Windows problems... (Updated)

[shamrock_uk]

What Mirac is getting at (I think) is whether the BIOS looks at your second drive before booting the first.

The golden rule of troubleshooting hardware is to reduce to a minimum and then build back up. This is the only way to reliably detect faulty hardware - by a process of elimination.

I would disconnect the drive completely (as Hive suggested) and make sure that your boot sequence in the BIOS is set to C: and then the rest disabled.

Try that for a couple of days and see if the problem is fixed.


Oh, and I just can't resist replying to Zebedog - a motherboard upgrade is actually one of the many occasions when you're not legally allowed to reinstall Windows.

According to the Windows User License Agreement, replacing the motherboard in a computer creates a new PC (even if you don't replace the case and other components).

The license agreement explicitly forbids you to reinstall your copy of Windows (the OEM version, what most have, one that comes with your computer) on the computer with the upgraded motherboard.

Gotta love freedom, eh? [img]smile.gif[/img] Link to the story which contains a MS link with the license agreement.

[ 04-08-2006, 08:59 AM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

[T-D-C]

Hmmmm I reckon its the Hard Drive as well.

I remember Dave_the_Quacks Laptop had a similar problem. Basically when ever it would boot up the S.M.A.R.T controls on the mother board were telling him that his HDD was bad. Sometimes it would boot, other times it would just continually restart.

My advice, pull out the bad HDD and see if it still happens.

[Luvian]

Well it just did it again, and this time I was ready. It does it in the middle of the windows loading screen. The bar filled up twice, then it crashed. I rebooted, selected load windows, and when I got in windows windows told me it detected my old drive, called "ari42otn325imd!!!!!!!!!!!" or something like that. Usually when I get the crash windows doesn't pop up the new drive message, but I guess it really was the drive.

[Callum]

Haven't you disconnected it yet? I thought we all agreed that was the best way forward [img]tongue.gif[/img]

*scratches head*

[Hivetyrant]

Originally posted by Luvian: Well it just did it again, and this time I was ready. It does it in the middle of the windows loading screen. The bar filled up twice, then it crashed. I rebooted, selected load windows, and when I got in windows windows told me it detected my old drive, called "ari42otn325imd!!!!!!!!!!!" or something like that. Usually when I get the crash windows doesn't pop up the new drive message, but I guess it really was the drive.

yeah, I have had that happen with quite a few HDD's and CD/DVD roms, though I generally treat HDD's with no respect [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Luvian]

Originally posted by Callum: Haven't you disconnected it yet? I thought we all agreed that was the best way forward [img]tongue.gif[/img] *scratches head*

Yeah well.. I'd have to get off the computer first, and I'm way too addicted for that. I'll probably do it the next time the problem happen.