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Old 12-30-19, 06:15 PM   #1
mapuc
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Default Computer problem

This message is written via my smart tv.
Reason ? Got a good crash earlier today while playing one of my game.
Had to use system recovery(do not have access to translate, so it may not be the right word. In Danish it's called Systemgendannelse)

Well it did its job....until I Wanted to restart my computer.

Every time I try to start my computer it starts with preparing reperation of... and then the next text message pops up after about 5 sec. diagnostic...something and then a blue screen with some option pops up.
Here I have tried to restart several times and some other things. Not things I have no clue about.

Have tried everything, even run a total systemtest and everything was ok.

Seem to be locked in this ..Preparing reperation...diagnostic...blue screen.
So until end of next week I have onlu access to this forum via my tv or until some of you can give me some good advise on how to skip this problem at start-up.

Markus
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Old 12-30-19, 10:14 PM   #2
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Are you sure the word "reperation" is correct, I don't think it is English!!
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Old 12-31-19, 03:59 AM   #3
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I'd recommend starting with a good inspection inside the tower.

For starters, what kind of hardware are you dealing with? Old (four years or older) system? Hard drive(s), SSD(s), or some combination? What's the machine's environment like, dusty, damp, pets nearby?

To inspect the inside of the tower (this may go against a typical tech inspection, but you're only going to be looking for trouble) start by unplugging the the power supply cord at the rear of the tower, if you see a power supply switch turn it off as well.

Set the tower on it's side and remove the screws that hold the side plate in place, then remove the plate. At this point, touch the main frame briefly, this will ground any stray static charge and you and the tower will be grounded to the same potential.

A small flashlight is handy for this step. Closely examine the condition of the mother board and the installed cards (RAM, GPU, etc.). Things to look for are signs of arcing or high heat, dust, cob webs, lint, pet hair, etc. Also check on the mother board for small "can" type capacitors. If the caps look like they have been "over-inflated" and look ready to burst, make note of that. Also look for signs of damage or arcing.
Next, check the cables from the power supply to the mother board. Look for signs of charring and check for good contacts where the cables meet the mother board. A slight push on the connectors may reveal a loose cable. Now is also a good time to inspect all of the cooling fans/heat sinks and clean off any dust.
Next, check how well the RAM and GPU are seated to the mother board. They should feel tightly seated (not loose).
Next, try to get a good look under the mother board and inside the power supply. Look for dust and lint.

If everything looks good, now might be the time to change the battery on the mother board. Its an old field engineer trick that saved my backside many times. Newer mother boards are more immune to a dead battery, but that battery can still cause trouble and you've already got the case opened. Plus, batteries are cheap.

Assuming everything looked good, set up the tower again and plug in the power supply but leave the side cover off. DO NOT TOUCH the mother board or the inside of the tower when the power is applied. Now is also a good time to re-seat all of the connectors to your peripherals (key board, mouse, monitor, wifi dongles, etc.). This might sound dumb, but a bad joystick connector kept me at a customer's house four hours more than it should have.


Start the computer while watching the mother board.

Look and listen for signs of trouble during start-up. If you are running hard drive(s), are they making a ticking sound or a loud "whir" during start up?
Are all of the fans turning and running quietly? If you are running SSD(s), are any small LEDs turning on? Look for signs of obvious trouble.

BTW, work to YOUR level of comfort. If diving into your tower sounds like its over your head, don't try to force the issue.

My gut says you've had a hard drive or SSD failure of some kind but there's no way I would commit to that without seeing the machine start up.
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Old 12-31-19, 12:33 PM   #4
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Thank you so much for giving this advise.

I do not have a stationary computer..not yet.
I'm only a novice I did only what I knew and nothing more.

So it have to be this browser(tv) until end of next week or longer, if theNOy need to keep the computer for a fully repair.

It's not only fixing this ssd-problem-if it is as you wrote. They also have to fix the other problem with my computer-getting these BSOD now and then when playing games(always thread stuck in device driver)

I wonder though if it is this ssd-problems
As mentioned in my first post I ran a complete hardware test on my computer and everything was ok.

My computer spec:
HP Pavilion
17G159NO 17,3

Markus

Last edited by mapuc; 12-31-19 at 12:52 PM.
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Old 12-31-19, 01:04 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ET2SN View Post

My gut says you've had a hard drive or SSD failure of some kind but there's no way I would commit to that without seeing the machine start up.
Indeed! I'm miserable about computer tech; but this sounds like disk failure which my old tower WIN7 machine has been warning me about for a couple of months. It routinely informs 'death is imminent' ... usually in the middle of a Lords of the Realm battle! An overnight stay at the local fixit shop confirmed my hardrive is at stage four decrepitude after ten+ years. They were amazed I was still operational! They proceeded to put all my good pics on a flash drive to load into whatever my new machine will be.(attn Mapuc-do that now! and find a good pro-nerd fixit shop! )
Meanwhile, this Samsung tablet I'm blogging on, that my bride bestowed on me, gets the job done!
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Old 12-31-19, 03:21 PM   #6
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Are you telling me in technical terms, that I should make an appointment with a priest to set a day for a funeral for my computer and go out and find me a new one ?

