Help , Computer Gone Berserk

[taxexile]

my computer has gone berserk.

its a sony vaio laptop , model pcg k66p , windows xp , sp1 , exactly 2 years old.

about 3 weeks ago it crashed , blue screen , after running noisily (high speed fan noise) , giving the message KERNEL STACK INPAGE ERROR.

i rebooted it and all was ok , it worked fine until yesterday , when the same thing happened.

i couldnt re boot it though , each time i tried to re boot i got a variety of messages on the sometimes blue screen and sometimes black screen.

KERNEL STACK INPAGE ERROR

OS NOT RECOGNISED

IMMINENT HARD DISK FAILURE

UNMOUNTABLE BOOT VOLUME

STOP.0X000000ED

0X82375C08

0XC000000E

0X82352380ED

i unplugged the bastard and resigned myself to the mercy of the sony repair shop and a big bill.

this morning i did a john cleese , threatening the motherfxcker with horrendous torments if it wouldnt start and plugged it in and a screen came up offering me the option of starting it in safe mode , it then started perfectly in safe mode.

i shut it down and restarted it normally again , it went through a CHKDISC and corrected

error $130 in file 5872 , and then proceeded to recover lots of files from 5872 and then started perfectly with all systems working ok.

i know something is wrong and will it will happen again , i looked on the net for these problems and problems such as degraded motherboard connections , hard disc failure , overheating , loose ram memory etc. have been mentioned by other unhappy sony customers.

can anybody identify what exactly is the cause of all this , so that i can advise the repair shop rather than meekly agree to an expensive motherboard or hard disk replacement that may not be strictly necessary.

any help or advice gratefully accepted.

[stumonster]

your hard drive is failing - backup backup backup.

if your hard drive is not still under warranty ( most have a 3 year warranty ) it is a very easy component to replace and notebook drives are not that much more expensive than desktop ones.

[Crossy]

I'll 'back-up' Stu on this one, imminent HDD failure, backup and replace NOW!!!!

Are you sure that the 'fan noise' really was the fan not your hard drive in its death throes.

[taxexile]

the fan noise was a bit crunchy sounding , a bit metallic.

i backed up my important stuff (photos , files) after the first event.

but i havent backed up any of my settings etc.

is there any way of backing up all the windows updates that have been installed , will that entail a registry back up , or should i just do them all again on the new disk. i wouldnt want to back up any mistakes that my registry might have accumulated .

[Tywais]

the fan noise was a bit crunchy sounding , a bit metallic.

i backed up my important stuff (photos , files) after the first event.

but i havent backed up any of my settings etc.

is there any way of backing up all the windows updates that have been installed , will that entail a registry back up , or should i just do them all again on the new disk. i wouldnt want to back up any mistakes that my registry might have accumulated .

You could build a slipstream CD/DVD with XP SP1/SP2 and all current updates on it using a program called nLite. All the updates can be found at RyanVM and is quite easy to build. Then you use your new CD to install XP and it will have everything in it ready to go.

As for backing up settings in case you are not familiar with it you can use "File transfer wizard" . Under "Accessories" "System Tools" select "Files and Settings transfer Wizard" and follow the directions.

[Artisan]

You could build a slipstream CD/DVD with XP SP1/SP2 and all current updates on it using a program called nLite. All the updates can be found at RyanVM and is quite easy to build. Then you use your new CD to install XP and it will have everything in it ready to go.

Hi Tywais......I looked at the Ryanvm.net update pack and it's so comprehensive...I'm impressed. Please could you tell me what you mean by "building a slipstream CD/DVD". I have Widows XP Pro with SP2, which I think is up to date. Would I have to copy both the Ryanvm updates and my original Windows XP CD to a writable CD? Sorry for my ignorance!!!!

[Tywais]

Hi Tywais......I looked at the Ryanvm.net update pack and it's so comprehensive...I'm impressed. Please could you tell me what you mean by "building a slipstream CD/DVD". I have Widows XP Pro with SP2, which I think is up to date. Would I have to copy both the Ryanvm updates and my original Windows XP CD to a writable CD? Sorry for my ignorance!!!!

It is a great tool and when I built my new computer I didn't want to go to the pain of installing my XP SP1 CD then update to SP2 then wait forever for the security updates to download. If you have XP with SP2 already on it then just create a directory, you can call it XPSP2 or anything you like and copy the entire XP CD to this directory.

