needs some help with a laptop problems

[mntbiker2008]

my girlfriends laptop installed service pack 1 for vista the other day and she went to turn it back on and the computer has a screen that says fix problems or what ever. i hit that button and it seemed to start fixing whatever problem there is. then the computer restarted and it is stuck on the loading screen. where the bars are going across the screen. It just sits there and doesnt do anything else. what could be the problem here? anyone have this problem yet? any help would be great.


Thanks

aaron

[ToddG]

How long did you let it sit on the loading screen? Sometimes (depending on computer and size of the update) it will seem to take forever to install the update and load up to your desktop. If you shut it down before this process is finished you can really fark up the computer.

Last resort would be to reload Vista, with the restore disc or go through the boot screen and hit a certain button to load the restore image from a partition on the hard drive.
Again, that would be a last resort because you could potentially lose personal data (stuff you put on the computer after the OS was installed).

[mntbiker2008]

it already installed the update though. It was running fine the other day and i had it shut down and everything. When she went to start the computer up, it stayed on the loading screen for a long time (over an hour). i tried a couple more times and it gave me a screen that looks like somethign from windows 98 or something asking me if i want to restore the computer automatically, i did that and it said that it could not restore automatically and to contact the comp's manufacturer. Could this be that the hard drive or motherboard is shot?

thanks,

Aaron

[ToddG]

Originally Posted by mntbiker2008

Could this be that the hard drive or motherboard is shot?

Lots of possibilities here. I'm more inclined to believe it was software related based on your description and the fact that prior to the problems you installed an update.

I'd hit the web with the model number of the laptop and search Google for issues related to that model. Sometimes you'll find you are not the only one that experienced the issue and that there is a common fix for it.

If not call the manufacturer to get help (hopefully it's still under warranty?).

The only other thing you could try is to get a copy of Vista on disc and try a clean install (wiping everything off the hard drive).

Quite a few computer savvy guys here, maybe somebody will chime in with a better idea(s).

Good luck.

[Rusty.gh]

First try hitting F8 when you start up. Get a screen that asks you what mode to boot up in and pick safe mode with internet support. If it boots in safe mode then go to start and find update windows. See if it pulls out an update and fixes the issue. Vista is a real pain. The other option is to use a restore point and then do the whole update again. You can download the recovery disc here.

[mntbiker2008]

Thanks, will try this and tell you guys what i get. her laptop is a p.o.s comcrap (compaq)..... maybe this could be a good excuse for her to get a better laptop that isnt a turd like that. just had to get that off my chest. im going to try this and see how it works. if not, i guess i will just have to reinstall vista or soemthing of that nature.


Thanks guys

Aaron

[ToddG]

Originally Posted by Rusty.gh

First try hitting F8 when you start up. Get a screen that asks you what mode to boot up in and pick safe mode with internet support. If it boots in safe mode then go to start and find update windows. See if it pulls out an update and fixes the issue. Vista is a real pain. The other option is to use a restore point and then do the whole update again. You can download the recovery disc here.

Nice call Rusty. We own 4 PC's at my house and out of all the computer's where I work not one of them has Vista on it. I even have a copy of Vista that I've been thinking about installing on a partition just to play, but never got around to it. I think it's has more problems than advantages at this point.

Anyway, I did not realize it was so bad that MS had to supply Vista recovery tools on a distribution straight from them.
I learned something new today. Thanks!

Good luck Aaron, hope it works for you.

[mntbiker2008]

heres an update. still having trouble. vista sux. i hit f8 when it was in startup and got to the menu and selected start in safe mode and networking.... froze there. so i got back to it again and went to the system recovery option... it gave me a messege that said it needs to check some disks. so i let it. it got 59% of the way through and froze with 204332 of 245136 index entries processed. im gonna give those vista recovery discs a try. if not. the turd is being punted out the window.

[ToddG]

Originally Posted by mntbiker2008

heres an update. still having trouble. vista sux. i hit f8 when it was in startup and got to the menu and selected start in safe mode and networking.... froze there. so i got back to it again and went to the system recovery option... it gave me a messege that said it needs to check some disks. so i let it. it got 59% of the way through and froze with 204332 of 245136 index entries processed. im gonna give those vista recovery discs a try. if not. the turd is being punted out the window.

Computers can be a real pain . . . DON'T let it win!!!!

[Aussie Frontier]

Sounds like it may actually be a HDD error . If it wont load it could be its missing a file.
If it fails in safe mode and you cant do a recovery then basically its FUBAR.
Personally start again with XP SP3 and it will be heaps better. Many of the manufacturers are once again selling kit with XP as an option.