I will do what you wrote-ask my local computer store to load stuff from my computer I have now onto my new one.


Markus
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Old 12-31-19, 04:05 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MAPUC
Are you telling me in technical terms, that I should make an appointment with a priest to set a day for a funeral for my computer and go out and find me a new one ?

I will do what you wrote-ask my local computer store to load stuff from my computer I have now onto my new one.
MAYBE RAGNAR WAS A DANE...BUT TOO!
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Old 12-31-19, 05:56 PM   #8
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for Aktungbby.

Yeah, I forgot you had a lap top. Let the Pros From Dover handle it.
Definitely invest in a thumb drive or two, they are very cheap insurance for your data. Get your stuff backed up ASAP.

One day soon, we'll have you cloning hard drives and SSDs.
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Old 12-31-19, 06:14 PM   #9
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As mentioned in another thread my next computer will be stationary gaming computer.
I'm saving money to such a machine in the future. Such a gaming computer cost money

Now that I most likely have to buy a new one, it will be a stationary(maybe a midi tower) but no gaming.

It has to be one I can upgrade my hardware in, sometimes in the future.

Markus
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Old 01-01-20, 03:42 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mapuc View Post
Such a gaming computer cost money

Markus
If I can pass on one thing before I snuff it, its this:

Computer hardware, ALL computer hardware, must conform to the same industry standard.
To put it another way, what's the difference between a 20 euro basic motherboard and a 200 euro "gaming" motherboard?



Not much. The basic mobo doesn't have a bunch of LEDs and stickers tacked onto it nor does it have a multi-million euro PR budget behind it to fuel the hype. Yet, both items must conform to the same standard.

In other words, the only real difference is what you paid out.

Remember, we're talking about digital electronics. It either works or it doesn't. If you really need flashing lights to distract you, buy a string of Christmas lights.

I mentioned before, I bought my current desktop about three years ago. I'm running a basic but fast (i3) desktop with a fan-less $40 GPU. Not counting a basic monitor, I have about $400 invested and its still running great with Win 10 64 bit.

If the desktop explodes tomorrow, I'm already ahead of the game.

So please, do me one favor and get past this notion of a "gaming computer".
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Old 01-01-20, 09:47 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mapuc View Post
As mentioned in another thread my next computer will be stationary gaming computer.
I'm saving money to such a machine in the future. Such a gaming computer cost money

Now that I most likely have to buy a new one, it will be a stationary(maybe a midi tower) but no gaming.

It has to be one I can upgrade my hardware in, sometimes in the future.

Markus

Lots of good advice here from ET2SN and Aktung. One thing you never mentioned Markus is what operating system you are using. We have Win 10 on one unit here and it did something similar. If your machine is a Win 10 unit too, I'm wondering if a an update had something to do with your issues.

We had one here do the same thing and I tried restoring it to an earlier time. That didn't work so i ended up restoring the OS from the recovery partition. This did the trick, Markus. The only issue was it didn't save any apps, so, I had to reload them as well.

I think ET2SN was on point but if this doesn't work, consider restoring the OS, from the recovery partition on your hard drive. If it is a hard drive issue, consider a solid state drive as a replacement. ( SSD ) There is software available to migrate your OS and files from the hard drive to the new one.

Let us know how it works out, Markus and of course, We will try to help you through this.


All the best, Markus.
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Old 01-01-20, 01:17 PM   #12
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Thank you so muich for your technical input and help.

I'm a novice-meaning I need a pro to do those things you have mentioned.

I'm not interest in a computer with lots of flashing lights
I'm interested in a computer who are able to pull some of the latest games who have been released last year or year before, and to do so I have TO add the word gaming in front of the word computer, when searching for such a computer here in Denmark.

I have also discovered that our local computer store is open tomorrow, so I will take a trip to my neighbour town and have a chat with them.

I hope they can restore my computer and fix this ongoing stopcode(thread stuck in device driver)almost everytime I play games.
Even if it means to format the computer back to square one
Or a new cheap computer have to do

Markus
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Old 01-01-20, 04:25 PM   #13
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That's why I wish you would steer clear of the word "gaming".

Having a "gaming rig" was important in 2005-10. Now, modern hardware and the OS is very stout and you already get a lot of "bang for the buck" in the basics.

