My computer won't start up...Sony Vaio, Windows XP PLEASE HELP!!!

bruingal82 · #1 01-11-2005, 03:39 AM

I have a four year old Sony Vaio laptop computer. It is currently running Windows XP Professional. My computer has been great, but a few months ago my hard drive crashed, and that seemed to be the beginning of an array of problems for me. I took it into a store to replace the hard drive, and everything seemed to work fine. Then, a few weeks later, I noticed that my computer was having a lot of weird issues, which seemed to be the product of a virus. I got McAfee Virus Protection, but the problems still remained. Finally, a little while after that, my computer would start up, go to the Windows Xp Login screen, and sit there. I couldn't get onto my desktop, and I couldn't really access my computer at all. I tried everything, the Safe Mode, and every other mode under the F8 option. Nothing worked. Once I finally got that fixed, and I had to reinstall Windows XP, and also reinstall a lot of programs (but not my data), my computer would take almost 10 minutes to shut down everytime I wanted to shut down the computer. This has been going on for about a week. Now, all day today my computer would be on, working fine, and then it would go to a blank black screen. THe lights would be on as if the computer were still on, but I couldnt get rid of the blank screen. I would have to manually shut down the computer and restart it, which would work for a few minutes, maybe 30 mintues at the most, then it would go back to the process of the blank screen. Now, I can't start my computer at all. When my hard drive crashed my computer would go to the screen where it says Sony Vaio, then it would stop there. Now, it doesnt do anything. I can hear the hard drive spinning for a few seconds, but not for long. The lights go on when I start the computer, but then they just sit there. The hard drive light doesnt light up or blink or anything. I'm totally stuck. Do you think that when I took my computer to the store to get the hard drive replaced, they could have done something to internally mess up my computer? Any ideas as to what the problem could be?
Thanks a lot!

Zxian · #2 01-11-2005, 04:58 AM

Well, this most certainly doesn't sound like a WindowsXP problem.

You're saying that nothing shows up on the screeen at all? If that's the case then I'm guessing that your BIOS is fried or something else on the motherboard. It is a fairly old computer...

What kind of work have you been doing on this computer? Has the processor been working a lot (i.e. heavy processing)? It could also be the result of overheating. If the vents for the CPU have been blocked then you may have fried your CPU.

Long story short (I hate to be the bearer of bad news): You've already re-installed Windows... so that's not the problem. You're computer is now a very nice looking paperweight. It's truely not worth the money to try to repair it. Have a look into a new computer. There are some really good deals out there nowadays.

As for the data that is on your current hard drive, you can buy an enclosure that connects to another computer via USB that will allow you to access your hard drive. Just be sure to look for the 2.5" enclosures (laptop sized hard drives) and not the 3.5" enclosures (desktop sized hard drives).

bruingal82 · #3 01-11-2005, 08:46 PM

Well, my computer started working again today. I booted it up (just to try it again) and it worked. It froze when it got to the Windows XP screen, so then I manually shut it off and restarted it again. This time, it went to the normal screen, then came up with an error message that was too long for me to jot down. It said something about if this weren't the first time I had seen this message (and I had gotten it about twice before in the past two weeks) then I should run a diagnostic system check, and see if some of my programs were missing files (I think). It said it was dumping my memory, and when it was finished it restarted my computer. Then, my computer started working fine. I checked my memory, and I have about 8 Gigs of memory free. That's a lot...so it shouldn't be a memory problem. I did delete a few programs that I don't use too much, and then when I shut down my computer, it shut down very quickly, like it used to. When I just used my computer again, it went to the blank screen while I was using it. I restarted, and now its working ok...but I'm sure it'll freeze out again. Could this just be a virus?
How would I fry out my CPU? My computer sits on a desk all day, and it's only about 3 1/2 years old...is that old? I thought laptops lasted much longer than that.
Thanks!
-- I dont do too much heavy duty work on here. I'm a college student, so I just write papers from time to time, store pictures, music, those kind of things. I don't think I have done too much processing, but I don't really know what that means either.

curtybob · #4 01-11-2005, 09:35 PM

Which store put your hard drive in? Did the person act like he/she knew what they were doing?

Do you happen to know the exact model of your Vaio? Post it, and I can see if I can find the repair manual to see if maybe they could've knocked the heatsink loose from the CPU or something to that effect.

