So, my netbook's just gone tits up.

scarletpeaches · Nov 30, 2010

I was just playing music through windows media player on my netbook and the music jammed, as in, got stuck on one note, like a record player with the needle stuck.

Nothing would move the cursor; the machine had utterly frozen, so I hit the off button, waited a few moments, and switched the netbook on again, hoping windows would restart.

It began to, then I got a blue screen with an error message on it but as it flashes up so quickly I can't read it.

The screen then shows the usual "We apologize for the inconvenience, but Windows did not start successfully..." screen.

It asks if I want to start with safe mode, safe mode with networking, last known good configuration, or start windows normally.

Whichever option I go for, it starts to boot windows, then goes back to the blue screen flashing for a split second, and the whole thing starts again.

Sound like a 'take it into the shop' job to yous guys?

I can't reinstall windows as I don't have the boot disk and remember - it's a netbook, so no disk drive anyway. In fact, I can't seem to do anything with it as the Operating System (XP) doesn't even start properly.

MissMacchiato · Nov 30, 2010

if you turn it upside down, you should be able to slide the battery out. The whole bottom panel should come off. Try sliding that off, leaving it for a few minutes, and then putting it back and restarting.

It's my non-tech solution that sometimes works!

scarletpeaches · Nov 30, 2010

Done it.

Doesn't work.

MissMacchiato · Nov 30, 2010

tapped the keyboard to see if there's dust caught in it?

Ink-Pen-Paper · Nov 30, 2010

Sounds like your hard drive bit the dust. You can buy a new drive and an external drive adaptor and try to copy files over to the new drive. A techi person can do this if you do not want to do it.

Deleted member 42 · Dec 1, 2010

Take it in to the shop Scarlet. Might be a bad sector on the drive, or bad RAM--or various other smaller things.

scarletpeaches · Dec 1, 2010

Already done, sweet thing. (Ooh err!)

Computer Nerd Guy said it was likely down to me switching it off while it was backing up system files which screwed Windows.

Windows Media Player jammed mid-song, and I thought, "Turn it off!" Apparently I should have waited for the computer to 'un-freeze' itself.

Oh well. Lesson learned. I should get a phone call in a day or two to tell me to come pick it up.

And pay some money for the privilege.

Kitty Pryde · Dec 1, 2010

My netbook does that freeze on one note thing too. It's super annoying! And I don't think it ever resolves itself. It does it when I try to run too many programs at once--say, Word, Firefox, and iTunes or something. Hope you get it fixed soon!

Kaiser-Kun · Dec 1, 2010

Buy your netbook a bra.

scarletpeaches · Dec 1, 2010

Kitty Pryde said:
My netbook does that freeze on one note thing too. It's super annoying! And I don't think it ever resolves itself. It does it when I try to run too many programs at once--say, Word, Firefox, and iTunes or something. Hope you get it fixed soon!

Do you switch off when that happens, or wait for it to pass?

Wayne K · Dec 1, 2010

Kitty Pryde · Dec 1, 2010

scarletpeaches said:
Do you switch off when that happens, or wait for it to pass?

I hold down the power button and force a shut down, because the sound is so hideous. BUT I realize that's not good for the computer, so lately I have been trying not to overtask the poor little thing so it hasn't been freezing up.

scarletpeaches · Dec 1, 2010

That's exactly what I did, and what caused this problem. I've done it once before, I think, when mediaplayer goes loopy. Must have been a case of 'getting away with it'.

I just hope it doesn't screw up my ability to use MS Office 2007. No disk drive means I'll have to reinstall it online. Oh, and my printer software. Bah.

Well, we'll just wait and see what happens. Should have it back around Friday.

amyashley · Dec 1, 2010

I was going to hop in and say that you should use it as an excuse to follow Tifferbugz example and buy a Macbook Air!

-Amy, who loves her Mac forever because her children (*read her*) cannot kill it as easily as they do all Microsoft related items in the house.

Margarita Skies · Dec 1, 2010

Every time my computer freezes (which has happened like 4 times in the 11 mos. I've had it) I use the task manager to close the program that's not responding and the computer goes back to normal. I have never turned it off incorrectly.

scarletpeaches · Dec 1, 2010

When I say the screen froze, I mean it. Froze. Couldn't move the cursor, delete files, nothing. Like a video that had been paused.

Anyway, not an issue now. Just have to wait for the guy to call and tell me what the problem was.

kuwisdelu · Dec 1, 2010

Medievalist said:
Take it in to the shop Scarlet. Might be a bad sector on the drive, or bad RAM--or various other smaller things.

Kitty Pryde said:
My netbook does that freeze on one note thing too. It's super annoying! And I don't think it ever resolves itself. It does it when I try to run too many programs at once--say, Word, Firefox, and iTunes or something. Hope you get it fixed soon!

