Disk Write Error/Can't find hard drive/other blue screen areas/fre

Hi:

I'm currently running Windows ME, with a pentium computer. I frequently get
'blue screen' errors, including 'System busy/unstable' and registry errors,
which require a reboot. Two nights ago, i got a 'disk write error' while
surfing the net, and when I rebooted the computer could not find the hard
drive. After a couple of power off/on cycles, it found the drive again.
I've run Norton disk doctor and windoctor, norton anti virus and no problems
were found. My computer guy thinks upgrading to Windows XP could cure it (he
knows about all the problems except the disk write error & failure to find
the hard drive, which just happened the other day for the first time). My
question - could this be software related, and upgrading to XP will fix it,
or does this indicate a hardware problem, and mean I need a new computer?

Thanks for any advice you can provide!
--
Dangrgrl

Ontario, Canada

You don't need a new computer, but you need to get rid of "Norton & Co" as
quickly as possible.
Hopefully one of the M(Br)ains will step in with some more details,
once the night is over.

Harry.


"Dangrgrl" wrote in message
...
Hi:

I'm currently running Windows ME, with a pentium computer. I frequently
get
'blue screen' errors, including 'System busy/unstable' and registry
errors,
which require a reboot. Two nights ago, i got a 'disk write error' while
surfing the net, and when I rebooted the computer could not find the hard
drive. After a couple of power off/on cycles, it found the drive again.
I've run Norton disk doctor and windoctor, norton anti virus and no
problems
were found. My computer guy thinks upgrading to Windows XP could cure it
(he
knows about all the problems except the disk write error & failure to find
the hard drive, which just happened the other day for the first time). My
question - could this be software related, and upgrading to XP will fix
it,
or does this indicate a hardware problem, and mean I need a new computer?

Thanks for any advice you can provide!
--
Dangrgrl

Ontario, Canada

Harry is (for a change?) correct - you need to Get Rid of all things Norton,
and your PC will breathe a huge sigh of relief!

However - it's unlikely that Norton caused your Disk write error - what is
more likely is that your HD is on the way out
BACK UP YOUR DATA NOW!!
then (and only then) run a full surface scandisk (in thorough mode) from
Safe Mode, and see what the report at the end has to say. If any 'bad
sectors' or 'bad clusters' are found, then your HD should be tested using
the manufacturer's test utility.
To discover the manufacturer (if it doesn't appear in the Device Manager),
try running Belarc Advisor (www.belarc.com) - then go to their website, and
download the utility from there - create the floppy disk from the download,
and then use that to boot the PC, and test the drive.

Report back with the results!

It's likely that the other problems are related to the HD problem so that
needs to be sorted out first.

A few more details on your hardware wouldn't go amiss, either (copy/paste
some of the Belarc report - but NOT the software keys or Add/Remove and
Hotfix listings!!)

Good Luck

--
Noel Paton (MS-MVP 2002-2006, Windows)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.com/millsrpch.htm

http://tinyurl.com/6oztj

Please read http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm on how to post messages to NG's
"Dangrgrl" wrote in message
...
Hi:

I'm currently running Windows ME, with a pentium computer. I frequently
get
'blue screen' errors, including 'System busy/unstable' and registry
errors,
which require a reboot. Two nights ago, i got a 'disk write error' while
surfing the net, and when I rebooted the computer could not find the hard
drive. After a couple of power off/on cycles, it found the drive again.
I've run Norton disk doctor and windoctor, norton anti virus and no
problems
were found. My computer guy thinks upgrading to Windows XP could cure it
(he
knows about all the problems except the disk write error & failure to find
the hard drive, which just happened the other day for the first time). My
question - could this be software related, and upgrading to XP will fix
it,
or does this indicate a hardware problem, and mean I need a new computer?

Thanks for any advice you can provide!
--
Dangrgrl

Ontario, Canada

"Noel Paton" wrote in
:

Harry is (for a change?) correct - you need to Get Rid of all things
Norton, and your PC will breathe a huge sigh of relief!

However - it's unlikely that Norton caused your Disk write error -
what is more likely is that your HD is on the way out
BACK UP YOUR DATA NOW!!
then (and only then) run a full surface scandisk (in thorough mode)
from Safe Mode, and see what the report at the end has to say. If any
'bad sectors' or 'bad clusters' are found, then your HD should be
tested using the manufacturer's test utility.
To discover the manufacturer (if it doesn't appear in the Device
Manager), try running Belarc Advisor (www.belarc.com) - then go to
their website, and download the utility from there - create the floppy
disk from the download, and then use that to boot the PC, and test the
drive.

Report back with the results!

It's likely that the other problems are related to the HD problem so
that needs to be sorted out first.

A few more details on your hardware wouldn't go amiss, either
(copy/paste some of the Belarc report - but NOT the software keys or
Add/Remove and Hotfix listings!!)

Good Luck


Another possibility is the CMOS battery; always look for a horse before a
zebra when you here hoofbeats.

--
"Time will bring to light whatever is hidden;
it will cover up and conceal what is now shining in splendor."
Horace (65 - 8 BC); Roman poet.

Mike

"BJ Honeycut" wrote in message
. ..
"Noel Paton" wrote in
:

Harry is (for a change?) correct - you need to Get Rid of all things
Norton, and your PC will breathe a huge sigh of relief!

