Double help! My computer won't work!

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

When I went to turn on the PC this afternoon, it started opening up as usual, it got as far as the bluescreen with the icons for the various user accounts & stopped there. All I get is a blue screen with the timer. :( I have turned it off & on again & left it for a while, but it is always the same. Any idea what I can do now please? I am on the lap top at the moment.

Thanks

[Britec]

Hi Lynn

Have you install any new software? Maybe try to go into safemode.

Restart pc and keep tapping F8 and then try last known good configuration.

Reboot see if it works if not tap F8 again and see if it goes into safemode.

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

HI Brian, I tried tapping f8 but it didn't help. :(
I have phoned the Tech Guys who we have our cover plan with & they told me to use f5 &get it into safe mode but I have got as far as "Windows is starting up" & it hasn't moved from there. The customer service rep seemed to think that if this doesn't work then I will have to wipe the computer & start again, but I don't really know what I would have to do. It is all a pain & a bit confusing

[Grimsqueaker]

Ouch...

Tbh, F5 would be your saving grace in most circumstances, but if you are not getting into safe mode then your options are limited..

Is this your laptop Lynne ??

If so then you may be able to reinstall windows without losing any data, despite what the 'experts' have said..

[Britec]

Can't unstand why F8 don't work 9 times out of 10 you use F8 to get into boot menu option screen.

F5 takes goes right into safemode with no options.

what you can do Lynn is if you have recovery disc's, they sometimes let you do a full non destructive install of windows this way you keep your data and fix your problem if its a software related problem that is.

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

Sadly it is the pc Tim, not the laptop :(

Brian if I reboot, will that still save the data? We haven't installed any new software & this problem has come totally out of the blue.
I think we do have recovery discs.

The man from The Tech Guys said that I could get a diagnostic disc from their website to try & work out the problem but I can't see how to get it. He didn't really explain things very well & seemed to think that I would have to pay to get things sorted, despite having a coverplan

[Grimsqueaker]

Is it the emachine Lynne ??

If it is then you cant reinstall windows without wiping all the data. If it is the same diagnostic disc that they were peddling when I was with TTG then it will be of precious little use to you for this problem

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

Yes it is the Emachine Tim. So you think it looks like I will have to reinstall windows then? Have you any idea how much it might cost to save the data off the hard drive, as I really don't want to lose it all?

[Grimsqueaker]

TTG advertise an instore data backup service at £29.99, but I suspect they require that the PC will boot into windows :(

[Britec]

TBH a good tech might be able to get the pc up and running without a format and if all else fails and the tech can't get it to boot up, then you can get the hard drive out and set the drive as a slave to save data before you format.

Trouble is some techs are to quick to format, and the reason why is because they don't know how to fix computers or its quicker and easyer than fixing it.

[Britec]

Lynn is your computer getting to this screen?




or you getting this screen?

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

Tim, the man I spoke to said that I would be able to retrieve my data, but that it would have to be done ina shop.

Brian, my screen is just blue with nothing else apart from the timer.

[Caroline]

For a bit less than what the tech guys would have asked, I bought a docking station from them, put the hard drive in that, and rescued my data myself when my PC died. I could have bought an external hard drive case but decided to get a dual docking station that will enable me to rescue the data from my daughter's long defunct laptop as well, and it means I have it if the worst happens again..

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

I just hope that the data will be recoverable. I am not confident enough to do what you have done Caroline, although it sounds like a very good idea.

I have to admit to being a bit confused about what my coverplan actually covers . They advertise that they will come out & fix your computer, but when I phoned & it wasn't sortable over the phone, I was told that I would have to take it into a shop to be sorted & that I would have to pay for it

[lorry53]

I have to admit to being a bit confused about what my coverplan actually covers . They advertise that they will come out & fix your computer, but when I phoned & it wasn't sortable over the phone, I was told that I would have to take it into a shop to be sorted & that I would have to pay for it

Do you not have a contract you can check, Lynn? Do they have different levels of cover?

[Lindsay]

Lynne,
My PC also went bandy yesterday (can't help remembering it downloaded some MS updates automatically the night before...) - it got as far as the blue screen with list of users (first one in Britec's post #11) but individuals couldn't log on.

Daughter's boyfriend (bless him!) has partly solved it - don't know if it will help you but this is how he got round it...
CTRL ALT DEL, then Applications, new task, and type in explorer.exe. It then logs on as normal.

Now we just have to find out how to solve it permanently...

[Guest]

Lynn you arent by by chance with PC World are you ??? as we had a cover plan like yours and they tried to make us take it the the shop told me that only covered businesses ?????????????????????? I dont think so.

[Grimsqueaker]

I just hope that the data will be recoverable. I am not confident enough to do what you have done Caroline, although it sounds like a very good idea.

I have to admit to being a bit confused about what my coverplan actually covers . They advertise that they will come out & fix your computer, but when I phoned & it wasn't sortable over the phone, I was told that I would have to take it into a shop to be sorted & that I would have to pay for it

Your coverplan provides you with telephone support for hardware issues, and where telephone diagnosis shows a hardware fault to exist, a customer service representative will be sent with a replacement part.

It does not cover data backup or software support other than that required to get you to the windows desktop. This is why it will have been suggested that you reinstall windows. It is part of the process to determine whether the issue is caused by a hardware or software fault.

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

Thanks everyone. We bought the pc from currys, so popped in there this morning to see what to do. They suggested taking it to PC World, where they have a Tech Guys department. We did this & it is now there having the data retrieved from the hard drive, which might take a couple of weeks as they are busy. Once we get it back, we can then get it wiped & windows reinstalled, on our cover plan, & get the data put back on.
So fingers crossed it will all be sorted & we shouldn't have lost much.

[herebedragons]

I realise this is a bit late now, but I would urge anyone in a similar position not to give up trying F8 to soon. Twice now my computer has crashed and each time it has taken me three days to get it back. Just turn it on and keep pressing F8 for about 5 minutes the LEAVE it alone, just let it sit there don't be tempted to just push the buttons again.
remember each time you press the f8 you give it a command and it can take it a long time to work its way back. As I said it took me three days of trying but eventually the BIOS screen just popped up and with a little gentle persuasion all was well again.
Obviously I then had to work out what had caused the problem and rectify it but just getting back on was the first step in the right direction. My computer was completely blank by the way, not even a blue screen or a timer. Hope this helps someone someday.