Weird error message at startup

[mozzer11]

Hi. I recieved a PC today I bought on ebay. I started it up, it got to the XP loading page and then reset itself. It loaded again but this time it started up ok.
I then installed a Splinter Cell demo just to test it, and about 5 minutes into the game it just exited and went back to desktop. Then I installed my broadband connection and when I connected to the net the pages would freeze and i'd have to restart, or the computer would restart on it's own. After that it kept randomly restarting itself and sometimes a dreaded blue screen would come up saying "DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL" or "PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA" :confused:
I turned the computer off for a while, then restarted it. Now it boots up then just goes to a black screen with this message "A disk read error occurred. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to restart" :mad: Please tell me someone can help me, or there is something I can do. I only got this computer today and I just wanna start playing games :( Thanks for any help!

[MtnClimber]

Did You already send Feedback on the eBay Vendor Site that You Purchased From?

Go ahead and list the stats on what You purchased for some of the Senior Members here on the Forum, So they can see what You have.. Be specific and detailed ok..

Have You contacted ebay? Usually there is a Money Back Policy within the PayPal System, Up to a certain amount of money...

What ever You do be patient..

MtnClimber

[mozzer11]

Hi
Here's the specs

Athlon XP 3.2
1gb Ram
Geforce 6800
Running Xp Home

[vantim]

We need to see the entire BSOD message. Especially the first line where it says STOP. For instance: Stop 0x000000D1. The message you got has multiple causes and solutions. This is also one of the harder types of problems to solve. But hang in there and we'll get to the bottom of it.

Usually it's either a piece of failing hardware (like bad ram) or its a poorly written driver for a piece of hardware. Let us know the rest of the blue screen and we'll continue.

[mozzer11]

Hi
I'm not getting those messages anymore, it just goes straight to the "A disk read error" screen.

[vantim]

OOOOH! You are going to want to run a checkdisk and do a defrag. This could be the beginning of hard drive failure. If you can get into windows again, open a command prompt from the start menu>all programs>accessories>command prompt. And type chkdsk /F then press enter. let it scan your disk and correct any errors. It will tell you it needs to schedule it on the next restart. Type Y to make it happen, then restart the computer. Then after that's done, do a defrag on your hard disk from the control panel>administrators tools>computer management.

[bigH2O]

Brand new box, or used 'puter you picked up for cheap? If it's new it sounds like a fly by night operation that's throwing crap out the door as fast as they can assemble it.

Go into the bios and disable the floppy. That will eliminate the A drive error message. From that poiint, let us know what the errors are that come up and we can diagnose it further.

Sorry vantim, but I wouldn't suggest a defrag at this point until we know if it's a HDD, controller, or mobo problem. If he already has data on the system, and he has a controller problem, he could completely destroy his data by defragging.

[vantim]

Uhhh, I don't think the drive error is his floppy drive. If it came up with floppy error it wouldn't tell him to restart. And as far as a chkdsk and defrag, I would do that. The chances of losing data from a defrag are slim and if it's a partition problem chkdsk will find it. We need to know what brand and model # the hard drive is, so we can find a hard drive diagnostic program for your drive. Also we need the make and model of your motherboard. If you don't want to pop open your case you can download Everest home edition from www.lavalys.com and it will identify all the hardware in your computer. If you have a cd or dvd burner I would suggest using them to back up any important data you may have (if any at this point).

[mozzer11]

If I could get onto windows again I'd run a checkdisk and defrag but I can't. I took a look at my hard drive and it's a DiamondMax Plus 9 and my motherboard is an Asrock K7V88.

[vantim]

The diamond max plus 9 hard drives have been having a lot of failures lately. I had one fail on me a few months back. The drive was only 6 months old. They are extremely prone to heat failure. Just running an 80mm fan in front of it and letting it blow directly over the drive makes a big difference.

You can download the diagnostics for the drive at www.maxtor.com but, I'm sure the drive is dead. (I've seen it too many times) When you download it, it'll prompt you for a floppy diskette. Boot to the diskette and it will run the diagnostics on the drive. Also while you are there get an RMA sheet from maxtor so you can return the drive. The good news is they'll replace it with a brand new one. Probably a higher capacity drive too.

Good luck

Tim

[vantim]

Sorry to hear about that, I know it really sucks to get something new that is broken right off the bat like that. Once you get the new drive though, you can reload windows and enjoy your new computer. It could have gotten roughed up during shipping too.

[mozzer11]

Ok I ran that and it says "Scanning for drives (up to 1 minute)". I left it for a good 10 minutes, but it didn't come up with anything. Does this mean my HD is dead?

[vantim]

That's what it did on my machine at home as well. Unfortunately, Yes the drive is dead.

[vantim]

Another way to be 100% sure is to put that drive into another machine and try to access it.

[mozzer11]

Ah well.
Any tips for buying a new hard drive? Do I need a certain type?

[vantim]

Do as I said. Go to maxtor.com and request an RMA (return merchandise authorization) and return the drive to them. I'm pretty sure that drive will still be under warranty (even though you didn't actually buy it) They will send you a brand new drive!

If you can't wait for them then, shop around for a Western Digital. Try to get a drive that is 7200rpm with a 8mb cache or more. That's my recommendation. some more people will key in with more suggestions though.

You can find them really cheap online. I would go with a reputable vendor like www.newegg.com If you have anymore questions feel free to stop back and ask.

[mozzer11]

Ok, i'll try that.
Thanks alot for your help :)

[bigH2O]

If you can't get any recourse through Maxtor, scan through hotdealsclub.com and slickdeals.net. Every other day or so they will have a link to an outrageous price for HDDs. It may require a rebate submission or two, but I've bought large, fast hdds for almost free after the rebates using these sites as a reference.

If you don't want to wait for a deal to come up, use pricewatch.com and pricegrabber.com to find the cheapest deals on the drive you want... just be sure to review the vendor ratings before you commit to buying from a particular vendor. Some of them can be real stinkers.

[vantim]

Good luck

[bigH2O]

Sorry vantim. I read his message wrong. When he said "A disk read error occurred" I neglected to consider the context of the message. I assumed it was the A: drive that was causing the error message :)

Okay, I'm a little dense... but just a little... and only occasionaly.