Urgent help...Huge problem with PC. Please help!

squizza

squizza

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Please please can someone advise.

My dad has updated to Advanced Windows Cleaner 4, and since the computer will not boot up properly, and keeps restarting itself.

What to do?!

Thank you in advance.

Sarah
 
Can you boot to safe mode and do a system restore to the point before it stopped working.
 
What was I saying about Registry Cleaners... :thinking:

What Operating System do you have?
 
sep9001 said:
Can you boot to safe mode and do a system restore to the point before it stopped working.
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Dad can click on the safe mode option (black and white screen) and loads of files come up. It says please wait... then nothing. Restarts itself again.

someguy201 said:
What was I saying about Registry Cleaners... :thinking:

What Operating System do you have?
Click to expand...


Windows Vista 64bit
 
first off what version of windows is it?

if its rebooting in a loop it sounds like its blue screening and the "auto restart" on system failure box is checked.

can you get into safe mode (press F8 before windows starts loading)? if so go into system settings (right click computer) go into advanced and then settings on startup and recovery. untick auto restart. then reboot.

if it blue screens let us know what it says and we can try and help.

edit - maybe not then..
 
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We can't get anything other than a black and white screen with loads of listings of different options to try. Each option just restarts again.
 
Ummm...we've managed to get a BIOS SETUP UTILITY - a grey and blue screen with loads of stuff.
 
When you press F8, do you see Startup Repair/Repair your computer as an option?

If not, you will need a Vista Installation Disc to fix this, do you have one available?
 
someguy201 said:
When you press F8, do you see Startup Repair/Repair your computer as an option?

If not, you will need a Vista Installation Disc to fix this, do you have one available?
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We see a screen that has a list of safe mode options, and start windows normally.

Regarding the disc, we sent our computer to have a fan fitted and went to collect it and they told us that they had broken the motherboard, and had to fix it and gave him a new motherboard and loaded Vista 64 bit on there.
 
from what i can gather from limited info Advanced Windows Cleaner 4 just cleans deleted files, recycle bin, internet history.. doesnt seem to touch the registry? the software vendors website doesnt appear to have the product listed to its hard to say.

so it could just be a coincidence that it happened after a software update.. it may be a hardware fault.

but to rule that out try the repair option when booting from the vista CD.
 
squizza said:
Regarding the disc, we sent our computer to have a fan fitted and went to collect it and they told us that they had broken the motherboard, and had to fix it and gave him a new motherboard and loaded Vista 64 bit on there.
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they loaded a new operating system for a broken motherboard? did you get any of the media or licence key?
 
neil_g said:
first off thats illegal.

you could use that to your advantage and tell them to fix it AND supply you with correct media and licence or youll report them for distributing unlicenced software.
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That would be extremely tempting right now but it has shut down
 
Do you see Last Known Good Configuration in the option of F8 things?

If not, as you can't boot into Safe Mode, and don't have the Recovery Environment pre-installed on the computer, the only way to repair the computer easily is if you manage to get hold of a Vista disc.

You can salvage your files using a Linux Distro, and depending on the program possibly repair the computer if it created backups before hand. Can you link us to the program?

I looked up the program previously, as said the site seems to have taken it off/rebranded it, but I did notice on a few other pages that it had a Windows Optimization/Registry Cleaner function. If the program is the cause, thats the only function of it that I know of that could do the same damage.
 
Unfortunately unless you can get into the Recovery Environment, there isn't much you can do. Trying to repair Windows from inside a Linux distro is complex, and difficult to do unless you know the exact problem.

I would definitely have a moan at whoever repaired it.
 
sounds like as the shop has shut down its going to need a trip to another repair shop..

its going to need at least a new copy of windows purchased (£75 for windows vista 64 approx going on a quick google) plus time taken to repair the OS.
 
might be time to cut your losses - pull the hard drive out of yours, stick it in an enclosure, plug it to another machine and recover your files ( I presume you have another computer as you are posting here)

box only machines are pretty cheap these days , so it might not be worth the cost of getting yours looked at if you can recover your data.
 
That wouldn't be necessary, all you would need is a linux distro. Ubuntu Live CD would work fine for accessing files and backing them up.
 
someguy201 said:
That wouldn't be necessary, all you would need is a linux distro. Ubuntu Live CD would work fine for accessing files and backing them up.
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yeah but how do you load the linux distro when the computer wont stay on long enough to tell it to boot from the CD (on my machine at least the CD isnt a default boot) and it also assumes that its a software issue - if its a hardware fault it wont be stable with linux either...

hence my suggestion to pull out the drive - for every problem an engineering solution , as dilbert says.
 