Don't commit to buying a desktop until you have a good idea of what you need. Check out monitors before you start to build your system specs. I use a 22 inch by 13 inch flat panel display that runs at 1920 by 1080 pixel resolution. I don't need a graphics card/GPU for this set up with my current CPU. I have one because the card has better display options. By the way, monitors tend to be bullet proof so plan on yours having at least a ten year life span. In other words, put some time into picking out your monitor. If you look at larger monitors that run at "4K" graphics, then you'll need a better quality GPU. If you're thinking about VR down the road, you need even more power.

The CPU you wind up with is also very important. Time is on your side in this area. The current CPUs on new systems tend to run in the 4, 4.5, and 5 Gigahertz range in terms of clock speed. That includes the low budget chips, so take a moment to smile because that's a REALLY good thing.
You have two options on your CPU in terms of brands, Intel and AMD. Either one will last a long time, at least five years.
At some point you'll hear about "cores and threads" with Intel CPUs. AMD is similar but they call them different things- kind of. Cores and threads can be important depending on what kind of work load you plan to have. The top-end i7 and i9 CPUs can have somewhere around 18 processor cores, which is total over-kill unless you're planning to multi-task a LOT of things all the time.
So, now is a good time to consider what you'll really be doing with your desktop. If you'd be happy playing a game while streaming it out to Twitch or YouTube while you run a chat room while you're watching a movie while you're listening to music while you're at work, you'll need a higher core CPU. To put this in perspective, the vast majority of games that are available now use one core. My bargain basement i3 CPU (which I don't think is even available anymore) has four cores and I've never seen all four in use.

The Intel i5 series of CPUs (and their AMD equivalents) is now considered as a bargain CPU (meaning cheap) and they are very stout in terms of speed and life span. If you have to choose between a higher clock speed or higher core count, always go for clock speed. That may change by 2030, but I doubt it.

So, yeah. There's a lot to know. The basics for now-

-Pick your monitor first. Plan out your system (especially your GPU or graphics card) based on your display. Monitor resolution and size will add exponentially to your total bill as those metrics increase. Besides, do you really need a one meter wide 4K monitor (assuming you aren't broadcasting to the rest of your neighborhood)?

-Understand that VR is still very young tech. It needs a lot more improvement assuming the whole idea doesn't get shelved. Think about VR another way, VR is neat if you enjoy sitting on your couch while you're wearing a full-face helmet.

-Its much easier to find new bargain desktops now than a couple of years ago. Use this to your advantage. Consider pre-built work or student based computers and desktop/monitor "bundle" deals. Consider "big box" bargain stores or on-line (Amazon) as well as specialty shops. If the big Aldi store is moving 100 desktop/monitor bundles a day, there must be a good reason why. Take into consideration that pre-built systems will already have an operating system installed (its already paid for).

-Speaking of operating systems, if you have the choice between a 32-bit system or a 64-bit system, go with 64-bit. Its more stable. IMO, if you have the choice between Win10 and Win7, bite the bullet and go with Win10.
If you aren't already used to using it, the first week may be a little frustrating but you'll get used to it faster than moving from a lap top keyboard to a real, manly keyboard.

-"Future proofing" is a bit of a red herring. Bargain systems with a current OS will be fine for at least another five years. Game developers are still working on single-CPU-core titles. For a good reason.
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Old 01-02-20, 05:57 AM   #14
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I must chip in here.

ET2SN is right in that "gaming" often is used as an advertising stunt to justify higher prices of a given hardware. He correctly said that all technology in a PC must comply with certain standards, and since every item must meet these standards, it does not matter whether it is labelled as "for gaming" or not.

But that is about one quality only: compatability.

There is another one: durability. That can be affected by single 5-cent-components on a PC card, by a single switch, by the material that is used for building a piece of something. Durablity also refers to the effects that can influence the longevity of the system, namely what increases or decreases heat levels. Finally: product design (chip architecture for example) , and production quality both affect durability.

These factors, which come in a multiude of variations, should be taken into account. And learning about the features of a given piece of hardware the cusotmer eyes, is what makes putting together your next system a bit time-consuming, because you need to do some research. Some mainboards can have flaws right out of the factory. Or they comply with the standards demanded, and still suffer from bad firmwares in the first months, triggering instable systems. That the first generation of a new mainboard standard is messy, is quite common now, it seems to me. The cooling system: which noise level, which efficiency, and what fits into what tower size? Is the airflow still good enough, or will you end up having ten degrees more on average than was necessary, which will put a dent into longevity of the overall system? The graphics board, different companies build different cards with one and the same basic chipset - and he card of the one supplier perfomrs slightly better and still stays a bit cooler, than that of the other. Or a slightly improved version of the card: The asus 1080 TI OC with 13 GB for exmaple is known to perfomr better than the normal 1080TI non-OC - and stays a cooler nevertheless.

