Computer Problems; Sad-face

[Latrinsorm]

So there I was, minding my own business and turning off my laptop when I noticed the little Windows Updatey thing on the Shutdown button. I figured "sure updates are good". The computer was plugged in when this happened. This was Thursday night.

So then I try to turn the computer on the next afternoon and it comes up with a totally black screen instead of the IBM logo. So I'm all ":(". So I try it again, no dice. I figure "what the heck", unplug the power cord, and try it again, and it works, so I'm all "cautiously optimistic!", and I plug the power cord back in. The computer immediately freezes. I was at the part where it puts up the windows logo and has the little bar underneath.

I reunplug the power and try again, leaving the power unplugged. It works fine and I get logged in. Within about 20 minutes, I get a low-battery must plug in message. The battery was presumably fully charged when I left it plugged in overnight, so I was all "wtf??", but I plugged it in. No immediate catastrophes occurred.

A handful of times since, I've been plugging away on the computer when it just stops instantly. No slowdown, no blue screen, just complete unresponsiveness requiring a hard reboot. This never happened before.

HPEL

[Artha]

It would be so ironic if it was a logic problem.

[Wezas]

The easiest way: reformat.

Tech solution to every problem is above.

[Anailea]

rollback would be quicker and easier than formatting, however it sounds like a problem with your power cord.

[HarmNone]

If you have, or can borrow, another power cord that you know works, try it. If it works, you'll know it's the power cord and can just get a new one. Otherwise, I think I'd spring for a new power cord anyway. The failure may have just come coincidentally after the update.

[Latrinsorm]

New power cord did not solve the problem, but it does seem like the power cord is the problem. When I'm done writing this paper I'm going to go back to my room and check the connector bits and, I don't know, frown at them until they work.

Formatting is not an option (and I doubt it'd do anything anyway). I'll try the rollback thing if the computer stays on long enough.

What really makes it seem like a cord problem is the way it would start up, work for a time, die, start up, work for a shorter time, die, and have shorter and shorter times each time it worked today. However, this new cord is presumably new and not broken, so I dunno what's up.

[Back]

New power cord did not solve the problem, but it does seem like the power cord is the problem. When I'm done writing this paper I'm going to go back to my room and check the connector bits and, I don't know, frown at them until they work.

Formatting is not an option (and I doubt it'd do anything anyway). I'll try the rollback thing if the computer stays on long enough.

What really makes it seem like a cord problem is the way it would start up, work for a time, die, start up, work for a shorter time, die, and have shorter and shorter times each time it worked today. However, this new cord is presumably new and not broken, so I dunno what's up.

Bad battery?

[Numbers]

Sounds like there's an intermittent connection somewhere between your power supply and the motherboard. Have you dropped the laptop recently?

[Jahira]

Any chance you have one the dell 5150 or whatever it is? Sounds exactly like the problem that has a class action law-suit against dell.

[Latrinsorm]

I have not dropped it, and it is absolutely not a Dell :spit, curse:. I did have it in my backpack a couple days ago which is also right before when the troubles started, but I don't remember an impact anywhere near severe enough to crack a peanut much less an IBM.

I'm starting to think the power supply issue is a smokescreen, and here's why: When I finagled my way into safe mode, the computer ran fine. I think it froze once, but it did way better than regularly. So I figured I'd nuke a bunch of processes with c-a-d on regular start-up and lo and behold I run fine.

Now, I haven't been doing any unsafe browsing recently and I do keep my antivirus up to date, so if it's a virus it's total wtfosity, and wtf kind of virus acts like this to begin with? My (uninformed) guess is that I've got a rogue process that pwns power. The computer staff we have on campus is finally going to be open again tomorrow so I will go and rebuke them in the NAME OF THE ALMIGHTY I mean ask for hpel.

Thanks for everyone who tried to help here though, and I'm open to more suggestions!!

[Back]

Ask yourself this... would Jesus buy a PC or a Mac?

[Jolena]

:lol:

[Artha]

use safemode to back up anything important and then reformat.

[The Ponzzz]

Power Supply issues do require formating, I tried looking up your problem on the solutions site my friend has a subscription for and all we saw was formating fixes it.

