The SSMB PC Troubleshooting and Discussion Thread

[Solkia]

It's a good sign your computer starts up at all. It means your HDD, which is probably your bootdrive, is still working.

 

It probably just fucked up some spots that held files for the OS. I'd remove the HDD and back up stuff if the System Restore doesn't work.

 

Also System restore puts it in the state you bought it. It'll wipe all your data. What you want to look for is a Restore Point, which is a point that held previous files in reserve.

Edited July 21, 2013 by Solkia

[Chaos Warp]

Alright, I'm going to try that now, I'm going to give it a good amount of time to boot just to give it the max benefit of the doubt, I'll report back in a bit. 

Alright I tried that, it didn't work I just came back to a random blue coloured screen (not a BSOD, just a completely flat blue coloured screen with absolutely nothing on it). I then tried running Startup Fixes or whatever it's called from the Repair option from that advanced boot menu, and that didn't detect anything. I then tried System Restore, but that failed because certain files got effed up or something (not exactly sure) and then when I tried again it said there were no Restore Points. So I tried the Last Known Good Configuration thing again and it locked me on the Welcome Screen again.

 

 

It's a good sign your computer starts up at all. It means your HDD, which is probably your bootdrive, is still working.

 

It probably just fucked up some spots that held files for the OS. I'd remove the HDD and back up stuff if the System Restore doesn't work.

 

Also System restore puts it in the state you bought it. It'll wipe all your data. What you want to look for is a Restore Point, which is a point that held previous files in reserve.

 

 

 

 Yeah that's how I always System Restore: from Restore Points. But for some reason when I tried to do it from the latest restore point on the 14th, it messed up and failed to do it as I mentioned above.   Okay this is probably a completely stupid question but how do I remove the HDD and how to I back stuff up without it plugged into a computer. 

 

EDIT: Why the hell is there white borders around my shit? Fuck it, it's readable right?

Edited July 21, 2013 by Chaos Warp

[Solkia]

If you have another computer, use this:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812226048

 

and plug it into the SATA port on your HDD.

 

To get it out, you have to open the case up and find the HDD dock. Make sure to discharge any static on you before touching stuff though.

 

when it's connected to the other computer, I also suggest using HDTuner to check the health of the drive. If any blocks are red, you'll want to just replace the HDD after you've gotten all the files you need off of it. (thank you DiZ for that info)

[Chaos Warp]

If you have another computer, use this:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812226048

 

and plug it into the SATA port on your HDD.

 

To get it out, you have to open the case up and find the HDD dock. Make sure to discharge any static on you before touching stuff though.

 

when it's connected to the other computer, I also suggest using HDTuner to check the health of the drive. If any blocks are red, you'll want to just replace the HDD after you've gotten all the files you need off of it. (thank you DiZ for that info)

Thanks a lot man. I honestly might take it to the shop to see if they can do this for me since I know absolutely nothing about this sort of stuff and am afraid I'll fuck it up. 

[Diz]

So I was browsing on my Windows 7 computer and then a power outage happened, cutting all power to it and turning off the system abruptly. Once the power came back on it looked like it was booting up, but in fact no matter how many times I try to start it, after I input my password, it never moves past the "Welcome" loading icon thing. I've literally left it there for more then half an hour and it has not moved. I tried booting up the computer in one of the safe modes (Safe Mode with networking) but that didn't work either. I really hope my PC didn't get permanently fucked by the power outage, can any help be offered?

 

The file system has most likely been corrupted. You may also have to verify the integrity of your system files. Finally, your registry may be corrupted. Third-party utilities can be used to roll back the registry to a different point in time. Alternatively, they can be used to create new user accounts, in case the problem is only related to that specific user account.

 

I then tried running Startup Fixes or whatever it's called from the Repair option from that advanced boot menu, and that didn't detect anything. I then tried System Restore, but that failed because certain files got effed up or something (not exactly sure) and then when I tried again it said there were no Restore Points. So I tried the Last Known Good Configuration thing again and it locked me on the Welcome Screen again.

