Help MVP's Can you get me started in the right direction?

[Hank]

I am running WindowsXP Home Edition SP2 with automatic update on and
functioning.

Lately system has been frequently freezing after entering the user
password. Have to crash system by turning power off to restart. Then
it may or may not run. Always runs after a crash if I run Recovery
Console and chkdsk first.

I think that the system is not shutting down correctly sometimes
because if I running Recovery Console, even if previous shut down
looked normal, then running "chkdsk /p" it completes saying "one of
more errors have been found". BTW if I running "chkdsk /r" it runs
normally until it gets to about 73% and then falls back to 50%
starting over there. This may happen several times before it finally
completes with "found one or more errors".

Can some one start me in the right direction to find the problem?


email response not expected but to respond remove .uk at end
TIA
Hank

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I am running WindowsXP Home Edition SP2 with automatic update on and
functioning.

Lately system has been frequently freezing after entering the user
password. Have to crash system by turning power off to restart.
Then it may or may not run. Always runs after a crash if I run
Recovery Console and chkdsk first.

I think that the system is not shutting down correctly sometimes
because if I running Recovery Console, even if previous shut down
looked normal, then running "chkdsk /p" it completes saying "one of
more errors have been found". BTW if I running "chkdsk /r" it runs
normally until it gets to about 73% and then falls back to 50%
starting over there. This may happen several times before it finally
completes with "found one or more errors".

Can some one start me in the right direction to find the problem?

You could download and run the hard disk drive diagnostics from your
particular hard disk drive manufacturer's web page...

 

[Enkidu]

I am running WindowsXP Home Edition SP2 with automatic update on and
functioning.

Lately system has been frequently freezing after entering the user
password. Have to crash system by turning power off to restart. Then
it may or may not run. Always runs after a crash if I run Recovery
Console and chkdsk first.

I think that the system is not shutting down correctly sometimes
because if I running Recovery Console, even if previous shut down
looked normal, then running "chkdsk /p" it completes saying "one of
more errors have been found". BTW if I running "chkdsk /r" it runs
normally until it gets to about 73% and then falls back to 50%
starting over there. This may happen several times before it finally
completes with "found one or more errors".

Can some one start me in the right direction to find the problem?

The fact that chkdsk is having problems points to a hard disk problem.
Get your data off the disk fast!

Cheers,

Cliff

 

[Hank]

Thank you for yours and Enkidu's responses. I did locate the hard
drive diagnostic software from western Digital for my WDC WD400BB
drive. I ran their "extended check" option several times. No errors or
bad sectors were found.
Since I had a 3 year extended warantee from DELL I called the
service technician. He said "multiple restarts during chkdsk /r are
the norm and not a problem." He would not run his diagnostic on my
hard drive and insisted I had to restore my PC to the state delivered
by them by using their "restore" software. Then call him back. I ran a
full system backup to an external hard drive and ran their restore
software. My hard drive's used space changed from 13.5 GB to only 6.28
GB. Total files changed from 4,176 to only 2,157. Total MFT sze
changed from 78 MB to 24 MB. System now lacked the Recovery console,
any real protection for Internet operation. I restarted the PC a
number of times and since the step where I logged in as user was no
longer present and the drive used only 15.7% of its capacity (assume
bad data is between 50 and 70% where restart is occuring) no problems
noted. Can not run "chkdsk /r or /p without recovery console but
"chkdsk" running on a restart showed no errors.
Using my backup software external boot process did a "total"
resortation of partitions and software to where I was before their
restore. Must say computer had been running a little slow starting
applications before now seemed faster. Same problem as before
occurred ocassional freezing at user password and chkdsk operations
under "Recovery Console". Note that running "chkdsk /p" first time
might show "chkdsk found one or more errors on the volume" Then just
running it again immediately never shows any errors. If I then
immediately run "chkdsk /r" when "chkdsk /p" said no errors I always
get restarting between 50 and 73%. Is DELL tech right about "chkdsk
/r"? System still ocassionally freezes at enter user password. (Note
that when mouse is frozen keyboard still responses to lock and unlock
buttons).
I have now changed my PC's protection against spyware using
AD-ware and Counterspy from active protection to only when I scan
manually to minimize their footprint on the system. Did run into a
real glitch with Alarm Zone Pro getting stuck after full recovery so
had to clear and re-install it.
Have now also noticed that when PC freezes at user password
entry I can turn off power and re-start without running recovery
console and chkdsk and the system will come up normally (at least as
far as I can tell).
Anymore suggestions where I might find why system sometimes
freezes? Under Windows98 use to look at "bootlog.txt" but when I
select logging mode as a start mode system would not allow me to type
anything in user password window. Not sure if related???

You could download and run the hard disk drive diagnostics from your
particular hard disk drive manufacturer's web page...

email response not expected but to respond remove .uk at end
TIA
Hank