Problem with bootup.

chitalianbrian · Nov 16, 2008

Hello,

So a few weeks ago, I was using my Gateway M-Series laptop with Vista Home Premium installed and I ran into a problem while using Firefox. The computer screen had a white-ish glow overlapping the desktop background and the computer had locked up. I had to turn off the computer manually and later, I tried rebooting it. Since then, my computer has failed to boot, and after many attempts of trying to access the "Recovery Drive" and other boot settings (Safe Mode etc..) I am stuck. The computer will boot the Gateway screen, give me options to the BIOS Menu & Settings (which I can access) and will eventually take me to a screen with two options: 1) "Launch Startup Repair (recommended)" and 2) "Start Windows Normally." I have tried booting with both options and neither will fully boot. After the Windows loading screen, the screen will go black and a very discreet sound emits from what I believe is the hard drive. If anyone can help me on this, I would gladly appreciate it.

-Brian

Chappy · Nov 16, 2008

Hi

Welcome to the forums

The white screen you describe happens when something freezes up and doesn't respond anymore and needs to close. I have had Firefox freeze up on me a few times also but never to the point where I had to perform a Hard shutdown like you did.

The booting problem is odd and shouldn't be caused simply by Firefox crashing or even a hard restart. The repair startup option should fix that if it did happen so this "discrete sound" you describe sounds to me more like a POST Beep code and could tell us more on the issue.
During the POST (Power On Self Test) process, the computer checks the hardware that's needed to boot a computer, RAM, graphics...etc, and if it finds a problem it emits a beeping sound in a certain order for whatever problem is found. Usually a single beep is the report that everything is Ok but any more beeps tells about a certain problem.
Can you tell if this is actually a beeping kind of sound, and if so how many beeps does it make and are they short or long, and in what order they are.
Also if this is the case, we need to know the BIOS version and since you can enter the BIOS you can give us that info too please.

Is this still under warranty from Gateway? If so you should also contact Gateway Support to ensure at least that they know you're having an issue, and you can get the ball rolling if it's a hardware failure and you need a new part.

Jim R · Nov 16, 2008

When the computer screen has a white-ish glow, it indicates something is "not responding". Often, if you are patient enough, the computer will catch up with what is wrong and/or time out to an error message asking what you want to do (restart program, quit program, check for solution etc).

When you have to "kick the plug out of the wall" to allow you to restart it, often the hard drive develops errors from the improper shut down.

If you have access to a VISTA DVD, you can run a repair by setting your BIOS to first boot from your DVD drive and then run a start up repair with it

If you have access to a set of Recovery Disks, (often you must make these disks yourself from the software that was installed on the laptop when you first get it.) Recovery Disks can have options to repair setup, reinstall device drivers or worse case, completely restore your laptop to factory condition you purchased it in. Your Recovery media should prompt you with a choice before it actually performs any sort of "life altering" operations.

Failing those options, you may be able to remove the hard drive from the laptop and install it in an external enclosure or another computer to attempt the rescue of your personal data from the "users" part of the drive before you do a complete factory restore. Worse case, your hard drive has failed completely and you will not be able to recover any personal data.

Some laptops (such as Dell) also have on board diagnostics for memory, hard drive and such that run directly from the laptop.

Just my best educated guess.

Jim

johngalt · Nov 16, 2008

Good points - but the HD hasn't failed completely because the user is receiving

chitalianbrian said:
[...]will eventually take me to a screen with two options: 1) "Launch Startup Repair (recommended)" and 2) "Start Windows Normally."

It sounds like Vista has a hosed system file that it needs in order to boot - Chappy's suggestion for a Vista DVD is going to be your best option at this point as no amount of attempted boots has been able to resolve the issue, not even your partition recovery (which, IIRC, will format the HD and erase all your documents anyway).

Be warned, though, that there is still a good possibility of a partial hard drive failure, and you may have no choice but to format again.

