New computer recommendation ?

do you have a restore, or windows CD? kinda sounds like the operating system is hosed. reinstalling the OS,
may resolve your issues.

reply to post by Ghostinshell


The last time my hard drive got a virus I called Dell and they sent me two cd's for loading onto the new refurbished drive i purchased

Dell - Drivers and Utilities
and
Operating System - reinstallation dvd for Windows 7

How do I go about getting the cd to load ? I tried this already too but I couldn't get it to do anything? I'm sure I am not doing something correctly. I'm sorry I know this probably sounds ridiculous... but I promise I did put the cd into the drive. lol....

leolady

reply to post by leolady


blue screen of death can possibly mean your RAMS playing up.
Safemode should have gotten you to windows atleast (assuming it was SW issue)
age of computer and symptoms your saying Id just accept its dead.

You can still get back all the data off your Hard Disk (85% chance) if you wanted too!

Time for a new machine!

reply to post by leolady


This could be tricky as PC to PC its different but here goes.

When you turn the PC on, you get all the black and white writing run down the screen in the initial boot up.
This is POST.

On the screen you will possibly see something that says

'' press F1 to choose boot device ''

or

'' press any key to go to boot menu ''


when you see it, press the button it says, and it should givey ou options of what 'device' to boot off.
You want to chose your CD Rom.

If you dont see anyhting like this, but perhaps you see a big 'colourful' logo, try press the escape key. it should remove the logo and show you the black and white writing.

If all that fails, you'll want to look into the BIOS setup. In here you can select what device to boot from too.
But thats tricky, so lets take it one step at a time.

reply to post by Agit8dChop


I was able to boot the CD with F12 following your instructions and it went through the motions but ends up on the same Startup Repair failure screen. So no go on this scenario either.

So how do I do this Bios stuff? I saw it on the F12 boot screen, BIOS Setup ?

leolady

reply to post by leolady


Going into the BIOS wont matter.

If you booted off the CD and ran the repair / install and it still crashed.. then its not something we can fix via forums.

reply to post by Agit8dChop


Oky Doky. Thats what i was afraid of. I thank you so kindly for your gracious help!


leolady

hey all good, sorry we couldnt get it working!

reply to post by Agit8dChop


I disagree. the windows 7 repair disk boot will check for existing windows installations and run the bootsector from the windows hard-disk. so, in other words, a raw format of the hard drive or replacement of existing hard drive is still likely the best (cheapest) option.

of course, we still do not know what caused the error in the first place.

reply to post by tgidkp


So how do I do this ?

leolady

reply to post by tgidkp


someone else thinks its because my drivers needed updating that caused this to happen in the first place?

reply to post by leolady


well, getting the "blue screen of death" is usually an indication of a severe hardware-level problem. but whatever has failed, that one component will be fairly cheap to replace....it would be a shame to scrap the whole device.

....continued ...

reply to post by leolady


so, if you feel confident in removal of the existing hard-drive and temporarily installing it to a desktop workstation -or- downloading, burning, and running a non-windows boot disk, I can help getting a fresh install of windows.

what you need to do, through either of those options, is a simple format (data wipe) of the disk.

from there, diagnosis can continue. it could be, however, that this all will still end up as a technically difficult operation. don't you have a computer-geek uncle or something?

you can likely change the 'boot order' if you can get into your bios.
move the cd into the #1 position and enter save/that.

reply to post by leolady



Explanation: OL's Laptop recommendations ...

I have reviewed a large swathe of laptops at cnet.com and here is what OL has come up with as recommendations that may suit both your budget and your immediate needs.

1stly These were the specs that were provided as a base minimum guideline ...

Dell Inspiron 1545, Intel Pentium Dual Core T4500, 2.3GHz, 800MHz, 1MB L2 Cache

And a budget as low as possible ...

Here is what I 1st found that meets the 1st requirement but might not meet the 2nd ...

www.cnet.com...