 

You can reach the repair alternatives? That is great. You should prioritize a file system scan. In the list of repair options, you should see Command Prompt, go ahead and click that. Next, we should verify which letter the system partition has been assigned. Type the following command:

 

dir c:\users

 

If your user's name pops up, we have found the correct drive letter. If not, move ahead in the alphabet until you find your user listed, like this:

 

dir d:\users

dir e:\users

dir f:\users

 

Next, type the following command. If your user lies under a different drive letter, replace C:

 

chkdsk c: /f

 

The command will prompt you to schedule the scan for when the computer next starts up. Hit Y and enter to confirm, and then hit Restart on the repair options menu to restart the computer. Sometimes, the scan "forgets" to start after scheduling. If so, repeat the steps above to re-schedule the scan. When the scan is done, the computer will attempt to start up again. See if it works this time.

 

If you still are unable to log into your user account, do a system integrity check, available in Windows 7. Throw up the command prompt, accessible in the repair alternatives, and type the following command. Replace/use the same drive letter as the file system scan:

 

sfc /scannow /offwindir=c:\windows /offbootdir=c:

 

The scan will reveal if it found any corrupted system files, and whether or not it was able to fix them. If there were problems, and if it said it managed to repair them, you should restart your computer and run the utility a few more times, restarting between each time, as the utility only repairs a few things each time.

 

 

Okay this is probably a completely stupid question but how do I remove the HDD and how to I back stuff up without it plugged into a computer. 

 

EDIT: Why the hell is there white borders around my shit? Fuck it, it's readable right?

 

Not a stupid question! Solkia already replied about HDD removal and diagnosis, however if you are nervous regarding opening up your PC, you could also consider offline backup. You can use lightly run free of charge operating systems on a disc or USB stick, like Linux, and from there have access to your HDD. From there, you should be able to connect an external HDD or another USB stick to back up personal files from your system drive. Linux, to take an example, has the cool feature that allows you to run it directly from a disc or external stick without actually installing it on your computer, leaving no trail on the HDD. For discs, you can download an ISO and burn it directly do a disc. For USB devices, you need to use a special Linux tool, available for free on the Web, which formats the device properly and makes it bootable before it loads it with the Linux system.

 

To boot from a disc or USB device, you will need to enter the boot menu during startup or enter BIOS to set the disc or USB device to a higher boot priority. Some few computers do not support booting from USB devices.

 

Best of luck!

 

Also System restore puts it in the state you bought it. It'll wipe all your data. What you want to look for is a Restore Point, which is a point that held previous files in reserve.

 

System Restore in Microsoft Windows should refer to restore points. Some manufacturers sometimes seem to borrow the name for third-party functions, though. One of the last HP machines I touched called both factory resets and restore points for System Restore. Quite confusing!

[Chaos Warp]

Okay so the computer shop dude refreshed Windows and basically installed a second copy of Windows 7 (As far as I understand: it could be something else) on there, I didn't lose any files, but there's one particular program that is apparently 32-bit (even though my OS is 64-bit) that worked before but now gives me a "This program is not the right bit level" or whatever (don't remember the exact words) error. This program is kinda vital to my existence, can anyone help me?!

Edited July 22, 2013 by Chaos Warp

[Solkia]

64-bit backwards compatibility with 32-bit programs isn't perfect.

 

What's the program?

[Chaos Warp]

64-bit backwards compatibility with 32-bit programs isn't perfect.

 

What's the program?

Sony Vegas Pro 9

[PSI Wind]

Okay so the computer shop dude refreshed Windows and basically installed a second copy of Windows 7 (As far as I understand: it could be something else) on there, I didn't lose any files, but there's one particular program that is apparently 32-bit (even though my OS is 64-bit) that worked before but now gives me a "This program is not the right bit level" or whatever (don't remember the exact words) error. This program is kinda vital to my existence, can anyone help me?!

Is it in Program Files (x86)?

[Chaos Warp]

Is it in Program Files (x86)?

Yes. 

[Solkia]

Just download the 64-bit version.

[Chaos Warp]

Just download the 64-bit version.

I dun have 600 dollars...............

[Solkia]

The product key should work on both.