Sounds like it hit something bad when trying to swap memory.

scarletpeaches said:
That's exactly what I did, and what caused this problem. I've done it once before, I think, when mediaplayer goes loopy. Must have been a case of 'getting away with it'.

I just hope it doesn't screw up my ability to use MS Office 2007. No disk drive means I'll have to reinstall it online. Oh, and my printer software. Bah.

Well, we'll just wait and see what happens. Should have it back around Friday.

Keep a backup of the installers of your vital software on a USB thumb drive so you don't have to re-download them next time.

scarletpeaches · Dec 1, 2010

I just hope there ISN'T a next time...

thothguard51 · Dec 1, 2010

Personally, I just love the title of this thread. I see nothing wrong with going tits up versus tits down...

I have nothing else to add...

Tifferbugz · Dec 1, 2010

amyashley said:
I was going to hop in and say that you should use it as an excuse to follow Tifferbugz example and buy a Macbook Air!

-Amy, who loves her Mac forever because her children (*read her*) cannot kill it as easily as they do all Microsoft related items in the house.

I understand your feelings now. I have an unhealthy love for that little notebook that is bordering on inappropriate!

Although I could be talked out of it by Scarletpeaches' avatar. *Drool~

backslashbaby · Dec 1, 2010

There's a BIOS setting change you can do to reboot onto a device via USB (sometimes you need a little free program on there, depending on your BIOS), and if you have a copy of the operating system, you just run through the install process. It's not hard (at all) if you are prepared. Not saying it's normal to be that nerdy-prepared!

I am saying it saves a ton of $$. Feel free to PM me, anyone, if y'all ever need help like that. I can't promise I'll have time, but a lot of times I do.

If you have a cd or dvd drive installed (not through USB), it's even easier. The OS disc is what most folks don't have on hand.

AlexPiper · Dec 1, 2010

scarletpeaches said:
I just hope it doesn't screw up my ability to use MS Office 2007. No disk drive means I'll have to reinstall it online. Oh, and my printer software. Bah.

Copy the software off of the discs and onto a USB thumbdrive, then install from that.

(It's actually possible to make bootable Windows install images on a USB thumbdrive, which is VERY USEFUL if you have a netbook. I HIGHLY recommend doing so for any netbook user, as that would've allowed you to boot into the normal recovery mode without going to a tech.)

JimmyB27 · Dec 2, 2010

scarletpeaches said:
When I say the screen froze, I mean it. Froze. Couldn't move the cursor, delete files, nothing. Like a video that had been paused.

Anyway, not an issue now. Just have to wait for the guy to call and tell me what the problem was.

ctrl+alt+del?

scarletpeaches · Dec 2, 2010

I don't think people understand what 'froze' means.

It means the computer. Wasn't. Responding.

Not to CTRL-ALT-DEL. Not to any attempt to copy software. Nothing.

Tifferbugz · Dec 2, 2010

scarletpeaches said:
I don't think people understand what 'froze' means.

It means the computer. Wasn't. Responding.

Not to CTRL-ALT-DEL. Not to any attempt to copy software. Nothing.

My Dell netbook does this every so often too. I've always done what you mentioned (hit the power button). I've probably lucked out I haven't killed it yet.

It's hard to have enough patience to let it work out it's issues while you start at it, never sure if it's doing something or not.

Ctrl+Alt+Del does not work when it totally freezes, as you said.

So, my netbook's just gone tits up.

scarletpeaches

MissMacchiato

Bring on the Sweet, Sweet Coffee

scarletpeaches

MissMacchiato

Bring on the Sweet, Sweet Coffee

Ink-Pen-Paper

Life Is Full Of Stories

Deleted member 42

scarletpeaches

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue

Kaiser-Kun

!

scarletpeaches

Wayne K

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue

scarletpeaches

amyashley

Stunt-Writer

Margarita Skies

scarletpeaches

kuwisdelu

Revolutionize the World

scarletpeaches

thothguard51

A Gentleman of a refined age...

Tifferbugz

Doing Pirate things...

backslashbaby

*

AlexPiper

Wayward Wordsmith

JimmyB27

Hoopy frood

scarletpeaches

Tifferbugz

Doing Pirate things...

So, my netbook's just gone tits up.

Bring on the Sweet, Sweet Coffee

Bring on the Sweet, Sweet Coffee

Life Is Full Of Stories

Deleted member 42

i luv you giant bear statue

!

i luv you giant bear statue

Stunt-Writer

Revolutionize the World

A Gentleman of a refined age...

Doing Pirate things...

~~~~*~~~~

Wayward Wordsmith

Hoopy frood

Doing Pirate things...

*