Samsung RV510I (15.6" - P T4500 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit - 4 GB RAM - 320 GB HDD)



Price: $299.99

Quick Specifications
Processor Intel Pentium T4500 / 2.3 GHz ( Dual-Core ) .
Memory 4 GB / 4 GB (max) .
Hard Drive 320 GB .
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition .
Display Type 15.6 in TFT active matrix .
Max Resolution 1366 x 768 ( HD ) .
Graphics Processor Intel GMA 4500M Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0 .
Optical Drive DVD±RW (+R DL) / DVD-RAM .

Full specs ...

Manufacturer: Samsung.Part Number:NP-RV510-A05US.General
Packaged Quantity 1 .System Type Notebook .OS Provided Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition .Service & Support 1 year warranty .Notebook type Budget .Processor / Chipset
CPU Intel Pentium T4500 / 2.3 GHz .Number of Cores Dual-Core .Cache L2 cache - 1 MB .64-bit Computing Yes .Memory
RAM 4 GB .Max RAM Supported 4 GB .Technology DDR3 SDRAM .Storage
Hard Drive 320 GB HDD .Optical Drive DVD±RW (+R DL) / DVD-RAM .Display
Type 15.6 in .LCD Backlight Technology LED backlight .Max Resolution 1366 x 768 ( HD ) .Widescreen Yes .Image Aspect Ratio 16:9 .Audio & Video
Graphics Processor Intel GMA 4500M .Memory Allocation Technology Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0 .Camera Yes .Resolution 0.3 Megapixel .Sound Stereo speakers , Microphone .Compliant Standards SRS 3D Sound,
High Definition Audio .Input
Type Keyboard,
Touchpad .Features Flat,
Multi-gesture touch pad,
Scrolling .Communications
Wireless 802.11b/g/n .Network Interface 10/100 Ethernet .Battery
Technology 6-cell Lithium ion .Capacity 4400 mAh .AC Adapter
Output 60 Watt .Connections & Expansion
Interfaces VGA,
Headphone output,
Microphone input,
3 x USB 2.0,
LAN .Memory Card Reader 4 in 1 card reader ( SDXC Memory Card ),
( SD Memory Card ),
( SDHC Memory Card ),
( MultiMediaCard ) .Software
Software Included Samsung Recovery Solution .Miscellaneous
Color Black .Features Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately) .Localization United States .Dimensions & Weight
Width 14.9 in .Depth 10.1 in .Height 1.5 in .Weight 5.3 lbs .Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Parts and labor - 1 year .Sustainability
ENERGY STAR Qualified Yes .Greenpeace policy rating (Nov 2011) 4.1 .Greenpeace policy rating (Nov 2012) 4.2

Where to buy:

bestbuy.com

***********************************************

And that ^^^ meets or beats the hardware requirements and for $300 is quite a good deal.

However there was a cheaper laptop that almost filled the 1st requirement and definately met the 2nd budgetary requirement ...

Personal Disclosure: But due to limit on characters per post I shall post each of these seperately.

reply to post by leolady


Explanation: ... OL's Budget Laptop recommendation.

www.cnet.com...

Gateway ML 6732 (15.4" - P T2370 - Vista Home Premium - 3 GB RAM - 320 GB HDD)



Price: $199.99

Quick Specifications.
Processor Intel Pentium T2370 / 1.73 GHz ( Dual-Core ) .
Memory 3 GB / 4 GB (max) .
Hard Drive 320 GB - Serial ATA-300 - 5400 rpm .
Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium .
Display Type 15.4 in TFT active matrix .
Max Resolution 1280 x 800 ( WXGA ) .
Graphics Processor Intel GMA X3100 Dynamic Video Memory Technology 4.0 .
Optical Drive DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM - Integrated .

Full Specs ...