After you download the RyanVM cab file then run nLite. It will ask you where your XP is and where you want the newly built one to go (XPNEW would be fine). You will then have options to add "hot patches" and just select the RyanVM hotpatch .cab file. You can also build it with things like the latest WinMedia player, WinAmp, FireFox from cab files available and they will automatically install. When you let nLite do its job and merges everything into the XPNEW directory it will then ask you to burn the CD. Quite easy really. Once you have the new CD it installs exactly the same way as your original.

You have options to choose 'unattended' install where you will not be prompted during the installation for anything. I prefer leaving some of those things available. Also you have a place in nLite to put your CD Key and will never be prompted to enter it, thus the unattended install.

Only problem is that the final install maybe larger then a CD and may need to burn to a DVD instead. Mine ended up to be about 850MB due to the additional applications I added. You can also merge in special mainboard drivers such as SATA and RAID so you don't need a floppy disk for the drives.

Sorry for being a bit long winded, I was just impressed with the whole process.

Oh and slipstreaming means to integrate all the pieces together into a single system. Actually slipstreaming is part of XP but limited and can be complex to use.

One last thing if you don't want all the features nLite has you can just use RyanVM's own integration software to make your SP2 integrated with all the latest patches. A little simpler.

Edited April 30, 2006 by tywais

[thailand_property_search]

Hi Tax Exile.

I have this program (I'm Smart) which will tell you everything about your hard-drive and if it is going to fail and why (assuming you can run windows that is). If you want it PM me and I'll send you a copy.

I have also seen similar symptoms with overheating and varying supply voltages (not uncommon in Thailand), the latter forced me to by an uninterruptible power supply for similar problems.

I'm Smart

Edited April 30, 2006 by thailand_property_search

[taxexile]

thanks for the offer tpi , much appreciated , actually i downloaded a similar programme earlier , called hard disk inspector which evaluates all the s.m.a.r.t. things and reports on the state of the disc.

naturally , it tells me that my disc is in perfect health !!!

i have backed up all i need to back up , and will take my laptop into sony next week for them to have a look at . if the disc packs in then so be it , at least i will start again with a clean installation of xp.

thanks for all the helpful answers , hopefully this thread will run a while with more information about peoples hard disc problems and helpful advice being offered.

[thailand_property_search]

Taxexile.

If the smart info tells you everything is fine, then there is no propeblem with the hard-drive and you need to look elswhere.

As I said. I have had similar symptoms with 2 other problems.

You mentioned the fan making ugly noises. Check the fan speed in the bios (if it supports it) and see if it is fluctuating. It is unlikely that the mains voltages will be an issue in a laptop unles you have removed the battery and are running directly from the mains.

You can view the motherboard temperatures and fans speed using this "Speedfan"

Speed Fan 4.28

This may give more of a clue as to whats whappening.

[taxexile]

downloaded speedfan , cant understand all the data it gives , but the fan speeds are zero!

maybe i should get the fans checked.

[Tywais]

downloaded speedfan , cant understand all the data it gives , but the fan speeds are zero!

maybe i should get the fans checked.

Speedfan will only work if your fans have three leads. The third wire is for the rpm pulses and often the fans will only have two (+12 and common). Still good idea to check if the fan is running.

[JSixpack]

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can anybody identify what exactly is the cause of all this , so that i can advise the repair shop rather than meekly agree to an expensive motherboard or hard disk replacement that may not be strictly necessary.

any help or advice gratefully accepted.

It's clear that you had some file system corruption, but it could have been owing to any number of causes, and not necessarily failing hardware. Now, the cause could well have been a temporary condition. It could have even been owing to a virus.

And now that temporary condition MAY already have been sufficiently corrected. It MAY not have been terribly important. You're booting and running fine now and your hard drive already passed some tests. Even a drive that has bad sectors can still last for years, or just until tomorrow. And in fact even a new drive or a new anything else can fail at any time; hence the continuing importance of timely backups.

