Dead computer! HELP!!!

[Ooops..]

i have been blessed with the chance to use my girlfriends shiny new laptop to write this today due to the fact my computer has gone haywire.

 

can any one help with this problem:

 

when i turn my computer on, nothing comes up on the desktop.

no start menu thing, no icons, no nothing! well, except my background picture thing.

 

if anyone has any advice let me know, however it wil need to be heavily dumbed-down in order for me to understand it! and then super dumbed down for me to actually work out how to do it!

 

i cant even tell you anything about the computer other than its windows XP (does that matter?)

 

QUICK BEFORE I BREAK MY GIRLFRIENDS LAP-TOP ASWELL!!!!

[Nick Waring]

Have you downloaded or installed anything recently? if so, try restoring your computer to before you downloaded / installed it.

[Ooops..]

tried 'system restore' but it didnt do anything!

that is the only thing ive tried, thats as far as my knowledge goes!

cheers anyway!

[Charlieh]

when its starting up press F8 (before it starts running windows) and select safe mode, then run your virus scanner and back up any data you need

[Dean Lofthouse]

Mine did exactly the same last month, my computor being only 3 months old. It turned out to be the hard drive.

 

I've had three hard drives, all less than twleve months old, pack up in the last twelve months, I think they're making them out of plasticine these days.

 

When it stalls put your ear to the case and listen to the hard drive, if it's making the clicking noise that repeats the same series of clicks over and over, I would suspect hardrive

[Nick Waring]

Mine did exactly the same last month, my computor being only 3 months old. It turned out to be the hard drive.

 

I've had three hard drives, all less than twleve months old, pack up in the last twelve months, I think they're making them out of plasticine these days.

 

When it stalls put your ear to the case and listen to the hard drive, if it's making the clicking noise that repeats the same series of clicks over and over, I would suspect hardrive

 

offtopic but, next time you have to buy a new one, replace it with a westerdn digital hard drive, one of the best out the imo. ive had the same one going for over 4 years now.

[High Scale]

I had a similar thing this week when I just got a black screen on boot up, my problem was caused by a Trojan.

 

I went into safe mode and did a system restore and it worked, this was after trying every other thing I could think of.

 

To do a system restore, click START, click ALL PROGRAMS, click ACCESSORIES, click SYSTEM TOOLS, Click SYSTEM RESTORE.

 

Do as Charlieh said and do a Virus/Trojan scan in safe mode.

 

Here is a site posted by the Treespyder along time ago with some very useful reviews and downloadable freeware programs.

 

Gizmo's Freeware Reviews | Gizmo's Freeware

Edited May 13, 2009 by High Scale

[Andy Collins]

offtopic but, next time you have to buy a new one, replace it with a westerdn digital hard drive, one of the best out the imo. ive had the same one going for over 4 years now.

 

I know very little about computers and their innards, but it vexes me slightly that if you buy a machine, and it developes a fault in the hard drive after say 3 months, why should the consumer have to then purchase a new hard drive to rectify a manufacturers fault?

Surely if it fails to work properly, it is no longer fit for purpose, and any/all repairs are down to the manufacturer? It seems that customer satisfaction is way down on a lot of companies agendas, even with a recession.

[Dean Lofthouse]

I know very little about computers and their innards, but it vexes me slightly that if you buy a machine, and it developes a fault in the hard drive after say 3 months, why should the consumer have to then purchase a new hard drive to rectify a manufacturers fault?

Surely if it fails to work properly, it is no longer fit for purpose, and any/all repairs are down to the manufacturer? It seems that customer satisfaction is way down on a lot of companies agendas, even with a recession.

 

I think what it is Andy is they are using cheap parts or screwing the manufacturers down to a price where they have to manufacture them using cheaper components.

I think next time I may just buy a western digital rather than have it done on warranty. It took them over three weeks and they just threw my old drive in the bin despite me asking them not to and taping a big note to the laptop screen saying if it was the harddrive do not repair, send it back as is.

 

Just another example of bad service and incompetence I've had to endure recently

[Ooops..]

right, just found out i can actually access MOST things on my computer using cntr,alt,delete (dont have a start menu)

 

so ive tried system restore again and still nothing!

putting it in 'safe' mode also did nothing, just brought up a black screen!

 

i no its near damn impossible to diagnose a problem without being able to see it, having a halfwit like me explain doesnt help either but all advice is good advice.

 

Ta!!