Manufacturer: Gateway.Part Number:1015480R.General
Packaged Quantity 1 .System Type Notebook .OS Provided Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium .Service & Support 1 year warranty .Notebook type Budget ,
Midsize .Screen type Widescreen .Wireless capabilities IEEE 802.11g,
IEEE 802.11b .Processor / Chipset
CPU Intel Pentium T2370 / 1.73 GHz .Number of Cores Dual-Core .Cache L2 cache - 1 MB .64-bit Computing Yes .Front Side Bus 533 MHz .Chipset Mobile Intel GM965 Express .Memory
RAM 3 GB ( 1 x 1 GB + 1 x 2 GB ) .Max RAM Supported 4 GB .Technology DDR2 SDRAM .Speed 667 MHz / PC2-5300 .Form Factor SO DIMM 200-pin .Slots Qty 2 .Empty Slots 0 .Storage
Hard Drive 320 GB HDD / 5400 rpm .Interface Serial ATA-300 .Storage Removable None .Optical Drive DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM .Optical Drive (2nd) None .Hard drive type Portable .Display
Type 15.4 in .Max Resolution 1280 x 800 ( WXGA ) .Widescreen Yes .Image Aspect Ratio 16:10 .Features Ultrabright .Audio & Video
Graphics Processor Intel GMA X3100 .Memory Allocation Technology Dynamic Video Memory Technology 4.0 .Max Allocated RAM Size 384 MB .Sound Microphone .Compliant Standards High Definition Audio .Input
Type Keyboard,
Touchpad,
Multimedia control panel .Communications
Wireless 802.11b/g .Network Interface 10/100 Ethernet .Modem
Protocols & Specifications ITU V.92 .Max Transfer Rate 56 Kbps .Battery
Technology 6-cell Lithium ion .AC Adapter
Voltage Required AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz ) .Output 65 Watt , 19 V , 3.42 A .Connections & Expansion
Expansion Bays None .Slots 1 x ExpressCard/54 ( 1 free ) .Interfaces 4 x USB 2.0,
VGA,
Microphone input,
Headphone output,
Modem,
LAN .Memory Card Reader 5 in 1 card reader ( xD-Picture Card ),
( SD Memory Card ),
( Memory Stick PRO ),
( Memory Stick ),
( MultiMediaCard ) .Software
Software Included Google Desktop,
CyberLink Power2Go,
Google Toolbar,
Adobe Reader 8.1.2,
BigFix 2.2.0.4,
Microsoft Money 2007 Essentials,
Napster,
AOL 9.0 (with 3 months membership included),
Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (60 days trial),
WildTangent,
Microsoft Works 9.0,
Norton Internet Security 2008 (60 days subscription) .Miscellaneous
Features Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately) .Dimensions & Weight
Width 14.1 in .Depth 10.4 in .Height 1.4 in .Weight 6.2 lbs .Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Parts and labor - 1 year,
Limited warranty - Battery - 1 year .

Where to Buy:

amazon.com

***********************************************

It has the following cons ...

a] A 1 inch [aprox] smaller screen at 14.6 compared to the 15.4 inch sized monitor.

b] Microsoft Vista OS that comes pre installed with it.

c] It has a slower cpu speed of 1.7GHz compared to 2.3GHz as required by the provided specs.

And it has the following pros ...

x] It is very cheap at $200 for what one is getting in return.

y] It isn't to far behind in the required hardware specs dept.

z] It is 64bit technology.

Personal Disclosure: There were far cheaper refurbished laptops ... but I have avoided recommending anything that is not brand new. This one seems to meet the budgetary requirements but may struggle when comes to performing under a large workload.

reply to post by leolady


Explanation: ... OL's Most expensive Laptop recommendation.

***********************************************

www.cnet.com...

