Signs of impending doom?

Shadow_Ferret

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Lately my laptop has been dropping its Internet connection. I'll be going along fine then suddenly the little icon shows a yellow warning triangle and it says there is limited Internet access -- which is a lie because it really has no access. And if I try to either diagnose the problem or try to disconnect then reconnect to the wireless, the computer freezes.

So to get the connection back, I have to restart the computer.


Which leads into another problem. The computer never shuts down properly. It sits there saying it's shutting down for about 10 minutes and then a blue screen pops up that says "if this is the first time you've seen this, blah blah." Then it counts up to 100% and restarts. (If I hit shut down immediately after it comes up, then it shuts down properly, otherwise it'll do this crash screen again).


Once it comes back up, the Internet works fine for a while (haven't timed how long) before I lose it again.


So what's going on (and I know the main answer is "get a new laptop STAT.")
 

Williebee

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Not necessarily. There are questions like, "how old is it?" and such, but here's a couple of things:

The "limited access" thing means that it is on the network, but can't browse the internet. Does this only happen at home? (And if the thing never travels, you may well not know that.) If so, it could well be a sign that your internet access point is where your internet trouble lies.

Are there other machines accessing the internet through that access point at the same time you do? Are they having the same trouble, at the same time? If not, then their machine may be your problem, or the access point configuration may be your problem.

The shutdown problem you describe may have nothing to do with your internet problem. (But it might)

Thing is, there are a number of questions to be answered and troubleshooting steps to take before setting your laptop on the curb and smashing it with a passing car. (Hey, you want your homeowners to cover it, right?) :)
 

Shadow_Ferret

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Well, it's only my computer that loses the Internet. No other wireless devices do.

And I don't think the blue screen is related. That's been happening a lot longer than the Internet problem.


The laptop is about 4 or 5 years old.

And it never leaves the house.
 

Charles Farley

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if the rest of the sentence after blah blah (hehe) could be posted here I could let you know . . . that blue screen message is usually a driver error or worse a hard drive error . . .but I just guessing . . . the rest of the message would help.

If its been happening for awhile its gonna be something you installed .. a new program maybe? Anti-Virus? and the internet problem might be connected if its a network driver or a windows update that is causing the crash . .
 

BradCarsten

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When computers start running slow and giving random errors, sometimes the best thing to do is just format and start again. I format my machine every 6 months, but don't listen to me, I'm a little nuts that way.
 

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And "installed" could well be a Windows Update that is now conflicting with some piece of hardware or software that is already on the box.
 

Shadow_Ferret

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I wouldn't know how to reformat. Especially since Windows came in the machine without any discs. But then the machine stopped recognizing the disc drive months ago, too.

I'll see if I can't write down the message. It's rather lengthy.
 

Tirjasdyn

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Reformatting is a last ditch option, not a first step.

Run virus check, malware check. Then run diagnostics. Do you have a brand name computer, like HP etc? Open their toolkit and run diagnostic utilities from there.

Also if you can post the blue screen error?
 

backslashbaby

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Reformatting is a last ditch option, not a first step.

Run virus check, malware check. Then run diagnostics. Do you have a brand name computer, like HP etc? Open their toolkit and run diagnostic utilities from there.

Also if you can post the blue screen error?

Yeah, but if he's considering that he needs a whole new unit, starting fresh software-wise may be really good news :)

I'd probably back up the good stuff on something removable and then go on and wipe it clean and start fresh. But that is an individual choice, for sure.




There's also the option of an operating system and driver reinstall. Then you don't wipe out everything, but you should still back things up just in case.

You can get full OS discs for not very much if you shop around. The drivers will be online for each piece of hardware. Do those after the OS reinstall if that's the route you take.

Good luck!

(eta: if the unit stopped recognizing the disc drive, go get a new driver for the drive and reinstall (and reboot, always). If that doesn't work, go to your unit's main site and find out which BIOS you have. See if there is an upgrade or download for that. Then read the instructions for how to tell BIOS to recognize a drive if necessary and see if you need to do anything in there. Separately, see if a USB memory stick, etc. works at all. If you can't get any of that to work, that's a big headache for sure.)
 
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Tirjasdyn

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Yeah, but if he's considering that he needs a whole new unit, starting fresh software-wise may be really good news :)

I'd probably back up the good stuff on something removable and then go on and wipe it clean and start fresh. But that is an individual choice, for sure.

The problem being it could be a hardware issue. Restarting and blue screening in computers may have nothing to do with software.

Sure it could be a learning experience but I'd rather get the system working than send off reinstall instructions to some who hasn't done it before.
 

backslashbaby

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The problem being it could be a hardware issue. Restarting and blue screening in computers may have nothing to do with software.

Sure it could be a learning experience but I'd rather get the system working than send off reinstall instructions to some who hasn't done it before.

Clearly it could be hardware, too, at this point. That's just the way it goes. If you want to troubleshoot instead of any reinstalls, that's your opinion, and it's fine with me :) I'm not trying to argue with anyone, just give suggestions. I do have a lot of experience in this, as I assume you do, so I feel comfortable giving my view. You don't have to agree with my opinion, though :) It's all good.
 

Shadow_Ferret

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If that doesn't work, go to your unit's main site and find out which BIOS you have. See if there is an upgrade or download for that. Then read the instructions for how to tell BIOS to recognize a drive if necessary and see if you need to do anything in there.

Oh, yeah. It also tells me the BIOS update failed to install properly and I'm supposed to do something -- wave a magical computer wand or something -- to get it to install. *shrugs*

And here is the blue screen:
A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.

DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE

If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, restart your computerl. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:

Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed.
If this is a new installation, ask your hardware or software manufacturer for any windows updates you might need.

If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or software. Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. If you need to use safe mode to remove or disable components, restart your computer, press F8 to selected Advanced startup otions, then select safe mode.


I had not installed anything new when the screen started doing this.
 

Tirjasdyn

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Oh, yeah. It also tells me the BIOS update failed to install properly and I'm supposed to do something -- wave a magical computer wand or something -- to get it to install. *shrugs*

And here is the blue screen:
A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.

DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE

If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, restart your computerl. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:

Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed.
If this is a new installation, ask your hardware or software manufacturer for any windows updates you might need.

If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or software. Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. If you need to use safe mode to remove or disable components, restart your computer, press F8 to selected Advanced startup otions, then select safe mode.


I had not installed anything new when the screen started doing this.

And you said that the CD drive is no longer recognized? The first thing I would do is download updates your CD drive drivers and reinstall them. They should be available on the manufacturer's site.

Make sure there are no external devices attached to the computer when you restart. Does it still happen when nothing is attached? (no usb drives, no external drives, no mouse etc)
 

Charles Farley

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Alright . . . this problem sounds like it might be connected to your internet loss . . .you can try a few things . . .

can you go into the device manager and look for your network adapters icon . . right click it and go into properties . . try rolling back or uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers for the wireless adapter . . . let windows pick the best driver . . and see if that helps . . .also . . it could be a driver verification problem . . . . but try the suggestion first