What the crap is wrong with my computer?

[Shackleford]

I used a program to scan for viruses and what not and it needed to restart to remove the handful of items it found. Now, a damn blue screen shows up and says "A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer

Recommends checking to see if I have adequate disk space, disable a problem driver if it's listed, disable caching or shadowing, etc.

It says some more crap and lists some "Technical Information" at the bottom of the screen. I tried to restart in Safe Mode, but it still says the same thing.

Technical information:

STOP: and it has five alphanumerics

dmio.sys - Address alphanumeric base at alphanumeric, DateStamp alphanumeric

 

[waht]

Congratulations, you've got the famous blue screen of death.

It means that there was a fatal error that crashed the kernel. It could be caused by either/or a combination of viruses, corrupted files, drivers, or registry information that has been messed with by other programs.

Sometimes this could be fixed with a recovery CD, but in most cases it's better to reinstall the operation system.

 

[Shackleford]

Congratulations, you've got the famous blue screen of death.

What does that mean? Can I at least retrieve my data if I have to reformat?

 

[waht]

What does that mean?

No pun intended. It's just that it happens often.

Can I at least retrieve my data if I have to reformat?

Yes you can, and there is many ways to do it. The simplest way these days is to boot another OS from either a CD or a USB stick and back up your data there.

 

[Shackleford]

No pun intended. It's just that it happens often.



Yes you can, and there is many ways to do it. The simplest way these days is to boot another OS from either a CD or a USB stick and back up your data there.

I've never actually had to do this, so I might need some help or at least point me to a good online tutorial. I think my bother has a Vista (ew) Business CD I can use, but I'm not sure if I can install it on my computer since he put it on his desktop.

 

[Shackleford]

My brother has a Drivers and Applications DVD. It says designed for Windows 2000, XP, and Vista. Could I use this to repair it?

 

[waht]

My brother has a Drivers and Applications DVD. It says designed for Windows 2000, XP, and Vista. Could I use this to repair it?

Not really, the Drivers and Application is for a working windows. Try looking for a recovery CD. It should come with the computer also.

 

[Shackleford]

Not really, the Drivers and Application is for a working windows. Try looking for a recovery CD. It should come with the computer also.

Let's just say I don't have one of those. *coughTinyXPcough*

 

[Andy Resnick]

I used a program to scan for viruses and what not and it needed to restart to remove the handful of items it found. Now, a damn blue screen shows up and says "A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer

Recommends checking to see if I have adequate disk space, disable a problem driver if it's listed, disable caching or shadowing, etc.

It says some more crap and lists some "Technical Information" at the bottom of the screen. I tried to restart in Safe Mode, but it still says the same thing.

I had a similar problem several months ago. Our tech (who ultimately saved my a$$) said that some viruses, when they realize they are in the trash, nuke the system.

What he did was remove the hard drive, take it over to a clean computer, and ran the virus scan on the bad drive. We had to do a little bit more, but I forget exactly what- like re-install the boot sector.

Alternatively, I could have taken all the data off the drive, and re-formatted the thing. I got lucky, I suppose.

Good luck...

 

[Shackleford]

I had a similar problem several months ago. Our tech (who ultimately saved my a$$) said that some viruses, when they realize they are in the trash, nuke the system.

What he did was remove the hard drive, take it over to a clean computer, and ran the virus scan on the bad drive. We had to do a little bit more, but I forget exactly what- like re-install the boot sector.

Alternatively, I could have taken all the data off the drive, and re-formatted the thing. I got lucky, I suppose.

Good luck...

My brother's desktop actually has some viruses, too. lol. I'm doing a Kaspersky full-system on his like almost-500 GB harddrive, so I'm not sure I should hook it up there. I've also never had to setup a slave harddrive or do much of anything like that. He says he's going to buy Windows 7 Ultimate. I wonder if I could find something online that could remedy my problem.

 

[Wellesley]

An alternative to slaving the hard drive to another computer is to use a cable like this and backup all your data: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812816014

If you plug your hard drive in, you can access it much like a USB flash drive.

Then reinstall your operating system. If you've got the COA on the bottom of the computer, you can use anyone's install disc as long as you input your product key (from the COA).

