Weird things happening to my computer.

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  1. Posts : 9
    Windows 10
       #1

    Weird things happening to my computer.


    I am having weird things happen to my computer, I was doing things online the other day and it just shut down on me. So I did a little research and ended up doing a chkdsk /r because I couldn't refresh/reset/backup my computer in recovery mode. It kept giving me an error code. So finally, I just did the chkdsk, which took a little over 3 days and 16 hours, last night I was watching it scan things and it went to 100% on stage 2 and then gave me the HP symbol and told me it was restoring disk an this process could take more than one hour. It did that for about 15 hours, now I have an illuminated black screen. I don't know what else to do and I can't find a forum to give me any answers on this. Thanks in advance for any help!
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 42,735
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #2

    Hi, you may have set a record for patience, if nothing else.

    Your first priority will be to try to recover any data on the disk you haven't backed up- if it's readable.
    So remove the disk, connect it to another PC, and see what you can see; copy off what you can that you need.

    Then determine if the disk is viable.
    Download and run e.g. Crystal Diskinfo to check its SMART parameters.

    You should then be able to decide which of the following to try:
    a. Get a new disk and reinstall
    b. Reformat your old one and reinstall
    c. Try to repair your existing Windows installation - although I doubt there's a way to do that.
    d. Restore a previously created disk image (if you have ever created one) and you will be back in business in an hour or so.

    Do you use disk imaging so you can recover a previously saved image of your Windows? Everyone should - e.g. Macrium Reflect (free) + its boot medium + external storage for images. Protects your PC, your data and your sanity.

    Worst case would be some other hardware fault.

    Can you please complete your system specs?

    Note that having installed Win 10 you are free to reinstall it on the same PC; changing disks isn't an issue.
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 9
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #3

    dalchina said:
    Hi, you may have set a record for patience, if nothing else.

    Your first priority will be to try to recover any data on the disk you haven't backed up- if it's readable.
    So remove the disk, connect it to another PC, and see what you can see; copy off what you can that you need.

    Then determine if the disk is viable.
    Download and run e.g. Crystal Diskinfo to check its SMART parameters.

    You should then be able to decide which of the following to try:
    a. Get a new disk and reinstall
    b. Reformat your old one and reinstall
    c. Try to repair your existing Windows installation - although I doubt there's a way to do that.
    d. Restore a previously created disk image (if you have ever created one) and you will be back in business in an hour or so.

    Do you use disk imaging so you can recover a previously saved image of your Windows? Everyone should - e.g. Macrium Reflect (free) + its boot medium + external storage for images. Protects your PC, your data and your sanity.

    Worst case would be some other hardware fault.

    Can you please complete your system specs?

    Note that having installed Win 10 you are free to reinstall it on the same PC; changing disks isn't an issue.

    My biggest problem is, I don't have another PC to connect my disk to or I would have considered that.

    I honestly, don't even know what disk imaging is.... Otherwise I probably would have used it prior to this happening.

    I read somewhere before beginning the chkdsk, that if you shut the computer off while running chkdsk you could lose all data. So, I'm a little concerned about turning it off to try and do the check again. Do you think I am able to turn it off now?

    Where do I find my system specs without being able to access my computer?
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 42,735
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #4

    HI, if you can't use a friend's computer to access your disk, or access to an internet cafe where you could perhaps do that, then you have two options:

    1. Boot your PC from a bootable medium (USB or DVD).
    Here you have two basic options.
    Using e.g. a Win 10 bootable medium (which it's a good idea to keep for several reasons) you can get to a command prompt - assuming your PC is ok.
    Downside of that is, it's only a command prompt, so you are limited to typing commands.

    2. Using a free downloadable bootable disk (Falcon, Hiren... ) you can boot to mini-XP with utilities. However these were not UEFI compatible last I looked, so using them is more tricky - + they are rather old.

    Of course, if you have neither of those and your PC isn't working... you come back to needing access to some means of obtaining those.

    Really, recovering data is your first priority, and access to something that can read your disk is your best bet.

    You have now discovered that you will need to learn about disk imaging... a major step. That you can research later. Having usable disk images means you can usually recover to a working state without technical help, and without reinstalling even if your disk fails. Such images can even help you migrate to a new PC.

    System specs:
    Appreciate you have limited access, but some will be available from
    - online access about your PC, assuming it is not custom
    - what you know yourself (disk size, RAM, maybe processor...)
    - typing e.g. systeminfo at a command line
    - inspecting stickers (if any)
    - product literature supplied with it
    - if a custom build, you probably know a lot

    At present we don't even know if it's a laptop or a desktop...
    Last edited by dalchina; 21 Aug 2016 at 06:58.
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 9
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Sorry, it is a laptop. HP Pavilion, Windows 10 32-bit, 750GB HDD, 5400 RAM, 2.17 GHz processor. Windows 10 was downloaded onto the computer after I bought it. It's initially Windows 8.1.. Now, can I shut down my computer to get to recovery mode without doing a bunch more damage?
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 42,735
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #6

    You can force it to shut down by holding down the power button, as I expect you know.

    Do you have a Win 10 bootable disk - and is it compatible with your current build? If not, you probably can still try a start-up repair and certainly boot to a command prompt from it, which means you can run chkdsk (e.g.) from that command prompt.
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 9
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Yes, I do know I can force shut down. What code am I putting in chkdsk?
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 9
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #8

    And no, I do not have a bootable disk for Windows 10, I received an email from Windows with the download link in it just after 10 was released.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 1,773
    Windows 10 Home
       #9

    "Now, can I shut down my computer to get to recovery mode"

    I have a couple HP Pavilion laptops incl one with almost the same hardware as yours except 64 bit. To completely power down the computer, press Power button until turned off. Disconnect everything attached to the computer; usb devices, lan cable, power cable. Press and release the power button a few times. Put power cord and/or battery back in.

    Press the Power button to turn on and, IMPORTANTLY, IMMEDIATELY after you press the Power button (before the screen even lights up), REPEATEDLY press the f11 key until the blue screen with your Windows 10 Recovery Console comes on. All your Troubleshooting options will be there, like Reset, System Restore, Safe Mode startup, etc. Hopefully one of those will work so you ca, at least, backup your personal data and files before fooling with a HDD that may be dying soon.

    Do you know that the HP has a built-in disc diagnostic tool ? It does a 'SMART' check and predicts likelihood of failure. If you want to try this, even, before trying a Recovery, power off like above. After pressing Power button to turn on, IMMEDIATELY press 'esc' key which will bring up a menu. Press f2 key for System Diagnostics and select Hard Drive Test. When it completes, it will give you a health report on the HDD and attempt to repair bad sectors, If it can not repair, you will get the bad news and you should try the above process to get into safe mode and plug in an ext drive to get your files off before proceeding. Good Luck
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 42,735
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #10

    Hi, your options - in total- are extremely limited.

    Assuming your PC is still running chkdsk, if you press CTRL + C, that should exit chkdsk and leave you at a command prompt.

    If it is still running chkdsk after all this time, this does not bode well.

    mrgeek's post gives you specific info on how to get to recovery modes.

    Please bear in mind that if your disk is still usable and your system recoverable and needs repair, you do have the option (when you have an appropriate Win 10 iso or bootable medium) to try an in-place upgrade repair install - that keeps all your data, programs and most of your settings.

    If, however, a reinstall will not be too arduous, that may well be wiser if your HDD is in a dubious state, and I'm guessing your only real option.
      My Computers


 

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