. I would have tried to restore this before downloading an installing a new version of windows. It's probably too late now.
I think it's alt and f10 at the bios screen to restore an acer.

riclad

If you quit ,during install, partitioning process thats about the worst thing you can do, as i posted for mint ten you only need bout 5gig partition,
leave 10 gig partition alone, thats the windows os recovery partition.try another mint ,install make partition
6gig.install,wait til it finishes reboot.then browse computer drive c, can you see windows files.
sounds like you quit the partitioning process,format process ,a half partitioned disk maybe invisible ,unusable.
download this gparted livecd,
http://gparted.sourceforge.net/


make partition 7gig using gparted, first, then reboot mint cd try and install mint in the 7gig.
read the gparted faq ,manual,re partition process.
DO NOT quit til format,partiton is over,
it,ll say format,partition 100 complete.
it may take 20 mins to partition.
leave the ten gig recovery partition alone.

you can make a larger partition later ,if the mint install succeeds.
NEVER quit ,or stop a partition ,or formatting process .
if it takes a hour ,wait,for it to complete.

see http://gparted.sourceforge.net/screenshots.php
http://gparted.sourceforge.net/features.php

say you were trying to make,20gig partition then quit out,
first load gparted live cd,delete the failed 20gig partition.
than make 7gig partition for mint os .
then when its finished ,reboot ,use mint cd,install mint to the 7gig partition.

riclad

leave the 15meg and ten gig partitions alone,they are used as the space for windows recovery data.
at some point you may make a partition ,290gig max.
first try my advice above,get mint installed etc

DesperateDan

If you quit ,during install, partitioning process thats about the worst thing you can do,

Bollox. Well there should be a big fat quit button there!

On opening gparted, unfortunately it's completely greyed out with the words "No devices detected". Doesn't sound good, does it! I've tried what this guy was told to in the terminal and got the same results, and I don't seem to see the hd in the bios, just the cd drive I think

Edit: Hmm I rebooted it and the drives have re-appeared in the 'computer' section...strange Maybe I can try again

yoyo

DesperateDan wrote: »

Bollox. Well there should be a big fat quit button there!

On opening gparted, unfortunately it's completely greyed out with the words "No devices detected". Doesn't sound good, does it! I've tried what this guy was told to in the terminal and got the same results, and I don't seem to see the hd in the bios, just the cd drive I think

Edit: Hmm I rebooted it and the drives have re-appeared in the 'computer' section...strange Maybe I can try again

Sounds to me like the disk drive is knackered, do the backup now that you can see the disk and see how it goes, backup to an external hard disk using the linux live cd!

Nick

riclad

You are changing the very layout ,logical,data,,sector structure of the
drive,i can think of no logical reason to quit while a drive is being formatted or partitioned unless its emergency ie
your pc is on fire .thats why i recommend g parted,to start [partition process again, leave laptop on,
backup whatever data you want to external drive.
It would be handy to backup motherboard
device drivers ,you may need them if you buy a new drive or reinstall windows

riclad

its VERY easy to install new drive,take out 4 screws ,take off panel 4x3 inch approx underneath laptop,.slide in new sata drive,replace cover ,put in screws .
drive is sata 2.5inch type.

DesperateDan

Yeah I think the drive is knackered alright. I have tried to copy folders off it and can't, I get a read input/output error on everything when I go to copy.

Looks like it's time for a new hard drive and clean install of windows probably. I ran dmesg and there was a lot of errors in that output. Now I have tried badblocks that's just printing a stream of what I'm guessing are bad memory blocks.

DesperateDan

So thanks for all the help folks. I successfully managed to get the files off the temperamental drive that would sometimes disappear. I managed to view the partitions in gparted (where before they weren't even showing), and used it to run a 'check' on the partition with the data which checked and repaired the damaged file system. (I only knew to do this because gparted showed an orange exclamation mark on the partition and knew it had errors ).

All in all really awesome program and I'm a big Linux fan now after fumbling my way through it for a couple of days!

So how should I proceed now to wipe and repair everything and re-install windows? I'm thinking:

--Format the 300gb partition with the data (Leave the tiny one and the 10gb one where they are)
--Stick in a Windows disc and it will allow me to create a new partition occupying the rest of the drive which will contain windows

Anything else I should do such as repair bad disc sectors some how to try and stop it happening again? And does anyone know what could cause all of this in the first place (apart from just faulty hardware / dropping the laptop), I'm thinking maybe my friend yanked out usbs or something instead of safely removing them but that's just a guess. Thanks again

yoyo

DesperateDan wrote: »

So thanks for all the help folks. I successfully managed to get the files off the temperamental drive that would sometimes disappear. I managed to view the partitions in gparted (where before they weren't even showing), and used it to run a 'check' on the partition with the data which checked and repaired the damaged file system. (I only knew to do this because gparted showed an orange exclamation mark on the partition and knew it had errors ).

Great stuff, glad to hear it . I recommend buying an external hard disk along with a new internal and perform regular backups, you got quite lucky there the drive worked long enough for you to recover the data . Many times the drive will need specialist recovery, costing big money so an external pays for itself, likewise Dropbox which is limited for free but will store loads of smaller files like documents, photos etc.

