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Computer help please (useless Dell tech support)...

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by haven, Jul 28, 2003.

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  1. haven

    haven Member

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    Sorry to start a thread about this, but I could use some help if any of you are bored :). I already called Dell, and their tech was pretty useless.

    Anyway, here are the symptoms:

    This afternoon, when I first turned my desktop on, the mouse and the programs were "skipping." It would run smoothly - then freeze - then run. I rebooted. Oops. The little bar that shows that progress is being made kept moving, then halting. After 20 minutes of that, I called Dell. They ran me through some hoops, but none of them worked. They had me:

    1. Try to start in safe mode.
    2. use the re-installation disk to "repair" Windows XP.
    3. Unplug everything from the desktop, wait 2 mins, start again.

    Any ideas? Thanks a lot for any help.
     
    #1 haven, Jul 28, 2003
  2. tolne57

    tolne57 Member

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    Have you recently installed new software/Hardware? If so, you can try booting into Last Known Good Configuration. Do everything like you would to start in Safe Mode, but select Last Known Good Configuration.

    Also, I had a problem similar to this with my Inspiron 8100. Turned out it was the video card drivers, I had to install the lastest drivers. I know, this doesn't do you much good until you can get back into your computer.
     
    #2 tolne57, Jul 28, 2003
  3. haven

    haven Member

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    tolne57:

    No new programs. I did download a new security package, but haven't installed it yet.

    I tried that option before talking to Dell, and it didn't work either :(.

    I can't even get to desktop unfortunately. Do you think I should just re-install XP?
     
    #3 haven, Jul 28, 2003
  4. Rockets2K

    Rockets2K Clutch Crew

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    nevermind,,just re-read your second post..

    It just started doing this out of the blue? no warning, no acting up little by little?
    when was the last time you ran update or is it set to Auto Update?
     
    #4 Rockets2K, Jul 28, 2003
  5. arkoe

    arkoe (ง'̀-'́)ง

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    That happened to me when I downloaded and installed one of the computer updates that XP is always prompting you to install. Dell ran me through the same hoops and then had me use the reinstallation disk to reinstall Windows, which worked. I don't know if you're going to find a way around it; it takes about 45 minutes.
     
    #5 arkoe, Jul 28, 2003
  6. dn1282

    dn1282 Member

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    just reinstall windows. It's the easiest way. You could figure out what you did that caused it, but that would require extra effort. :)
     
    #6 dn1282, Jul 28, 2003
  7. l3uddhab0y

    l3uddhab0y Member

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    LoL...Useless dell tech support.Anyways have the problem exist before??If not try running system restore.Restore it back to yesterday or whatever day you think your cpu was working fine.If that doesnt work try clearing your startup items in msconfig.Also run some virus scans.But if you dont want to go through all that trouble then reisntall windows.That would fix all your prolbems.
     
    #7 l3uddhab0y, Jul 29, 2003
  8. ChenZhen

    ChenZhen Member

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    Haven,

    How much RAM do you have on your box?

    What are the specs of your computer? Do you have plenty of space left on your harddrive that runs windows?
     
    #8 ChenZhen, Jul 29, 2003
  9. T-2

    T-2 Member

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    It is possible to un-install some Windows Updates. You could try that first, if you haven't already.

    There was one Windows update that Microsoft admitted caused horrible slowdowns, but I thought they'd rectified it recently.

    Also, when you notice bad things in XP, you could try System Restore, which takes snapshots of your system every so often. When updating system, it's a good idea of doing a snapshot every time you update your system with programs or Windows Updates in case this happens. It's found in the
    Accessories->System Tools menu. You use that to backup and restore. There may already be a restore point created that you can use. You may not want to do it now, though, it's been a while - you're liable to lose data if you do this, so backup any data you have first. I'd make sure you have a backup of your data regardless of what you do at this point.

    I have minor glitches that occur myself, but it's because of the Promise card driver, and I keep meaning to take care of it. (You don't have a Promise card I assume.)
     
    #9 T-2, Aug 2, 2003
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