Crashed During Memory Opt, now Not Bootable

[macmarauder]

so far i've loved ASC but this morning i ran the Optimize Memory option and it crashed during that. total lock up so i rebooted and now it gets just after the opening windows screen and then flashes a blue screen for just a second and then attempts to reboot again. i've tried multiple boot devices, another HD, CD, ThumbDrive, and they all do the the same thing or wont even get past the verifing DMI part. i've also swapped out ram cards from my other computer to with no visible effect.

[solbjerg]

Hi macmarauder

Do you have Smart RAM running in the background? Or do you have it in your systemtray.

And what settings do you have there?

Then try closing it!

If you cannot access it try from the fail/safe start option.

Cheers

solbjerg

 

so far i've loved ASC but this morning i ran the Optimize Memory option and it crashed during that. total lock up so i rebooted and now it gets just after the opening windows screen and then flashes a blue screen for just a second and then attempts to reboot again. i've tried multiple boot devices, another HD, CD, ThumbDrive, and they all do the the same thing or wont even get past the verifing DMI part. i've also swapped out ram cards from my other computer to with no visible effect.

[macmarauder]

i left it on default settings and only used smart scan when i used it. it did show up in the system tray before it crashed. i'd love to try closing it but my computer still can not even fully boot up far enough to even see the desktop screen.

 

currently i pulled the cmos jumper on the motherboard hopeing maybe that would clear it out, i know it's a long shot but i figured i can always reset up the bios and such later. but no luck, it still won't start up past the windows boot screen before flashing some blue screen and automatically rebooting right away. i wish that the blue screen was up the for more than a second cause then i could have more information for you guys.

[solbjerg]

Hi macmarauder

 

Have you tried F8 as soon as the computer reacts to being started - in order to be able to choose the fail/safe option to start from or from the latest working configuration?

Cheers

solbjerg

 

i left it on default settings and only used smart scan when i used it. it did show up in the system tray before it crashed. i'd love to try closing it but my computer still can not even fully boot up far enough to even see the desktop screen.

 

currently i pulled the cmos jumper on the motherboard hopeing maybe that would clear it out, i know it's a long shot but i figured i can always reset up the bios and such later. but no luck, it still won't start up past the windows boot screen before flashing some blue screen and automatically rebooting right away. i wish that the blue screen was up the for more than a second cause then i could have more information for you guys.

[macmarauder]

good point. i'll go try that right now, brb

 

 

crap i went to go try booting in safe mode or last good settings but now i can't even get anything to show up on the screen, i can see the fans kick on but i can't hear the HD engage now. not even the screen for the Bios is coming up. i'm getting worried that i fried the memory on the MB or maybe the cahe on the processor or something. i'm gona go have a smoke and relax first.

[solbjerg]

Hi macmarauder

Have you put the jumper back where it belongs? In the right holes?

How about the bios, can you get to that then?

There is also the option of trying to do a repair from the Windows Install cd

Cheers

solbjerg

 

 

good point. i'll go try that right now, brb

 

 

crap i went to go try booting in safe mode or last good settings but now i can't even get anything to show up on the screen, i can see the fans kick on but i can't hear the HD engage now. not even the screen for the Bios is coming up. i'm getting worried that i fried the memory on the MB or maybe the cahe on the processor or something. i'm gona go have a smoke and relax first.

[enoskype]

Hi macmarauder,

 

When using installation disk as solbjerg suggested, press R when prompted, if you have one OS, then enter 1, and when ready, enter the command chkdsk /R for checking and repairing disk first, if it doesn't help, try command fixmbr to repair the Master Boot Record.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Cheers.

 

NOTE:

Chkdsk in Windows can repair problems related to bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files, and directory errors.

[macmarauder]

sadly looks like my copy of xp cd is pretty badly scratched, i can actually see right through most of the scratches. i didn't notice at first cause i just tossed the cd in the computer. but the cd is definantly not readable anymore. so that sucks, i might have to buy another copy if i have to reinstall. don't know how that happend :-( and from the looks of it online xp and vista sell for close or more from most places online. :sad:

 

1 of the ram cards that i swapper out earlier wasn't fully inserted so that's whey i suddenly stopped booting completely. i did try booting in both safe mode and last setting that worked mode. both do the same thing.

 

so i pulled the hard drive out and put it in the computer that i'm on now and if i leave it as the primary it attempts to boot and then flashes that blue screen and then immediately reboots only a few seconds into starting windows. so that at least makes me feel a little better cause at least it's not any hardware like i was worried about. i was probably just over thinking it anyways.

 

so now i have that hard drive set up as the secondary in this computer so that i can boot and have access to the broken hard drive. i don't think that it would be a bad boot sector cause it does start to load windows for a few seconds before crashing but maybe. also i downloaded and installed a disc scan utility from the hard drives manufacturer's site and ran that already just to make sure that there wasn't something physically iffy about the drive it's self.

[JustDave]

Now that you're actually booting can you get to safe mode? If so you can turn off the auto reboot so you can actually see the BSOD code.

 

Turn off auto reboot

Start->Settings -> Control Panel -> Startup and Recovery -> Clear the "Automatically reboot" checkbox -> OK -> OK -> Close Control Panel.

 

Um...that assumes WinXP. Don't know about Vista.

[macmarauder]

i booted off of the hard drive from my good computer. i currently have the hard drive from the nonbootable computer set up as a slave. sorry i wasn't clear before. totally my fault. *hug* ;-)

 

so i can access the files on the broken hard drive but that's about it, i can not boot from that HD :-( . maybe i should jsut break down and go spend the $100 on an xp cd, copy what files i can and fully wipe the HD and reinstall but i'm a cheap bugger.

[enoskype]

Hi again,

 

You can try this then.

Using your second PC, you can use :

chkdsk {nonbootable HD}: /F or /R

command in your working Windows PC's command prompt.

 

({nonbootable HD} will be the wolume letter assigned to your non bootable disk.)

For example, (G being the letter assigned):

 

chkdsk G: /R

 

Chkdsk in Windows can repair problems related to bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files, and directory errors.

 

Cheers.

[detailer]

OEM cd

 

Hi macmarauder-So sorry to hear of your troubles.At the risk of the MS Police reading-Borrow a copy of XP2 from someone and simply use the validation number from your PC. It's usually located on the outside of the cabinet,near the back/bottom.This definitely works-I've done it.

[enoskype]

For Recovery Console, I think that you don't even need validation.

 

Cheers.

[detailer]

Recovery

 

Hi Enoskype-As far as I know,that is correct.Just wanted to offer up that bit of advice in case it comes to what appears to be the inevitable.Also,in the repair console,another command of fixboot C: may be employed.(using C as an example-observe a space between fixboot and the drive letter selected)