Self-Testing on a PC running Win 10

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around troubleshooting power-related issues on a Windows 10 PC, specifically focusing on a user's experience with an old HP15 laptop. Participants explore potential causes, including hardware malfunctions and software errors, while examining diagnostic tools and logs.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suspects a malfunctioning power supply unit (PSU) may be the cause of the shutdowns.
  • Another suggests using Event Viewer to identify any recorded errors or events leading up to the shutdowns, emphasizing the importance of focusing on errors marked with a red icon.
  • There is a discussion about the age of the laptop and its upgrade history, with some noting that older computers may be more prone to hardware issues.
  • A participant mentions a specific error related to SQL Server that appears to correlate with the shutdowns, raising questions about its relevance to the power issues.
  • Another participant argues that the errors logged in the applications may not be related to the hardware shutdowns, suggesting that the problem is likely hardware-related.
  • Concerns are raised about potential overheating issues, with some participants suggesting that system logs might indicate temperature problems.
  • One participant inquires whether any recent hardware changes, such as a new battery, could be linked to the onset of the issues.
  • Another participant notes that the problems were present before the battery change but briefly improved afterward, indicating a complex relationship between the hardware and the symptoms.
  • There is a suggestion to check the BIOS for CPU temperature monitoring as a potential diagnostic step.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether the issues are primarily hardware or software-related. While some focus on the significance of logged errors, others maintain that the shutdowns are indicative of hardware failure. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing perspectives on the root cause of the problem.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the limitations of their diagnostic approaches, noting that some errors are not clearly understandable and that the relationship between software errors and hardware failures is not straightforward. There is also uncertainty regarding the previous operating system and the laptop's history.

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  • #32
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  • #34
WWGD said:
Do you own a Mac, or do you use Linux?

Neither . I would like to learn to use Linux but haven't made that plunge.
Still running an old Asusz laptop i bought in 2012 with Windows 7

It's somewhat of a comfortable old jalopy now, like Hans Solo's Millenium Falcon.

old jim
 
  • #35
WWGD said:
I have a few more output files if these can be helpful:
1)bootfailure.txt
2)bootstat.dat ( what do you open a .dat with? Dis or dat ? ;).
3)Diagnosticlayout.txt
4)bcdinfo.txt
5)Srttrail.txt
Please let me know
None of these is likely to be helpful if the problem is a bad or intermittent power supply. I think you said earlier that you were going to take it to have somebody look at the computer, and particularly the power supply. If that is the problem, none of the Windows diagnostics test are going to tell you anything useful.
WWGD said:
Came out pretty jumbled with notepad : @K›ç3~èŠÅë”Kab/
It is likely a binary file, not meant to be human readable, but instead to be input data to some other program.
I did a search for "what is bootstat.dat" and this is the first thing that came up:
According to Bleeping Computer, bootstat.dat is a Windows system log file that allows the computer to determine if the last boot was successful or not. Since this file is part of the Windows system itself, it should not be interacted with by normal users and you should simply leave it alone.

WWGD said:
As I understand it, the problem is all the kludges Minisoft uses to be able to be all things to all people.
If you're talking about the fact that the .dat file was unreadable, see the above. It's a fact that Microsoft pulls some lulus from time to time (e.g., Windows Vista and IMO, Windows 8), but Windows didn't scramble that file.
 
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  • #36
WWGD said:
I have read, heard that motherboards from HP (my PC brand) do not age well. I bought it on 2015, so that may explain it.
And you said earlier, that it was used when you bought it. Do you have any idea when it was manufactured?

Regarding motherboard lifespan, I don't know if there are problems with longevity of HP laptop motherboards, but I don't think this is true of the desktop computers. The computer I'm using right now is an HP Pavilion that I bought in 2013. I have had exactly zero trouble with it, and I use it pretty heavily.
 
  • #37
Mark44 said:
And you said earlier, that it was used when you bought it. Do you have any idea when it was manufactured?

Regarding motherboard lifespan, I don't know if there are problems with longevity of HP laptop motherboards, but I don't think this is true of the desktop computers. The computer I'm using right now is an HP Pavilion that I bought in 2013. I have had exactly zero trouble with it, and I use it pretty heavily.
Yes, my bad, I had considered trying in a new battery , but I have been running around too much. But I need internet but I don't have access at home ( using phone as hotspot creates a new set of problems) so a desktop is not a viable option now. Thanks for your patience, follow-up.
 
  • #38
WWGD said:
Root cause found:
---------------------------
Boot critical file c:\efi\microsoft\boot\resources\custom\bootres.dll is corrupt.

I'd search on "corrupted bootres.dll" and see how other folks have fixed it.

My computer finds mine via the search bar, then click "Properties"
upload_2019-3-7_15-36-52.png
and says it's not been modified since the Big Bang.
and clicking "Security" reports that only a 'trusted installer' has permission to write to it. Even System is blocked.

So if yours is corrupted
i'd suspect either malware or disk hardware error .

Maybe your local computer gurus could find an uncorrupted version and replace it ??

old jim
 

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  • #39
WWGD said:
Boot critical file c:\efi\microsoft\boot\resources\custom\bootres.dll is corrupt.
Sorry, I missed this line from back in post #27. That was a fairly long list, and I didn't read it carefully.

jim hardy said:
I'd search on "corrupted bootres.dll" and see how other folks have fixed it.
That's a good idea.

jim hardy said:
So if yours is corrupted
i'd suspect either malware or disk hardware error .

Maybe your local computer gurus could find an uncorrupted version and replace it ??
I found this Microsoft site -- https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...otresdll/1f44a1c7-2857-474f-8a7a-7eb01a86e005 -- which has a number of good suggestions, one of which is to reinstall the OS. Replacing bootres.dll seems to be a pretty dicey operation -- the replacement needs to be the same version as the one it's replacing, according to the page I linked to.

Here's a link to a page that describes doing a repair upgrade to Win10 -- https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...-windows/35160fbe-9352-4e70-9887-f40096ec3085
 
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  • #40
Sounds worth a try.

Worst it can do is make the machine into a bookend.

My last resort
terminated-jpg.jpg
 

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  • #41
"My last resort "

Yup, that's the fix for when 'Ctrl-Alt-Del' just won't cut it...
 
  • #42
Nik_2213 said:
Yup, that's the fix for when 'Ctrl-Alt-Del' just won't cut it...
Yup. Nemesis has her following...
 
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  • #43
That keyboard is actually flat, it's just designed like that to stop you typing too fast.
 
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  • #44
To determine whether it's a hardware problem, you might try booting from a source other than the internal HDD, e.g. a CD or a USB drive -- if you continue to encounter the symptom you described, that pretty much rules out the OS.

Regarding the problem as described, I would suspect power supply, RAM, overheating, or maybe a bad power or reset switch.

You can use a free monitoring toolset such as (e.g) cpu-z (https://www.cpuid.com/downloads/cpu-z/cpu-z_1.87-en.zip) or hwinfo (https://www.hwinfo.com/files/hwi_602.zip) to check the temps.
 
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  • #45

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