If I were you, I wouldn't bother taking your computer to a shop until it exhibits continual evident symptoms that won't be cured or it fails completely. Hammers tend to find nails, and you might just get roped into some expensive cure that you don't really need. They will look mainly for a hardware fault, since they probably have rather poor software troubleshooting skills, and if they can't find one, the tendency is--esp. for a notebook--to advise a new mainboard. Ouch.

I also wouldn't reinstall Windows XP. That's rarely ever needed. The corrupt system file that caused the boot failure has most probably already been replaced from a cache. No point in reinstalling XP just to replace that same file again from the CD. (I'm always amused to read these inevitable "scorched earth" solutions.) And if you do have a hardware problem, your new installation will just get trashed in the same way as the old one.

I suggest you run chkdsk again if you haven't. You can do that by right-clicking on the drive letter, then click on Properties | Tools | Error Checking and tick the "Fix Errors" box. You will need to do a reboot then so that the check can be done offline. You could add the bad sector check, but that can take hours, as you probably know.

If it passes chkdsk again, I would hang loose for a while. At most you could run XP's system file check, which will verify your system files and help you restore any that have become corrupted. It's easy enough; read about it first here:

http://www.updatexp.com/scannow-sfc.html

You can also test your RAM with the memtest utility you can get here:

http://www.memtest86.com/

It's usual just to let it run overnight.

You might also blow out the computer fan outlets with compressed air. Maybe it's getting a bit clogged in there. Notebooks can get awfully hot, eh.

As for the backing up, you're mainly concerned with documents and pictures--and favorites, which you can find in the folder "C:\Documents and Settings\<your account name>\Favorites\." I wouldn't worry much about the so-called Settings.

<textProxE>

[thailand_property_search]

downloaded speedfan , cant understand all the data it gives , but the fan speeds are zero!

maybe i should get the fans checked.

Speedfan is a good diagnostic tool, but does not support all chipsets (many, many, but not all). If you are not getting temperatures, and voltages also then this would mean that it doesn't support your system.

If this is not the case, then watch the temperatures.

If your CPU fan is not running at all your temp will soar within about 2 mins of switch on and your system will crash (typically they become very unstable at about 70 deg C and start to fry at about 75). If you have a slow fan, then it will steadily climb until eventually it crashes (this will be quicker if running CPU intensive stuff).

Speedfan will only work if your fans have three leads. The third wire is for the rpm pulses and often the fans will only have two (+12 and common). Still good idea to check if the fan is running.

This is true. But many motherboards do use 3 wire because this enables the speed of the fan to be changed also......especially laptops where this is one technique used to reduce power consumption.

I would also agree with JSixpack in that hammers do tend to find nails, especially in Thailand where they find bigger nails than usual. With intermittent faults, the chances of a service department finding and fixing the fault are marginal They will boot the computer, find out it works then replace the motherboard and run it for a couple of days to make sure it works...standard procedure. It is not cost effective to spend 2 days trying to replicate your exact fault!

[taxexile]

thanks again for all the helpful advice .

speedfan is showing temperatures , its running in the mid to high forties , and i have a room fan blowing over it to keep it and me cool.

its run perfectly all day now , i've re booted it four or five times with no problems , as i said , ive backed up all my important files and photos , i wont back up settings.

if i do need a new hard disc , then i will just reload all the programmes i need again. a lot of the programmes i have i have never used or used only once and wont bother to re load them.

your advice about hammers and nails makes perfect sense , as does trying to replicate intermittent faults. so i will keep a watch on the temperature , and hold off going to the repair shop for a while.

thanks again.

[thailand_property_search]

thanks again for all the helpful advice .

speedfan is showing temperatures , its running in the mid to high forties , and i have a room fan blowing over it to keep it and me cool.

Keep an eye on it.

Just for reference on my machine the running temps (and my comp is on 24/7 electricity permitting ):

Current Ambient Temperature: 28 deg C

CPU Temp 55-65 - currently 61 - (this should be about 30-35 deg above ambient)

MB Temp 40-45 - currently 41 - (this should be about 15 deg above ambient)

HD Temp 50-70 - Currently 58 -

(this should be about 30 deg above ambient if hard drive idle but can be as much as 40 deg above if heavy use like defrag)

These are only guidlines to enable you to get a feel for the temperature values you can see in speed fan. They have been derived from imperical analysis on 12 different computers (laptops and desktops) that i have used over a couple of years and have always serverd me well.