If you want to try an repair it without reinstalling the OS, you need to provide more info from the blue screen you get. Try typing the error code it into Google and see what you get. It has helped me in the past.

Good luck...

 

[Shackleford]

An alternative to slaving the hard drive to another computer is to use a cable like this and backup all your data: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812816014

If you plug your hard drive in, you can access it much like a USB flash drive.

Then reinstall your operating system. If you've got the COA on the bottom of the computer, you can use anyone's install disc as long as you input your product key (from the COA).

If you want to try an repair it without reinstalling the OS, you need to provide more info from the blue screen you get. Try typing the error code it into Google and see what you get. It has helped me in the past.

Good luck...

I think my brother might have something like that. I need to go look. Also, it seems the important thing is the dmio.sys thing down at the bottom. According to the google search, some said it was a bad RAM issue or something like that. They recommend powering everything down, cleaning out the case, and unplugging and replugging everything back in. I suppose I could try that.

 

[Shackleford]

Anyone familiar with Knoppix Live?

 

[Wellesley]

Anyone familiar with Knoppix Live?

Linux boot CD? From their website, it looks like it will work. I've never tried it before though.

If you can find an OS install CD or another computer (to slave the bad hard drive to), I would these first. But if you can't I would definitely give Knoppix a shot. It seems pretty simple to use, except it might take a while to download (700MB).

I'd be willing to bet that your problem isn't a RAM issue (unless you've installed or replaced your RAM lately)...

You might have already been on this site before, it suggests Knippix as well:
http://forums.techguy.org/windows-xp/659639-accursed-blue-screen-death-ahhhhh.html

 

[Shackleford]

Linux boot CD? From their website, it looks like it will work. I've never tried it before though.

If you can find an OS install CD or another computer (to slave the bad hard drive to), I would these first. But if you can't I would definitely give Knoppix a shot. It seems pretty simple to use, except it might take a while to download (700MB).

I'd be willing to bet that your problem isn't a RAM issue (unless you've installed or replaced your RAM lately)...

You might have already been on this site before, it suggests Knippix as well:
http://forums.techguy.org/windows-xp/659639-accursed-blue-screen-death-ahhhhh.html

I might be able to make it a slave on my brother's desktop. How do I make it a slave drive, though? lol.

 

[Wellesley]

I might be able to make it a slave on my brother's desktop. How do I make it a slave drive, though? lol.

You are working with a desktop (3.5" HD) right?

If this is a laptop, you need to get one of those USB connections.

This looks like a pretty good tutorial for a 3.5" HD:
http://www.wikihow.com/Add-an-Extra-Hard-Drive

Basically, you just need to make sure the pins are switched to the "slave" position. Connect an unused power cable to the HD, check your BIOS (to make sure the salve will be recognized), and boot the computer.

If I were you, I would not install the slaved HD into the tower. It'll make your life easier, if you just leave the tower open and backup your files. This way, you don't have to fight all the wires, pulling the hard drives in and out.

 

[Shackleford]

You are working with a desktop (3.5" HD) right?

If this is a laptop, you need to get one of those USB connections.

This looks like a pretty good tutorial for a 3.5" HD:
http://www.wikihow.com/Add-an-Extra-Hard-Drive

Basically, you just need to make sure the pins are switched to the "slave" position. Connect an unused power cable to the HD, check your BIOS (to make sure the salve will be recognized), and boot the computer.

If I were you, I would not install the slaved HD into the tower. It'll make your life easier, if you just leave the tower open and backup your files. This way, you don't have to fight all the wires, pulling the hard drives in and out.

Well, I'm on my brother's laptop right now. It would be easier to use that HDD IDE/SATA USB adapter. Do they have those at like a Best Buy or Wal-Mart? I also found an unopened copy of XP Pro SP2 for $35. I might pick that up today.

 

[Wellesley]

Well, I'm on my brother's laptop right now. It would be easier to use that HDD IDE/SATA USB adapter. Do they have those at like a Best Buy or Wal-Mart? I also found an unopened copy of XP Pro SP2 for $35. I might pick that up today.

