Please Help! My computer has gone crazy and it is driving me mad! It began with the computer randomly rebooting and stange clicking noises. I thought it was the power supply (It was a VT-300TATX). I replaced it with a suggested VT-400ATX). Everything seemed to be fine for several weeks. My daughter installed THE SIMS game on it and suddenly it started freezing up when it got to a certain point in the game, and then it started rebooting. I thought it was a problem with the OS so I wiped c:\ and reformated it and tried to reinstalled Windows 2000 Professional, which is what I was running on it. Now nothing works right. Sometimes when I turn the computer on, the fan runs bu the computer doesn't boot. After flipping the off/on switch a couple of times it will boot. I can usually get it to the C: prompt, but sometimes when I try to run commands it freezes up. When ever I try to install Windows I get errors. WIndows 2000 Professional: OE, 06 and OD errors. WIndows 98: file XXX.XX corrupted, error 14, etc., always with a different file or else the system freezes up during installation of files. Same with 2000: freezes during file installation. Windows 95 (I even tried that) won't even start up. Sometimes, the system won't recognize the CD ROM drive. I am at wits end. Most of the diagnostics I have will only run under windows, and I can't even install it. Most of Microsofts DB articles don't apply or you need windows installed to complete their suggested fixes. I ran MEMTEST86 and the memory is ok. I even swapped out the memory card so that's not the problem. I tried reinstalling the MBR but nothing there. And all the registry diagnostics I have need windows to run. I am at wits end! Help! Anyone have any idea before I commit hari-kari? PC-AT(X), ISA + PCI + AGP 2x AMD Duron, 1200MHz, Real Mode, 2/6/41/18 Internal Co, 1200 MHz, 3/3/100/28 AMI, American Megatrend, PnP, 05/16/02 S3 VGA 31 MB Vesa VBE 3.0 96 MB, 640 KB, 65535 KB, XMS (3.0,65471 KB), No EMS A: FDD C:HDD Windows 2000 Professional OR]
Try to find out the hard drive you have in there so you can go to the appropriate manufacturers website and snag an app to diagnose that hard drive.
Thank you for the suggestions. I have ruled out the following: 1) Memory: I ran MEMTEST and I also swapped out the card: they are not the problem. 2) Hard Drive: I tested the hard drive and I also swapped out with two other hard drives that I know are good. I have since tried the following with these results: 1) Tried to reinstall Windows 98 onto a new HD. I got continuous messages that SYSTEM,INI was damaged, then NTKERN was damaged, then VWIN32 was damaged, then VFBACKUP was damaged, etc, etc, etc. 2) I then tried to run the already installed original W98 in safe mode. I then got the message: HIMEM detects unreliable XMS. Then I retired it, and the system froze up. I then retried again and the system rebooted. 3) I then tried to reinstall W98 again. Upon getting to SET UP PREPARED, I got a message of CDR101 Not ready reading Drive E. 4) I tried again, and got a long beep, the screen had 10-12 small colored blocks all over it, and then it shut down. I couldn't power it back up. 5) I shut of the power switch several times and finally got it back up. I then tried again to load W98 and scandisk reported file after file after file ad naseum as being damaged. I am really frustrted. This all began with what I think was the original power supply going bad. I don't know whether it was putting out too much voltage or not enough voltage or both, but once I replaced it everything ran OK for a week or two. Then everyhting went crazy when my daughter load THE SIMS, which is a very intense program, both graphically and program wise--very intense. I wonder if maybe the old power supply could have damaged something on the mother board that is causing all of this. I know this is a long message. Anyone have any other ideas or suggestions? I REALLY APPRECIATE ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE ME!
Hmm...I wonder if the Sims has some glitch on it. I really haven't paid attention mainly because I don't play it, but I would check for a patch. The other thing you could also try is replacing the IDE cables. This would allow you to check and make sure the IDE connectors on the motherboard and drives don't have any bent pins as well as eliminated them from possible culprits.
do you still have The Sims insatlled? if so have you tried uninstalling the game to see if it helps? it would well be a sims bug, so try searching for a patch!
I wish I could remove the SIMS. THe problem I have now is the computer will not even boot up into WIndows. I can once in a while get it into safe mode, but when I do anything, it feezes up. I've tried reformatting the disk and reinstalling windows, but no luck. The system hangs up while installing files during installation, I get error messages of file after file being corrupted and un copyable, or else the machine just hangs up. I don't know what else to try. I am at wits end!
if you can't install windows without errors and the cd you're using is ok then its either a faulty or old hard drive or your cd drive is producing errors when reading cds. i couldn't install xp without problems until i swapped the cd drive with a newer one. then i could install without any problems.