Squizza

I have a genuine copy of Vista Ultimate 64bit knocking about that I dont use, if I can find it I'll send it to you.

just pm me your address *** I cant find it.
 
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ChrisH said:
Squizza

I have a genuine copy of Vista Ultimate 64bit knocking about that I dont use, if I can find it I'll send it to you.

just pm me your address *** I cant find it.
Click to expand...

That would help with the repair, Although in the long run a new copy would be needed anyway for its licence.
 
Thank you so much Chris, any help is very appreciated.

I'll pm you my address.

:) Thank you everyone for all advice.
 
Errr Neil it's a genuine copy with COA

I had too many problems with drivers for my old kit so decided I couldn't be arsed with it any more. I now run Windoze 7 on all my machines.

Sarah can register it if she wants it never got registered, probably have to ring microsnot to activate it because it will be on a different computer than it was first bought for. Microsnot might wriggle but they will activate it.
 
ChrisH said:
Sarah can register it if she wants it never got registered, probably have to ring microsnot to activate it because it will be on a different computer than it was first bought for. Microsnot might wriggle but they will activate it.
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If it never got registered, it won't have been seen by M$....
 
If it never got registered, it won't have been seen by M$....
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Not true.

Registeration and activation with Microsoft are two totaly seperate things.

It's been activated on my computer so more than likely Sarah will have to activate it by phone.

Registeration is a totaly seperate thing.
 
ChrisH said:
Not true.

Registeration and activation with Microsoft are two totaly seperate things.

It's been activated on my computer so more than likely Sarah will have to activate it by phone.

Registeration is a totaly seperate thing.
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Ahh.. I thought you meant activating. Having said that, I have a copy of Win 7 OEM (I am the OEM!) I moved between PCs and it activated on both of them fine (only one running before anyone says anything ;)).
 
arad85 said:
Ahh.. I thought you meant activating. Having said that, I have a copy of Win 7 OEM (I am the OEM!) I moved between PCs and it activated on both of them fine (only one running before anyone says anything ;)).
Click to expand...

it does seem to depend on what day of the week it is, what the weather is like and what colour underware you have on as to whether the activation goes through on transferred OEM copies to be honest..
 
neil_g said:
it does seem to depend on what day of the week it is, what the weather is like and what colour underware you have on as to whether the activation goes through on transferred OEM copies to be honest..
Click to expand...
I looked into this when I upgraded. Basically, the OEM is responsible for supporting the OS on the hardware so defines what is an acceptable change to make. As I'm the OEM, I can make as many changes to the hardware as I seem fit ;)
 
Slightly different thought - I assume there is no encryption on the laptop / PC ?

I've had myself over in spectacular fashion updating my encrypted laptop...

Assuming its not - sounds like a boot sector issue, which as already mentioned should be fixable via the use of the appropriate Vista disk.

Worst comes to worse...you may need to format and re-install windows.

Do you have anything on the hard drive you really need ? If so, format will remove that information. If this is the case, I would be tempted to get a fresh HDD and install that - then install windows to get up and running.

You might be able to access your old 'broken' HDD seperatly via a drive caddy to retrive the data on it - if you need it. Shouldnt be an expensive solution...£50 for the HDD and say £30 for the drive caddy...

if there is nothing on there you need to salvage and can loose it all....format and re-install might be your way forward.

Hope that helps
 
A futher addition...since Vista is superceeded by Windows 7, I reckon you can probably pick a legit / brand spanking new disk for reasonable money.

Reccomend Win 7 if your in the mood for an upgrade whilst your fixing your problems.
 
squizza said:
Please please can someone advise.

My dad has updated to Advanced Windows Cleaner 4, and since the computer will not boot up properly, and keeps restarting itself.

What to do?!

Thank you in advance.

Sarah
Click to expand...

When you try and boot it into safe mode, what's the last thing on the screen?

Additionally, What happens if you disconnect all the drives except the primary boot drive, and pull all of the cards except the video card?

In the BIOS are there any error handling screens

Is the machine a HP or Packard Bell?
 
Okay thank you for all advice so far guys. We now have the disk, and have put it in the CD drive, and it keeps doing the same. :(

(Thank you for sending the disk Chris) :)

:(
 
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