If your brother has a laptop, you'll need an adapter. I'm Best Buy has them, although it might be a little more pricey. Any computer store (maybe not Walmart) will have them.

Out of curiosity, what brand is either of your computers? I have a Dell Laptop that didn't come with restore discs (XP Pro install CDs). I went on Dell's website, and they sent me a set for free. It might be worth a shot. You only need the CDs, not the product key on a new set.

 

[pallidin]

The person who mentioned Knoppix Live Cd is correct.

This will tell you if it is an issue other than the hard drive, as a Knoppix Live CD used correctly loads into RAM, bypassing the hard drive OS loading.

If Knoppiix fails, likely a RAM problem(or other motherboard issue)

I use Knoppix and other live CD's very often. They can be very helpful, and will also allow me to pull files off the HD if necessary. Of course, the computer must be set(through BIOS) to boot from CD before HD.

 

[Shackleford]

Well, I have Hirens USB boot thing, but I don't have a damn idea on how to create a new partition. It already first boots from the USB, but I'm not sure what to do after that. I've played around with a few of the listed programs, and they install drivers, but I don't know what it's doing.

 

[Wellesley]

Well, I have Hirens USB boot thing, but I don't have a damn idea on how to create a new partition. It already first boots from the USB, but I'm not sure what to do after that. I've played around with a few of the listed programs, and they install drivers, but I don't know what it's doing.

First off, I don't think you need to create a new partition. IF you just want to back up your My Documents, etc. you can just pull them off via a USB drive, onto your brother's laptop.

If you want to create, an image of the hard drive, I'm not exactly sure how to do that. You might need to do some research with Google. I'm sure there are freeware programs out there, I'm just not sure how to do it. You might want to check out the programs included with the ultimate boot cd (Freeware).After that, you're left with two options, both of them requiring an XP boot CD.

Hope this helps!

 

[Shackleford]

First off, I don't think you need to create a new partition. IF you just want to back up your My Documents, etc. you can just pull them off via a USB drive, onto your brother's laptop.

If you want to create, an image of the hard drive, I'm not exactly sure how to do that. You might need to do some research with Google. I'm sure there are freeware programs out there, I'm just not sure how to do it. You might want to check out the programs included with the ultimate boot cd (Freeware).


After that, you're left with two options, both of them requiring an XP boot CD.

Hope this helps!

Yeah. He finally found the adapter, and I'm right now backing up my data onto his laptop. Whew. I burned a Tiny7 CD earlier, so I guess now I can reformat my harddrive after I've backed everything up. Is there a way I can do that in Setup? Remember, I can't even get into Safe Mode.

 

[Wellesley]

Yeah. He finally found the adapter, and I'm right now backing up my data onto his laptop. Whew. I burned a Tiny7 CD earlier, so I guess now I can reformat my harddrive after I've backed everything up. Is there a way I can do that in Setup? Remember, I can't even get into Safe Mode.

There are plenty of ways to reformat your HD. I've used DBAN in the past, but that is only before I sell the computer (or get rid of it).

Did you find a XP setup CD? If so, you can just format the HD during the setup (I'm not sure if that's the setup you were talking about). I wouldn't create a new partition, just delete the old, and format. You don't need to access safe mode, if you've got the XP setup CD

Then you should be good to go!

 

[Shackleford]

There are plenty of ways to reformat your HD. I've used DBAN in the past, but that is only before I sell the computer (or get rid of it).

Did you find a XP setup CD? If so, you can just format the HD during the setup (I'm not sure if that's the setup you were talking about). I wouldn't create a new partition, just delete the old, and format. You don't need to access safe mode, if you've got the XP setup CD

Then you should be good to go!

Well, I burned a Tiny7 CD, not an XP setup CD. I'm not sure if I'll get the option to delete the existing partition with the Tiny7 CD, but I'll get to see in a little bit.

 

[Wellesley]

Well, I burned a Tiny7 CD, not an XP setup CD. I'm not sure if I'll get the option to delete the existing partition with the Tiny7 CD, but I'll get to see in a little bit.

If you want Tiny7 on the computer, it should give you a prompt to format the existing hard drive (if the setup is anything like XP).