Dell Inspiron N5030 (15.6" - P T4500 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit - 3 GB RAM - 320 GB HDD)



Price: $319.99

Quick Specifications.
Processor Intel Pentium T4500 / 2.3 GHz ( Dual-Core ) .
Memory 3 GB / 6 GB (max) .
Hard Drive 320 GB .
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition .
Display Type 15.6 in TFT active matrix .
Max Resolution ( HD ) .
Graphics Processor Intel GMA 4500MHD Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0 .
Optical Drive DVD±RW (±R DL) .

Full Specs ...

Manufacturer: Dell, Inc..Part Number:N5030-1584OBK.General
Packaged Quantity 1 .System Type Notebook .OS Provided Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition .Notebook type Budget ,
HD display,
Midsize .Processor / Chipset
CPU Intel Pentium T4500 / 2.3 GHz .Number of Cores Dual-Core .64-bit Computing Yes .Front Side Bus 800 MHz .Chipset Mobile Intel GM45 Express .Memory
RAM 3 GB .Max RAM Supported 6 GB .Technology DDR3 SDRAM .Form Factor SO DIMM 204-pin .Slots Qty 2 .Storage
Hard Drive 320 GB HDD .Optical Drive DVD±RW (±R DL) .Environmental Parameters
Min Operating Temperature 32 °F .Max Operating Temperature 95 °F .Humidity Range Operating 10 - 90% (non-condensing) .Shock Tolerance 30 g @ 3ms half-sine pulse (operating) / 160 g @ 2ms half-sine pulse (non-operating) .Vibration Tolerance 0.66 g @ RMS (random) (operating) / 1.3 g @ RMS (random) (non-operating) .Display
Type 15.6 in .LCD Backlight Technology WLED backlight .Max Resolution ( HD ) .Widescreen Yes .Image Aspect Ratio 16:9 .Features TrueLife .Audio & Video
Graphics Processor Intel GMA 4500MHD .Memory Allocation Technology Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0 .Camera Yes .Resolution 0.3 Megapixel .Sound Microphone .Input
Type Keyboard,
Touchpad .Communications
Wireless 802.11n .Network Interface 10/100 Ethernet .Battery
Technology 6-cell Lithium ion .Capacity 48 Wh .AC Adapter
Voltage Required AC 120/230 V ( 50 - 60 Hz ) .Output 65 Watt .Connections & Expansion
Slots 1 x PCI Express Half Mini Card ( 1 free ) .Interfaces VGA,
3 x USB 2.0,
LAN,
Headphone output,
Microphone input .Memory Card Reader 3 in 1 card reader ( SD Memory Card ),
( Memory Stick ),
( MultiMediaCard ) .Software
Software Included Microsoft Office 2010 Starter .Microsoft Office Preloaded Includes a pre-loaded image of select Microsoft Office 2010 suites. Purchase an Office 2010 Product Key Card or disc to activate preloaded software on this PC. .Dimensions & Weight
Width 14.9 in .Depth 9.6 in .Height 1.6 in .Weight 6 lbs .Sustainability
Greenpeace policy rating (Nov 2011) 5.1 .Greenpeace policy rating (Nov 2012) 4.6

Where to buy:

dell.com

***********************************************

This is my BEST recommendation ok.

It is a Dell Laptop and meets or beats the required hardware specs and it isn't to much more expensive than the samsung laptop I recommended previously.

The only con I can see is the price .. which may strain ones budget.

Personal Disclosure: I hope this help!

What about F8 while the computer is booting to get to safe mode?

& last resort do an uninstall & wipe the hard drive clean & start fresh.

I got a nasty fake Windows Security virus last year - if you can that far try to download this free antispyware - it actually cleans the pre-boot registry & it's free. It's the only thing that killed the virus.

Good luck

AVAST

reply to post by tinhattribunal


Yeah... I tried this too already :-)

leolady

reply to post by tgidkp


When i got the virus last time... my step-brother recommended a refurbished hard drive which is what is in the computer now. He did it for me. I could always do this again right ?

But...I wouldn't feel confident taking the old drive out and putting in a new one. hahaha

leolady