Computer Help!

[AA762 1]

I need help with my computer. I have no clue what is wrong with it. I have a video of it on youtube, but the quality is terrible. Please Help!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWWV63tEE0A

[aceridgey 330]

have you reset the bios?

[Tabs 2,790]

Very hard to tell what's going on from that video...1. Did you try Safe Mode? If it boots in safe mode you've got a driver or something like that crashing the system during boot.2. It's possible you've got HD problems...

[Efussander 0]

I concur with possible HDD problems. The error pops up just as the system would be accessing the HDD to boot the OS. I have had a similar problem where the mobo recognized that the HDD was there (which is evident in your case because you can select the boot device), but the drive was corrupted and done for. The sad thing was that there was no warning or indication before this, just powered on one day and BAM! Thankfully I have a complete clone of my drive, so I was out but a couple of minutes, and some un-cloned music, but it was much better than it could have been. Hopefully you're backed up.

[AA762 1]

Very hard to tell what's going on from that video...1. Did you try Safe Mode? If it boots in safe mode you've got a driver or something like that crashing the system during boot.2. It's possible you've got HD problems...

1. Yes I have, all of the modes in the F8 options, I have tried.2. I never had that problem in the past.Nothing inside the computer looks broken.

[aceridgey 330]

1. Yes I have, all of the modes in the F8 options, I have tried.2. I never had that problem in the past.Nothing inside the computer looks broken.

have you reset your BIOS?

[Benji 3]

Morning Alexander,I can share your pain. I had booting issues with a BRAND NEW machine which really p****d me off. That looks to be a similar scenario I suffered.The only advice I got from the manufacturer was to do a complete Windows re-install. Pain in the backside but so far (crosses fingers)all is well.Or as Aceridgey suggests, check your BIOS settings.RegardsBen

[cmpbellsjc 2,963]

1. Yes I have, all of the modes in the F8 options, I have tried.2. I never had that problem in the past.Nothing inside the computer looks broken.

I feel bad seeing that. You've had lots of problems lately. First with FSDreateams KDFW and now the computer.Since its a Gateway is it still under warranty? If not maybe you could get help from their customer support hotline. Worst case you'll proabably have to take it in to the shop. Depending on where you live in Texas, I have had good luck with using MicroCenter in Dallas for having work done and there prices are fair.Sean

[Chock 17,770]

Looks like a faulty hard drive sector to me, or at the very least a corrupted operating system data sector where the OS is stored which is preventing things kicking in. As others have suggested, you could try putting the BIOS back to default, but if that's not doing it and you can't get a prompt for making a bootable drive or installing an OS, then it could also be a motherboard or BIOS chip issue. Unfortunately, a motherboard or BIOS chip can be knackered and you won't be able to tell from a purely visual inspection since it could be any one of a thousand things that might be goosed, from something as simple as a dry soldered joint to a fried component.First thing I would try, is taking out the HD, connecting it to another computer and seeing if it can be read that way, if it can, and nothing is very obviously wrong with it, then you may have a motherboard problem. What you can also do is swap the hard drive for another, install an OS on that and then see if it works, in which case it will be the other HD at fault and not the motherboard. If the HD is knackered and you have valuable data on it, you can try to recover the data off it by connecting it up to a working computer to see if it can be read without being the boot drive. If you can do that, you may be able to recover the data with something such as R-Studio (R-Studio is a bit pricey but it definitely is in with a shot at saving things off a bombed HD if the HD can be read as a non bootable drive). If the motherboard is screwed, you'd be best sending it to a specialist to have a look at things, (or the manufacturer if it is under warranty), which should be covered if it isn't too old a computer.Note that if it is still under warranty, you may void the warranty by taking it to bits, so if it is still covered, just get them to sort it out, but if you have sensitive of valuable data on the HD, be sure to let them know that you would like the HD back in order to attempt to recover your data, because if you don't tell them, and they swap the HD, they may just ditch your old HD.Al

[Sawydz 4]

1. Did You install AVG or it's updates lately?2. Did You install any new drivers or software right before that happened?3. Did You try repair tool provided on Windows DVD?

[RossThomson 1]

Take out all but 1 ram stick. 2GB recommended. Then change the position of the first stick into a different slot, That's what fixed mine. Just fiddle about with RAM.

[AA762 1]

I have no clue what BIOS is. I know what a motherboard is, it just looks like everything is the same. Im gonna see if I can get that pic on here.

http://www.deltava.org/image.do?id=0x5577

I have kept everything the same since I bought it August of '09. Thanks for all the help guys, 2010 hasn't been so good to me this year. More than computer problems have begin to sink it.

[Efussander 0]

BIOS stands for Basic In and Out System. It is a piece of software that is located on the motherboard and not on the harddrive. It is a MS DOS style application. It controls the nitty gritty of the computer. That is where one would over clock their CPU or change bus speeds etc. Seeing as you don't know what a BIOS is, I doubt that you could have changed anything. Nevertheless, sometimes these things have a way of happening no matter what. So, to reset your bios, you first have to access it. Right when you push the power button, there should be a screen that flashes very briefly. That screen will say what button to push to enter the bios. I think for gateway it is either F1 or F2. Press that button immediately and then at one second intervals until the bios is displays. Now, as the bios is the main hardware controller on the computer, it is very important to not change any settings unless you're absolutely sure about what you're doing. If you inadvertently change something it could damage your computer. To navigate the bios, use the arrow keys and press enter to select an option. The option that you are looking for should be right there at the main menu. It should be called "return to default" or "revert to factory settings" or something similar. Once you navigate to that option, select enter. Then it will probably say something like, " Revert to Original Settings? Y or N ___" You would then type the letter y and hit enter. At this point the computer should either restart itself, or return you to the main menu of the bios. If it returns you to the main menu, there should be an option to save and exit. This is usually done by pressing F10. Once you've exited the bios, let the computer turn back on and see if it boots. Hope this helps. Feel free to ask questions. Sources: I'm an IT Tech.

[Tabs 2,790]

1. Did You install AVG or it's updates lately?

Actually a good question there... their latest version rendered systems unbootable...

[AA762 1]

I have not install AVG, at least I don't think I did.