Nick

riclad

MY advice is partition drive,50gig 1st partition for windows,second partition ,whatever space is left,
you could try format drive old one,first partition 35gig,2nd part
247gig.
then try recovery mode, restore windows from 10gig partition .
just to see does it work.
you can get free programs that test is hardrive working ok.
from hd manufacturer eg
http://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/seatools/

Windows in 40gig partition means ,malware virus, is slightly limited to part 1,
ie you part 2 for your data,
in future you can format part 1 without deleting your data,
MY theory is windows needs reinstalling every 2 years for various reasons.
I,M not saying drive is safe or reliable to use,
its likely you,ll need a new one.
meanwhile install mint os to drive c.
it was mine , i,d put in a caddy,use it for music etc
non important files,or a 2nd backup,
ie not IMPORTANT data or pics.
Thats a good idea ,i never thought of fixing a partition using gparted ,
i usually use it to partition drives .or delete partitions before an os install.
its possible a virus deleted or damaged the mbr,boot files on the drive stopping windows from loading.
each drive company has its own free diagnostic tools on the website,
open panel,cover,look at hd label, or in boot up process ,
you may see drive, eg sony dvd 560,
hd seagate 450 k hardrive 300gig

yoyo

riclad wrote: »

MY advice is partition drive,50gig 1st partition for windows,second partition ,whatever space is left,
you could try format drive old one,first partition 35gig,2nd part
247gig.
then try recovery mode, restore windows from 10gig partition .
just to see does it work.
you can get free programs that test is hardrive working ok.
from hd manufacturer eg
http://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/seatools/

Windows in 40gig partition means ,malware virus, is slightly limited to part 1,
ie you part 2 for your data,
in future you can format part 1 without deleting your data,
MY theory is windows needs reinstalling every 2 years for various reasons.
I,M not saying drive is safe or reliable to use,
its likely you,ll need a new one.
meanwhile install mint os to drive c.
it was mine , i,d put in a caddy,use it for music etc
non important files,or a 2nd backup,
ie not IMPORTANT data or pics.
Thats a good idea ,i never thought of fixing a partition using gparted ,
i usually use it to partition drives .or delete partitions before an os install.
its possible a virus deleted or damaged the mbr,boot files on the drive stopping windows from loading.

Partitions can add further headaches when it comes to data recovery from broken drives, and are also easier to "screw up" if you don't pay attention to the windows re-install procedure, for that reason alone I don't recommend this personally.

Nick

riclad

i think on average ,windows needs reinstalling every 2 years,
ITS easier to do this if partition 1 has os, partition 2 ,has data,drivers backup folder,music etc,even if you get a virus it may only reach partition 1.ie You can install os, format partition 1, with no risk of losing your data.i mean in general,for a non expert user ,i think its better .
drives wear out ,fail ,stop working ,so you should have a backup of
important data on an external separate,drive or dropbox ,gdrive etc
i,m not a data recovery expert ,unless drive is broken i never had trouble acessing partition 2 on any pc.
ALL hardrives will break down at some point,or become unreliable.OF course ,if theres 2 partitions you need to use option ,do not format disk during install process.

T-Bird

riclad wrote: »

i think on average ,windows needs reiinstalling every 2 years,
ITS easier to do this if partition 1 has os, partition 2 ,has data,drivers backup folder,music etc,even if you get a virus it may only reach partition 1.ie You can install os, format partition 1, with no risk of losing your data.i mean in general,for a non expert user ,i think its better .
drives wear out ,fail ,stop working ,so you should have a backup of
important data on an external separate,drive or dropbox ,gdrive etc
i,m not a data recovery expert ,unless drive is broken i never had trouble acessing partition 2 on any pc.
ALL hardrives will break down at some point,or become unreliable.

+1 Just for simplicity, its easier to format and fresh install that drive/partition then re link the library files etc.

riclad

THE default windows install formats drive c; ,ie you lose all your data,unless you have it backed up,or specify no format option.I put music ,on partition 2, videos,no particular files that need os link,ie youtube videos.so data on part 2 can be read by linux,mint,windows or any os.
all programs are installed on partition 1.ie partition 2 is os neutral.

RossieMan

i've just finished fixing a laptop with this exact problem.

i took out the HDD, put it in my own, re-downloaded windows 7, put it back in the laptop, had to manually re-download all drivers(never again) and finally, the laptop is working perfectly again.

its a lot of work to be honest, a repair disk would be a lot easier if you could get one.

edit:
for some reason i didn't read the second page of this thread. My drive wasn't broken, it just had a bootmgr file missing, and wouldn't fix any other way.
and of course the person didn't have back up CD's.

riclad

Even if bootmngr ,is gone,boot files gone, most laptops made after 2007,
have a hidden partition,10 gig which contains windows os,drivers, eg reboot ,press alt ,10,or f12 ,recovery menu, select os restore recovery mode,#
therefore repair cd is not needed.
it formats drive c; installs windows 7,or vista.with device drivers, deletes all data on hd.
ie google laptop model,recovery restore mode.

RossieMan

Usually.

somehow it corrupted windows 7 and wouldn't find any OS.
therefore had to do reinstall, i wish recovery mode worked.

DesperateDan

So eventually after the fresh re-install it was still running very slowly (unusable). I tried to run chkdsk and the drive conked out after about 48 hours at 65% Now it just clicks and won't boot anything, time for the bin. I was wondering how I might tell if a new hard drive would be compatible? I was thinking of buying this one, all I need is for it to be Sata II and 2.5" right?

yoyo

DesperateDan wrote: »

So eventually after the fresh re-install it was still running very slowly (unusable). I tried to run chkdsk and the drive conked out after about 48 hours at 65% Now it just clicks and won't boot anything, time for the bin. I was wondering how I might tell if a new hard drive would be compatible? I was thinking of buying this one, all I need is for it to be Sata II and 2.5" right?

Should do the trick yeah, assuming the one your replacing is SATA also, SATA3/2/1 are all backwards compatible, will just run at the speed your chipset supports

Nick