[Diz]

If the technician is making you run another Windows 7, as in not repair the exact same system you had trouble booting into, most programs require you to re-install them for them to be working properly, if at all. If you have not done this, you will most likely need to do so before it will work again. (Most of) your program's path, files and shortcuts may persist, but there are also certain settings, like the ones that are logged in the registry. A new Windows will not have any of these settings, and only a re-install or a setup repair can adapt the program to the new Windows installation.

[Chaos Warp]

If the technician is making you run another Windows 7, as in not repair the exact same system you had trouble booting into, most programs require you to re-install them for them to be working properly, if at all. If you have not done this, you will most likely need to do so before it will work again. (Most of) your program's path, files and shortcuts may persist, but there are also certain settings, like the ones that are logged in the registry. A new Windows will not have any of these settings, and only a re-install or a setup repair can adapt the program to the new Windows installation.

Damn.......................well there's no way I'll be able to afford Vegas Pro 9 so it's pretty much bye bye ever editing a video again...............

Edited July 23, 2013 by Chaos Warp

[Solkia]

You can use a key crack, although that's illegal.

 

I say $600 for fucking software should be illegal too. *shrug*

[Diz]

If you bought (or pirated) the program, you should be able to use the same product key and installation source as previously used.

 

If you are currently available and up to it, you could go to www.teamviewer.com and install the free non-commercial edition of the program to let one of us have a quick look at the error and the state of your computer if you PM one of us your Teamviewer ID and password (displays after installation). The program can be uninstalled afterwards.

[Solkia]

Something's been bugging me.

 

 

What the hell kind of Audio Out are those 6 colored things on the motherboard and how and what speakers do they connect to?

 

EDIT: Better yet, how do you use Optical Audio?

Edited July 24, 2013 by Solkia

[Solkia]

Another thing: Haswell or Piledriver? 

 

I don't know shit about CPUs, but at face value, Piledriver has double the cores and a higher clock speed. I tend to have a lot of shit running at once, so more cores sounds like my kind of thing.

 

But Haswell has a drastically lower TDP, which is also my kind of thing, because it means a lower power bill.

 

However I hear Haswell is better for gaming than Piledriver, yet I have not heard one goddamn reason why it's better for gaming beyond it being intel.

 

Can someone actually give me a real reason why I should go intel?

[Chaos Warp]

I have no idea how I triggered it or how it happened, but suddenly on my other computer, when I hit certain keys a number always appears after the letter and I have no idea why. Can anyone identify the problem and point me in a direction to fix it? I'm on Windows 7 Home Premium BTW.

Edited August 1, 2013 by Chaos Warp

[Solkia]

Do you know what the model is? Google says you may have hit the Numlock key

[Autosaver]

You can use a key crack, although that's illegal.

 

I say $600 for fucking software should be illegal too. *shrug*

I think a lot of these programs are made for people that depend on them for their job or for big corporations. This means a small investment of $600 is just pocket change for what the results are.

 

But this becomes a problem when people just want to use it and have fun with it.

[Cyalume]

Can anyone who has Realtek HD Audio Manager installed help me out? I'm having some severe problems with my setup. Every few minutes, the stupid thing will tell me that I've unplugged something from the rear audio port, kick off the sound, enable the sound again, and then tell me that I've plugged it back in. Its very annoying.

I've tried updating the drivers and I've tried the "disable front panel detection" fix.

[SHS19611]

Option 4)

Ok, basically i own Theme Park World (Sim Theme Park in 'murica), it was a game designed to be played on the windows 96,98 software. I currently have windows 8. I cant get it to work. it installs fine and all that jazz but when i try to play the game it freezes up and tue contrast goes all funny. If anyone could help me with this id be much obliged.

Steve

[voice]

Option 4)

Ok, basically i own Theme Park World (Sim Theme Park in 'murica), it was a game designed to be played on the windows 96,98 software. I currently have windows 8. I cant get it to work. it installs fine and all that jazz but when i try to play the game it freezes up and tue contrast goes all funny. If anyone could help me with this id be much obliged.

Steve

 

Dumb question, but have you tried setting compatibilty mode on it yet?