 

[Shackleford]

Thanks for all the help, guys.

I was able to successfully install Tiny7 and deleted the old partition. I'm up and running, online, etc. Now, I'm just trying to gather all the necessary drivers for my motherboard. My audio and video cards are integrated. I downloaded the driver set from Foxconn, but when I went to extract them, it said a bunch of files were corrupted. I'm also trying to hunt down a driver for my Acer X193W monitor.

http://www.foxconnsupport.com/downl...01&series=en-us0000002&keywords=&sort=Drivers

 

[pallidin]

Remember, I can't even get into Safe Mode.

This is one of two things. File system corruption on the HD or HD/motherboard failure.
Running a Live CD/USB help's isolate the problem.

If the Live CD/USB works fine(with or without internet connectivity) the problem is NOT hardware related. As a tech myself, I would first ask if the Live CD/USB worked OK with respect to now having a stable system(though different OS, of course).
If it does not, your issue is either viruses or hardware failure.

I can go much further, but I need to know how well your Live CD/USB was able to work.

 

[Shackleford]

This is one of two things. File system corruption on the HD or HD/motherboard failure.
Running a Live CD/USB help's isolate the problem.

If the Live CD/USB works fine(with or without internet connectivity) the problem is NOT hardware related. As a tech myself, I would first ask if the Live CD/USB worked OK with respect to now having a stable system(though different OS, of course).
If it does not, your issue is either viruses or hardware failure.

I can go much further, but I need to know how well your Live CD/USB was able to work.

Sorry. I forgot to clarify in my last post exactly where I am now. I was able to backup everything from the USB-HDD adapter last night. I then installed Tiny7.

 

[Wellesley]

Thanks for all the help, guys.

I was able to successfully install Tiny7 and deleted the old partition. I'm up and running, online, etc. Now, I'm just trying to gather all the necessary drivers for my motherboard. My audio and video cards are integrated. I downloaded the driver set from Foxconn, but when I went to extract them, it said a bunch of files were corrupted. I'm also trying to hunt down a driver for my Acer X193W monitor.

http://www.foxconnsupport.com/downl...01&series=en-us0000002&keywords=&sort=Drivers

I would try and download the drivers from another site then. The download may have become corrupted somehow. Try again, and see what happens.

Are you sure you need a driver for the monitor? If it works, I don't see a reason to have one. You may need one for your graphics card, but that's it.

 

[Shackleford]

I would try and download the drivers from another site then. The download may have become corrupted somehow. Try again, and see what happens.

Are you sure you need a driver for the monitor? If it works, I don't see a reason to have one. You may need one for your graphics card, but that's it.

Yeah. You're right. I can only change my resolution to discrete settings, not my monitor's native resolution, which is 1440 x 900 or so. I can only choose like 1200 x 1000 then it jumps up to 2000 x 1500, or something like that. I assume a graphics card driver update will remedy this, I hope.

 

[pallidin]

Forget the video drivers. That's the least of the problem, and easily corrected.
What needs to be determined is if your native OS on your HD, and your HD itself, is working properly.

You say you can not go into SafeMode. OK.
Will the computer boot successfully with a Live CD/USB?

 

[Shackleford]

Forget the video drivers. That's the least of the problem, and easily corrected.
What needs to be determined is if your native OS on your HD, and your HD itself, is working properly.

You say you can not go into SafeMode. OK.
Will the computer boot successfully with a Live CD/USB?

I don't understand what's not clear. My computer's past life with Tiny XP is gone. I deleted that old partition. I subsequently installed a fresh copy of Tiny7 on the computer. I'm successfully using Tiny7. Now, I'm working on getting all the associated drivers up to date. That's the only challenge right now.

 

[Shackleford]

Okay. I finally found the NVIDIA driver and everything looks great. Thanks again for the help, guys. Hopefully, I'll never suffer the Blue Screen of Death again, but if I do I'll be prepared. lol.

 

[Wellesley]

Okay. I finally found the NVIDIA driver and everything looks great. Thanks again for the help, guys. Hopefully, I'll never suffer the Blue Screen of Death again, but if I do I'll be prepared. lol.

Glad we could help. Good luck!