However - it's unlikely that Norton caused your Disk write error -
what is more likely is that your HD is on the way out
BACK UP YOUR DATA NOW!!
then (and only then) run a full surface scandisk (in thorough mode)
from Safe Mode, and see what the report at the end has to say. If any
'bad sectors' or 'bad clusters' are found, then your HD should be
tested using the manufacturer's test utility.
To discover the manufacturer (if it doesn't appear in the Device
Manager), try running Belarc Advisor (www.belarc.com) - then go to
their website, and download the utility from there - create the floppy
disk from the download, and then use that to boot the PC, and test the
drive.

Report back with the results!

It's likely that the other problems are related to the HD problem so
that needs to be sorted out first.

A few more details on your hardware wouldn't go amiss, either
(copy/paste some of the Belarc report - but NOT the software keys or
Add/Remove and Hotfix listings!!)

Good Luck


Another possibility is the CMOS battery; always look for a horse before a
zebra when you here hoofbeats.


There is nothing here that I can see that might indicate a BIOS/CMOS battery
problem - what do you see that I don't??
--
Noel Paton (MS-MVP 2002-2006, Windows)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.com/millsrpch.htm

http://tinyurl.com/6oztj

Please read http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm on how to post messages to NG's

BJ Honeycut wrote:


Another possibility is the CMOS battery; always look for a horse before a
zebra when you here hoofbeats.

The CMOS battery status has zero impact on the operation of a computer
once it has completed the power-on self test. Period.

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

"Noel Paton" wrote in
:


"BJ Honeycut" wrote in message
. ..
"Noel Paton" wrote in
:

Harry is (for a change?) correct - you need to Get Rid of all things
Norton, and your PC will breathe a huge sigh of relief!

However - it's unlikely that Norton caused your Disk write error -
what is more likely is that your HD is on the way out
BACK UP YOUR DATA NOW!!
then (and only then) run a full surface scandisk (in thorough mode)
from Safe Mode, and see what the report at the end has to say. If
any 'bad sectors' or 'bad clusters' are found, then your HD should
be tested using the manufacturer's test utility.
To discover the manufacturer (if it doesn't appear in the Device
Manager), try running Belarc Advisor (www.belarc.com) - then go to
their website, and download the utility from there - create the
floppy disk from the download, and then use that to boot the PC, and
test the drive.

Report back with the results!

It's likely that the other problems are related to the HD problem so
that needs to be sorted out first.

A few more details on your hardware wouldn't go amiss, either
(copy/paste some of the Belarc report - but NOT the software keys or
Add/Remove and Hotfix listings!!)

Good Luck


Another possibility is the CMOS battery; always look for a horse
before a zebra when you here hoofbeats.


There is nothing here that I can see that might indicate a BIOS/CMOS
battery problem - what do you see that I don't??

" when I rebooted the computer could not find the hard
drive. After a couple of power off/on cycles, it found the drive again."

IOW The thing could be on Auto Drnse and just not catdhing it on some
tries.


--
"Time will bring to light whatever is hidden;
it will cover up and conceal what is now shining in splendor."
Horace (65 - 8 BC); Roman poet.

Mike

"BJ Honeycut" wrote in message
. ..
"Noel Paton" wrote in

There is nothing here that I can see that might indicate a BIOS/CMOS
battery problem - what do you see that I don't??

" when I rebooted the computer could not find the hard
drive. After a couple of power off/on cycles, it found the drive again."

IOW The thing could be on Auto Drnse and just not catdhing it on some
tries.



That has absolutely nothing to do with the state of the battery

--
Noel Paton (MS-MVP 2002-2006, Windows)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.com/millsrpch.htm

http://tinyurl.com/6oztj

Please read http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm on how to post messages to NG's

Ron Martell wrote in
:

BJ Honeycut wrote:


Another possibility is the CMOS battery; always look for a horse
before a zebra when you here hoofbeats.

The CMOS battery status has zero impact on the operation of a computer
once it has completed the power-on self test. Period.

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada

For both of you, here is an excerpt from my old logs:

" Intel pentium pro 200, FX mobo, Award BIOS, Suffering from Various BSODs
and sometimes not detecting HD.

Reinstalled W98 and no joy.

Finally checked CMOS bat and low voltage, replaced Bat and set BIOS to
autodetect and all worked"

--
"Time will bring to light whatever is hidden;
it will cover up and conceal what is now shining in splendor."
Horace (65 - 8 BC); Roman poet.

Mike

"Noel Paton" wrote in
:


"BJ Honeycut" wrote in message
. ..
"Noel Paton" wrote in

There is nothing here that I can see that might indicate a BIOS/CMOS
battery problem - what do you see that I don't??

" when I rebooted the computer could not find the hard
drive. After a couple of power off/on cycles, it found the drive
again."

IOW The thing could be on Auto Drnse and just not catdhing it on some
tries.



That has absolutely nothing to do with the state of the battery


For both of you, here is an excerpt from my old logs:

" Intel pentium pro 200, FX mobo, Award BIOS, Suffering from Various BSODs
and sometimes not detecting HD.

Reinstalled W98 and no joy.

Finally checked CMOS bat and low voltage, replaced Bat and set BIOS to
autodetect and all worked"

--
"Time will bring to light whatever is hidden;
it will cover up and conceal what is now shining in splendor."
Horace (65 - 8 BC); Roman poet.

Mike