OT - Pc wont boot - dreaded blue screen issues - calling all IT bods!!

[Stu]

The other day when downloading a torrent file, my pc froze. So rebooted and got the blue screen.

It does this everytime and windows xp will not start. Its a dell pc and ive tried all the options which stem from pressing f2, f12 and f8. None of the start in safe mode options etc do not work.

Ive scanned the pc with some software that dell must install in the partition, but it always scans and says every test has been passed.

I suspect its a virus but i dont know how to get back into windows and keep all my files.

the message specifics displayed on the blue screen read:

STOP:0x0000008E ( 0xc0000005, 0xbf803eb6, 0xa97ff7c4, 0x00000000)

Win32k.sys - Address BF803EB6 base at BF800000, Datestamp 47e0e106


Ive checked this all on google and the microsoft website and i cant figure out anything which tells how to get past the blue screen and into windows!!

Any help would be greatly appreciated as im out of my depth!!

(ps - i installed some new ram about 4 months ago and it has been ok - ive tried removing this and rebooting but the blue screen persists)


Thanks and sorry for a mammoth post

Stu

 

[Wimmy]

Torrents .... grrrr. Exactly why I dont do it.

However, do you have a Windows disc? If so, place the windows disc in at boot up and see if you can do a repair (may need to access your BIOS at boot up to change 1st boot device to CD ROM)

 

[Joske]

I was gonna say, go on torrent and download a certain program that will start windows from a CD incase a virus has corrupted windows on the primary partition, but i guess thats out the window.

Anyway if you can get it there are also many similar programs but i have "Spotmau PowerSuite 2008 Professional Wincare" which will restore, repair, start your pc if anything has gone t*ts up with it on the software side of things.

Atleast you can remove all your data from the hard disk then either reinstall windows or repair knowing your work is safe.

Have you tried running your windows disc and doing a repair?

 

[Joske]

Can you go into your BIOS? Can you see the RAM? Try swapping the RAM round. Does your PC do a full system BIOs check at the start.

It could be a corrupt win32k.sys file, but renaming it to .old and then rebooting a new clean win32k.sys should appear so im guess it could be hardware related.

After the torrent downloaded, did you run it, then it automatically rebooted and blue screen or death or what. Or was it like 15 mins later?

If you wanna share what exact torrent it was i could check it out for ya? To rule out it being the torrent and more of a hardware fault.

 

[Anonymous]

"The other day when downloading a torrent file, my pc froze"

By the sounds of it the download didn't finish...

 

[Ian]

"The other day when downloading a torrent file, my pc froze"

By the sounds of it the download didn't finish...


What an idiotic thing to say.

 

[Ian]

I will put money on it not being the torrent file that's the cause of the problem. Unless the file had been 100% downloaded and executed, then it's impossible for it to be the cause of your BSoD.

That's like saying you've just installed Windows with only half a CD full of Windows files. It'll never work.

 

[Stu]

thanks for the replies lads,

i dont actually have a windows disc as dell didnt send me one, i have a bit of card with a picture of a blue disc which says - "no startup disc because the pc can be restored without it"

this is funny because i cant!!

I think i can get in touch and get them to send one - which i will do.

Is there anyway of me getting into command prompt and changing the win32k.sys file myself? would that work?

Stu

 

[Stu]

with regards to the blue screen, pc froze, i restarted it, and hey presto - blue screen.

He been with me for the last week

 

[Wimmy]

i dont actually have a windows disc as dell didnt send me one, i have a bit of card with a picture of a blue disc which says - "no startup disc because the pc can be restored without it"
Right - your start up disc will be on the hard drive on a different partition. If you access this partition you may be ableto reload windows keeping yourexisting files there. Check your dell manuals for how to access. It should be one of the keys pressed during the BIOS loading when you switch on

 

[Phill]

First thing I would do, is remove the hdd, and plug it up as a slave to another machine, to save your data. then I'd do a fresh install of windows.

You can try all these repair options, but to be hoenst, they dont work very well.

like has been said. you should have a recovery partition on the machine, which can normally be accessed by pressing a certain key at boot up.. (make that, tapping, not pressing. keep tapping it from the moment you turn it on, until it kicks in)

tell us the model number and we can help you further as to which key it is. - assuming the partition is still there, and you've not had someone reinstall windows at a previous date, (and removed the partition by accident)

alternatively, if you cannot get the restore partition to work, you'd be looking at buying a copy of windows. windows xp can be picked up for around £50 online (http://www.ebuyer.com/product/114048) or closer to £90 on the highstreet.

let us know how you get on.

 

[Allan Wall]

re

I think Ians on the money, the downloading a torrent is probably a coincidence, and it froze because of whatever caused the blue screen.

Wimmy is also right, one of the Fkeys when starting up should take youto a boot menu and one of the options shoudl be a utility partition or system restore or something.


if its like the dells we've had its probably the HDD dead, so you may re-install ok but to be safe i'd get a new HDD

Allan

 

[pc doc]

dont Dells use the system recovery on board, access by pressing Ctrl + F12 or F10 (depends what they set it to on bios)

also best tip phil, but you can (if you had the orig oem disc) reload windows, BUT keep all existing files n folders. not much help knowing that without the disc though.live n learn, always make a recovery disc and make extra partition for a back-up.

 

[AlexW]

Fit a second hard disk that has any flavour of Windows loaded on it. Disconnect your existing hd.

Go into your Bios and select it as the first boot device. Make sure everything is tickety-boo by starting up.

Shut down the pc, re-connect the original hd. Start up and you should boot to the second disk and be able to see the original in My Computer. You will then be able to copy any files/folders and may be able to do some repair work such as run repair discs etc.

I keep a small 20gb disk as standby for just such occassions.