Randomguy#27 said:
When I turn on my computer, it fails to start up windows and restarts
after a
brief blue screen error message. All of the message that I can read before
it
restarts is "beginning dump of physical memory." I'm using windows XP on
an
HP laptop that is about a year and a half old.
I am completely clueless as to what I need to do, so any help would be
greatly appreciated. I would really prefer if I could salvage my documents
and files, but I don't know if that's possible.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.
It's actually easy to get the documents and files off, but it requires
another XP system with sufficient drive space and a USB adapter or case.
The adapter or case will set you back perhaps US$20 - $30. You'll also
normally need a rather small Phillps screwdriver and possibly a set of
needle-nose pliers.
Simply remove the hard disk from the laptop, and connect it to the case or
USB adapter. Here, you need to know the type of drive before you buy the
case - newer SATA drives have different connectors than older IDE drives.
Prices are about the same, they just aren't interchangeable. Some
manufacturers used a special header on IDE drives, and pulling that off is
what you'd need the pliers for.
Once the drive is connected, plug it into the other XP system. XP will
recognise and mount the drive, and you can do whatever you like to get your
files off. This ranges from simply finding and copying the files to making
a full image backup. The full image approach is helpful if you are not
sure exactly where all the data is (your emails, for example - which may be
in a hidden folder), and want to just be sure you got it.
You can make the image with the 15-day trial version of Acronis TrueImage
Home; this is about a 100 meg download.
You may need to Take Ownership of folders to get access to files. You'll
know you have to do this if you get an "access denied" message.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421
Be sure to verify any backups before proceeding.
Next, look in the root folder and delete the swap file and the hibernation
file (if it exists). These are the two biggest files, several hundred
megabytes. You may need to set Explorer to Show Hidden/System Files.
Empty the wastebasket, and then run chkdsk /f on the drive.
Now, put the drive back in. You may find that it now works. If not, try
to get the STOP message from the blue screen (try pressing the PAUSE key).
Or, you can - since you have a verified backup - use whatever restore or
repair disk, routine or partition came with your system.
HTH
-pk