So, compatability is to be taken for granted, i agree. But still there is different levels of quality to be found. These do not automatically come with the label of "for gaming", however.

One word of advise: check the RAM bars you end up with, run full (=time-consuming) RAM tests with them, individually. i know its a pain in the azz, but the ammount of erratic RAM leaving the factory, no matter the brand, is hilarious. In my current system, replacing and also increaisng my RAM had me going through 10 bars - 5 of which showed to be broken while being new. My then new system was already delivered with broken RAM, I later found out. In winter 2017, when I bought my system, the status was that experts estimated 35-45% of the produced RAM Bars and chips of any kind (SD cards, USB sticks) being erratic and technically flawed. The producers definitely do not have full control over their quality assurance there. I would also test any SSD throughly. RAM bars are an item to buy that is very high-ranking of my risks-list.



I recall times when it was exciting and fun to buy a new system. To me at least that is no more. Its a burden. My last system before the current one lasted for almost 7 years, and I still would use it if it would not have become techncially unreliable (breaking apart): not for VR, but else: the performance was enizgh for my gaming needs. My current one now is 2 years 2 months old. I hope and expect and demand it to last as long, with the excpetion of the graphcis card, maybe, or the HD/SSD. Dont they know we live in times of progress? Progress it is not if stuff you produce lasts shorter and shorter.
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Old 01-02-20, 10:02 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skybird View Post

There is another one: durability. That can be affected by single 5-cent-components on a PC card, by a single switch, by the material that is used for building a piece of something. Durablity also refers to the effects that can influence the longevity of the system, namely what increases or decreases heat levels. Finally: product design (chip architecture for example) , and production quality both affect durability.



One word of advise: check the RAM bars you end up with, run full (=time-consuming) RAM tests with them, individually. i know its a pain in the azz, but the ammount of erratic RAM leaving the factory, no matter the brand, is hilarious. In my current system, replacing and also increaisng my RAM had me going through 10 bars - 5 of which showed to be broken while being new. My then new system was already delivered with broken RAM, I later found out. In winter 2017, when I bought my system, the status was that experts estimated 35-45% of the produced RAM Bars and chips of any kind (SD cards, USB sticks) being erratic and technically flawed. The producers definitely do not have full control over their quality assurance there. I would also test any SSD throughly. RAM bars are an item to buy that is very high-ranking of my risks-list.



I recall times when it was exciting and fun to buy a new system. To me at least that is no more. Its a burden. My last system before the current one lasted for almost 7 years, and I still would use it if it would not have become techncially unreliable (breaking apart): not for VR, but else: the performance was enizgh for my gaming needs. My current one now is 2 years 2 months old. I hope and expect and demand it to last as long, with the excpetion of the graphcis card, maybe, or the HD/SSD. Dont they know we live in times of progress? Progress it is not if stuff you produce lasts shorter and shorter.

Believe me,we're on the same page here.

I look for a desktop to have a minimum five year life span. My last tower ran for eight years before I bought a replacement (and its still sitting in a closet in case I need to borrow some parts).

If I bought a 1070 or 1080 series GPU for the current rig, I could never fall asleep. I'd be worried the GPU would call a cab so it could move in with a richer family.

All kidding aside, parts that use a lot more power can be tricky.

More power equals more heat which you'll have to deal with in terms of cooling. More heat also means that someone is going to have to pay for that extra power (in a bill at the end of the month).

One of the things that makes me cringe is seeing a big tower full of top-line hardware sitting on the floor because it sounds like an industrial plant. Trust me, towers hate sitting on the floor or, worse yet, on a carpet.

In my case, I play old games. That's why I really don't need a GPU.
I run flight sim (2002) with the frame rate locked at 60 FPS. I see online where folks are perfectly happy with 20 or 30 FPS and I don't get it.
Running at 30 FPS would tell me something is wrong on my system.
I pulled up the display numbers for Dangerous Waters on this rig only once. It was reporting something over 250 FPS so I figured that was good enough.

Would I trade 30 FPS for a 4K display? Man, it would really have to knock my socks off to consider it. For the record, I've never played a game on an XBox or Playstation so I never had to get used to 20 FPS.

With RAM, yeah its tricky. My current rig shipped with a single 8 gig stick and I started to worry about what would happen if it failed (this was more of a supply problem). The system ran fine on 8 gigs and I tried it with 16 Gigs and didn't see much to write about, so the new stick is back in its box and sitting on the shelf in case its ever needed.
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