Emachine M2350 won't boot Windows

  • Thread starter Thread starter x0kolohe0x
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x0kolohe0x

Hi y'all,

A couple nights ago I left my computer on and the next day I found the
laptop doing some strange boot process where it would automatically
boot after 30 seconds or it would ask me how i wanted to boot windows..


my friend was able to pull up a screen by using F8 and determined that
the problem was caused by a Windows update called Service Pack 2..

I've been in contact with emachines tech support for the past week
hoping that they would help me get my computer back into running mode
but unfortunately nothing has helped so far.. I ordered the Restore CD
packaged and recieved it in the mail today. I attempted to use these
cds but nothing happened when i put it in my dvd/cd drive.

CAN SOMEONE HELP ME? HOW DO I DO SYSTEM RESTORE USING THESE CDS?
 
You might try the emach forum. There are a number of entries on SP2.
<http://dexplor.com/phpBB2/>

The emach techs sell the "replacement" System Restore disk to anyone
who dares to inquire about anything. If you try to follow-up, they will
suggest you by the "System Recovery DVD" for the customary fee of $20,
too. Both are completely useless artifacts that are a waste of time and
money. In addition, they will suggest a "hard" recovery that essentially
means a complete re-installation and lots of file saving folderol and
new settings for everything including your mail client(s). I'm
mentioning this up front because you should only consider this as a last
resort.

Most emach OEM's have DDo overrides that prevent any attempt at getting
into the windows directory unless you have a branded or non-branded
version of windows from which you can boot. The "Restore DVD" that came
with your unit(?)and it's duplicate (which they succeeded in conning you
into buying) and the "System Recovery DVD" won't let you do that. If
you only have an optical disk reader, and not a floppy drive, you are
going to have a tough time no matter what you do. The only fix MS offers
involves downloading 6 floppies and booting from them.

On the positive side, it sounds like you can still boot into Safe Mode
via the startup menu available using the F8 prompt. If this is so, you
should inquire further about the possibility of removing the SP2 update
from Add/Remove in you Control Panel. There are some technical
considerations involved in doing that that have to do with how long
you've had SP2 on your sytem. So don't do that until you get some input
from someone who has actually done it. But I am pretty sure it is
do-able.<http://www.castlecops.com/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=5885>


rooster
 
Hi,

How did he determine that SP2 was the problem? It's been out for some time
and if you were using automatic updates it would have been installed long
ago. If you recently installed it, I should think that you would know that
you did. Hitting F8 at startup just brings up the boot menu, have you been
able to load Safe mode or the Last Known Good Configuration? If so, then the
problem is something that is now in your startup load. If not, then you may
have damaged hardware and reinstalling Windows is not going to help.

As to the boot disks, as soon as the system is powered on you need to hit
the <delete> key to enter the system BIOS ("enter setup") and set the boot
device order to have the CD\DVD drive load first. Save changes and exit
(usually F10), then insert the disks and restart the system.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
Please don't opt out of the thread you started by PM-ing me. Other folk
might want to see how things evolve. And besides, if you get some really
bad advice, no one will be able to jump in and save you.

This link will get you there:

Q310994

Please take care before you go that route. There have been a number of
issues involving the (in)compatibility of some emach OEM laptops and SP2
that you should research before spending the time to d/l 6 floppies and
like that. For instance, you didn't mention if you are running XP-Home
or XP-Pro. There are different solutions available for each.

Also, I am inclined to agree with "Mr. Rogers" in that you haven't
really demonstrated that your problem is caused by the SP2 upgrade.

If I may, I would suggest you draft a thorough problem summary,
including all your running apps, BIOS settings, firewall, anti-virus and
malware, and post it on the emach forum for a day; or two.

It is entirely possible all that is necessary is to check/uncheck a
single item in your startup menu. You say you left it on for an unusual
length of time. Perhaps windows knows it is supposed to shut down after
X hours; but hasn't been instructed what to do when it does; Shut Down,
Restart, Hibernate, Standby, Explode ... you see what I mean?

Also, the "fix" you need might be nothing more than going back into the
start menu (F8) and making absolutely sure you check and start in
"Windows (Default)". A lot of people see the menu for the first time and
assume they want to start in "Windows XP" or in "Normal". Neither of
those choices will work for some emach OEM's, despite how intuitively
logical they might appear to be. And now that you have been in Safe
Mode, there is about a 90% chance you will find your display setting
changed back to Windows Default. Don't panic if that's what happens. Do
a system restore from your Accessories => System Tools =>System Restore
program tree and everything will/should kick back to the way it was.

These notions are just speculation without a full picture of what you
are running. Take the time to sketch it out and the odds are you will
learn a simple answer that will avoid a lot of wasted time d/ling stuff
that won't solve the real problem anyway.

Happy trails,

rooster

".. The only fix MS offers involves downloading 6 floppies and booting
from them.."

where can i get a hold of these 6 floppies?
Click to expand...
 
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