Jim R · Nov 16, 2008

Chappy's suggestion for a Vista DVD is going to be your best option at this point

No wonder my rep is still at 1

chitalianbrian · Nov 16, 2008

Thank you for all of your replies.

In response to Chappy, the sound the computer is making is more of a creak than a beep. The sequence is " short, long, short." if that helps. After the sequence runs through a few times, it makes a high pitched screech. I I can't describe it anymore than that. Also, the BIOS ver. is "95.10."

Jim R, I don't believe I currently have access to the DVD or Recovery Disks at this time, but I will see if I, or someone I know happens to have something lying around. My laptop has a Recovery Drive installed, but system wont allow me to access it. It goes to a black screen and locks up.

johngalt, I will look into that Vista DVD. At this point, I am willing to completely format my laptop to get it working again.

Chappy · Nov 16, 2008

That is definitely a POST beep code.

Ok, that's the version of the BIOS but is it an Award, Pheonix, AMI BIOS ...we need the name and it will be there as well

As I thought it may be, it sounds as if the Video (onboard graphics probably) has failed.

Jim R · Nov 16, 2008

The Recovery drive is more often then not, is a partition (a separate area given another drive letter) on the same physical drive as the drive you are having problems with. The manufacturers use Recovery partitions more for recovering from user error problems since this partition is useless when hardware failure occurs. This is why you are supposed to make those Recovery Disks right away.

Gateway's support site will have all the device drivers and proprietary software required for you to start over. If you give me the exact model from the bottom of the laptop, I can look it up and post a link to it for you.

You should be able to get replacement install media at a nominal cost since you have already paid for the operating system. If someone you know has an OEM DVD for your version of VISTA, you could even borrow it and reinstall VISTA on a replacement hard drive (should yours not be under warranty) followed by the necessary device drivers from Gateway's support site. Laptop hard drives are usually easy enough to physically install if you had to buy a new one.

I got one myself for the wife's laptop as it had come with a 160GB and I replaced it with a 320GB (because she loads lots of games) and put the original 160GB in the laptops second drive bay for document backups.

If your hard drive is squealing, there is a good chance that it has failed (bad bearings will make that noise).

Jim

Chappy · Nov 16, 2008

Guys....

The sequence is " short, long, short." if that helps. After the sequence runs through a few times, it makes a high pitched screech

ONLY Post beep codes do this...lets get this first as it probably has failed hardware, it's not coming from the Hard drive, it just sounds like it since the MB speaker (usually just a piece of tin that vibrates) is close by in Notebooks.

Jim R · Nov 16, 2008

I missed the reference to a consistent "sequence of short long short" :sleepy:

and went straight to the "high pitched squeal" part LOL

Chappy · Nov 17, 2008

Hi Jim

Yah...I know, I kinda "skim read" at times myself, and find myself missing something critical but small...too many times it's wayyyy past bedtime when that happens

Also on many MB's, the onboard "speaker" (if it can even be called such) is simply a very small piece of thin tin connected to an electronic pulser. The noise emitted can barely be called "sound" and any extended beep is more like a screech...kinda like a banshee that just got bagged,...but it's really quiet.

Especially on laptops this tin speaker is REALLY small and emits a particularly screechy noise, and at very low decibels too, so it's a very light scratchy, screechy sound and once you hear it...you'll know why it's described like people describe it.

Let's hope chitalianbrian gets back to us with that BIOS version so we can get the code for it, but from experience this likely indicates a failed graphics initialization, for whatever reason. I've known some BIOS/POST to beep on corrupt graphics drivers and not only hardware failures (not usually tho), so we can hope for that I guess and maybe get it fixed.

@chitalianbrian - I need the exact model number for that laptop too please so I can search Gateway support properly. Also some times a POST beep code is accompanied by small lettering in a corner of the screen, this is important if it's there so post if you see anything else.

Chappy · Nov 17, 2008

Jim R said:
Chappy's suggestion for a Vista DVD is going to be your best option at this point

Click to expand...

No wonder my rep is still at 1

LOL...oops on John's part I guess...sorry

Problem with bootup.

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