Play_The_0dds · #5 01-11-2005, 09:43 PM

It is not your computer...SP2 among many other microsoft updates are not playing well with others even directX 9 are having issues with old drivers. Your system came preloaded with windows and all of it's system drivers which work great when new, but updated system files may have issues which if you go to the sony site, look up the drivers, bios, and utility updates it should have updated versions that fix many of the issues you are having. Laptops use third party utilities to control volume, keyboard and monitor functions so it is just as important to update those as well.
If you go back to the way your system was when it was new you will need to erase your hard drive with fdisk or some other utility becaue sp2 makes changes to the partition structure that does not work well with a xp, xpsp1 reinstall.

bruingal82 · #6 01-11-2005, 10:17 PM

I have the Sony Vaio PCG FX240
How can I monitor the temperature of my computer? Is there any way to do that?
Thanks a lot!

curtybob · #7 01-11-2005, 10:40 PM

Try looking in the BIOS first for the temps, but aside from that, you could use SpeedFan or Motherboard Monitor to keep an eye while in Windows.

I saw somewhere that the P3 800 sould burn out at 80 deg C (176 F) but I really wouldn't want to see it at more than 50 or 60 C (about 120 to 140 F).

bruingal82 · #8 01-12-2005, 03:42 AM

How do I know if my video or my audio drivers are updated? I went to the Sony website to search for new drivers or updates, but the only one from 2004 was the Service Pack 2 (which I have). Everything else was from early 2003, which is now, almost 2 years old.
If the computer's temperature gets too high, will it be alright if it is off for awhile? Or...will it completely burn out and break? I really am unsure how to check my temperatures, even in the bios...I'm not that skilled with computers. If anyone would give me a step-by-step process as to how I can do that, I would REALLY appreciate it.
Thanks a lot everyone!

bruingal82 · #9 01-13-2005, 02:15 AM

anyone? please help me!!! my computer regularly goes blank after only a few minutes of it being on! i think the video driver might be the reason why its not working...but i dont know. please read my last post (right before this one) and tell me how to update my drivers if you know!!
thanks

cbblw · #10 02-18-2005, 12:53 PM

Do you have a memory expansion card installed? These types of problems can many times be the cause of bad memory. If you have additional memory installed in the expansion slot, I recommend removing it and try to run your computer without it to see if that corrects the problem.

t_d · #11 03-06-2005, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruingal82

anyone? please help me!!! my computer regularly goes blank after only a few minutes of it being on! i think the video driver might be the reason why its not working...but i dont know. please read my last post (right before this one) and tell me how to update my drivers if you know!!
thanks

My mother has a Sony FXA47 laptop. The screen sometimes goes black. If you shut the lid and then open it, the display comes on again. Sometimes it will go off three or four times within a short period, but eventually the shut the lid and re-open it works.

This is a temporary fix, but it has worked for us.

nutten_p · #12 11-08-2005, 05:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruingal82

Well, my computer started working again today. I booted it up (just to try it again) and it worked. It froze when it got to the Windows XP screen, so then I manually shut it off and restarted it again. This time, it went to the normal screen, then came up with an error message that was too long for me to jot down. It said something about if this weren't the first time I had seen this message (and I had gotten it about twice before in the past two weeks) then I should run a diagnostic system check, and see if some of my programs were missing files (I think). It said it was dumping my memory, and when it was finished it restarted my computer. Then, my computer started working fine. I checked my memory, and I have about 8 Gigs of memory free. That's a lot...so it shouldn't be a memory problem. I did delete a few programs that I don't use too much, and then when I shut down my computer, it shut down very quickly, like it used to. When I just used my computer again, it went to the blank screen while I was using it. I restarted, and now its working ok...but I'm sure it'll freeze out again. Could this just be a virus?
How would I fry out my CPU? My computer sits on a desk all day, and it's only about 3 1/2 years old...is that old? I thought laptops lasted much longer than that.
Thanks!
-- I dont do too much heavy duty work on here. I'm a college student, so I just write papers from time to time, store pictures, music, those kind of things. I don't think I have done too much processing, but I don't really know what that means either.

I also got the same problem but it has now gotten worse since my computer can't even find my hard drives and thereby won't boot up. Does anyone know what has happened?

ADDD$% · #13 01-21-2006, 12:58 AM

yea, i got tha same prob

ADDD$% · #14 01-21-2006, 01:05 AM

Ugh i just upgraded windows 2000 professional to win xp pro, but when i start up it shows a load bar at the very bottom that fills all the way up but then stays there. it never loads windows xp

HELP approciate it

sgt.sprinkles · #15 03-01-2006, 04:28 PM

I kinda have the same problem but it's not the start up its the shutdown. i have windows xp, and on some days when i go to shutdown then it says saving ur settings and shutdowning, the screen goes black... like its shutdown but its still on. to turn it off i have to flip the swicth on the power supply. there seems to be nothing worng with my computer, it runs fine, but its just weird that it started doing this. i built this computer in july 2005. Here are the specs:
Windows xp,AMD Athlon 3000+, 120GB HDD,Nvidia GeForce 7800GT, 1GB of RAM,500watt powersupply. I hope you guys can maybe tell me why it shutsdown like this sometimes. thx