I'd try ruling out the cord before ya do it though.

[Numbers]

Run a virus/spyware scan in safe mode if you haven't already. Defrag and scan disk your drives as well, while you're there.

Also, go to Run, type in msconfig, click on the Startup tab, and go through each and every enabled program. If you're unsure of what a certain startup program is, go to http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/explorer/ and scroll down a bit. Type in the exact name of the process into the search bar there. Make sure that anything you don't need isn't running on startup.

Download Microsoft RegClean from http://www.download.com/3000-2094-881470.html and run it.

Delete your Temporary Internet folder and your browser cache/cookies. Also clear out the files in your %temp% directory.

Doing all of this thoroughly should be able to let you know if it's a software problem or not. If you're still having the problem after, then you're probably stuck with either an extremely deeply rooted software problem, in which case you'll probably need to reformat. Or you've got a hardware problem, which might be unlikely since you can run in safe mode fine.

[Latrinsorm]

Well, I tried clearing out all the nonessential startup processes, but to no avail.

When I did the registry cleanup thing, I happened to find a folder with an extremely long name with letters and numbers starting with "d", created very late on Thursday night. I smacked that bitch with a 2x4, naturally.

This is really peculiar, and here's why. I had the computer in safe mode, and had to plug it in because the battery was near-gone, freezing the computer just like it did many times in risky mode. I also have it plugged in now with no problems, so I really don't know what the heck's going on.

Now what I'm doing is turning off every process in startup that isn't currently running in Safe Mode and I'll see what happens. If things work fine, then I'll finish my paper and probably add processes back in until I start freezing again. If they don't, I'll start adding so-called "essential" processes back in.

Thanks for the links, 3-man. :)

[Latrinsorm]

I think I mentioned before, but the weirdest thing about this is that sometimes the computer freezes before windows even fully starts up.

However, I've disabled a process called BMMLREF which is supposedly essential. It has something to do with power, which seems reasonable enough as an explanation. I'm now in unsafe mode and working fine. So wtf, I have no idea.

[Tisket]

I really don't know what the heck's going on.


Dude...call a priest:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=KBr9LCpQw0I

http://www.atheistalliance.org/aaw/Compossessed.htm

[Latrinsorm]

So here's a hilarious new twist. It failed again while I was out, and as I was starting up failed again at the Windows moving bar screen (worrisome). I'm on battery now, because that seems to be the most sturdy.

I happened to have more Windows updates ready to install so I said "sure fine whatever" and I happened to see what folder the updates were being extracted to. A FOLDER NAMED WITH A LONG SERIES OF ALPHANUMERIC CHARACTERS. I'm really starting to think some bs windows thing pwnd my computer, and this thought does not fill me with my characteristic good vibes.

I hope the help desk guys tomorrow will be able to... help, but the way this has been going I doubt it. At home we have a capacious USB drive, so I'll be able to copy everything I want out and reformat if it comes to that.

[Landrion]

Have you done chkdsk c:\ /F /R?

[Numbers]

If you have System Restore enabled, see if you can possibly restore your system to a point in time before the first Windows update you did. It's possible that Windows update did something to the IBM power management software.

[Latrinsorm]

Yeah, I tried System Restore, which didn't work. I tried using System Restore in another context on other machines several times over the summer. Does it ever work, for anyone?

Landrion: No. I did a bunch of console-based diagnostic tools on memory, the hard disk, and so on, all of which came back a-ok.

[Bobmuhthol]

<<Does it ever work, for anyone?>>

System Restore has like a 95% success rate for me.

[Latrinsorm]

That settles it. It's emachines for me from now on.

[Numbers]

Check the IBM website, particularly the forums. Other people with your laptop model may have had a similar problem. Otherwise, you could download and reinstall any IBM drivers your laptop uses.

[Landrion]

Yeah, I tried System Restore, which didn't work. I tried using System Restore in another context on other machines several times over the summer. Does it ever work, for anyone?

Landrion: No. I did a bunch of console-based diagnostic tools on memory, the hard disk, and so on, all of which came back a-ok.

Well not being familiar with the diag tools you used, Id really go with a check disk. Its possible for ntfs to eff up without leaving bad sectors exactly.