Need someone with 1337 skillz to help sort out my laptop boot problem! • Non-Gaming • PC Hardware • Eurogamer.net

SG 17 Aug 2012 19:35:10 1,896 posts
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OK guys, so basically I had this guy's problem:

I put my laptop into sleep mode, closed the lid and went to bed. When I woke up it was still, to my surprise- running. I quickly ran over and opened it to check if it was still on. I was met with a black screen. After about a minute I shut it down and restarted it, only to find that it couldn't find C:/ and so could not restore the system. I have left it to cool down, but so far it's still not reading the main hard-drive Is there anyone who knows what I should do?

(Original link: http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/p/19456381/20138728.aspx )

I have the same model laptop and everything. Turns out that it WASN'T a hardware problem though, and he fixed it:

after some setup tinkering i managed to figure out that the setup was on the wrong settings. Then after another 3 hours i managed to restore and return the partition ( it was stuck on X:\) using diskpart. First time i accidentaly booted the memory, forgetting the boot files. After a panicked 30 minutes i managed to boot it from a repair disk and return it to the boot partition. The computer then repaired some files and I managed to log on.

Luckily this time it was merely a system crash ( i think, because it booted as X:\ which appears to be a repair boot file?)

And not a problem with the hard-drive itself.

I First realised it wasn't the hard-drive because upon checking the Setup i found it was listed, and it was still wirring.

I was ready to open up my laptop thinking it was a hardware problem and boy am I glad I didn't. So, he solved his problem but unfortunately I don't know exactly what he did, I tried restoring it via a backup dis that I made when I first got it but it tells me that my HDD isn't big enough - this must obviously be linked to it trying to access the wrong partition (X as opposed to C?). So I need someone more tech-savvy than me to hopefully tell me what it is that I might need to do, and maybe learn something in the process too. I have a whole packet of Jaffa Cakes for anyone that can help me!

Any help gratefully received.

Edited by SG at 20:03:48 17-08-2012

Fake_Blood 17 Aug 2012 19:50:22 11,093 posts
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Post deleted

MrTomFTW Moderator 17 Aug 2012 19:52:29 47,501 posts
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Too much porn.

Sorry, there's no cure

SG 18 Aug 2012 12:44:32 1,896 posts
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Thanks, really helpful. Come on guys, perleeeeease help me!

DFawkes 18 Aug 2012 12:53:51 32,785 posts
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As much as I'd love to help, when I had the same problem it was because the hard drive was dying. Windows Recovery was no use, but I tried Ubuntu and it did what I assume was magic to find the HDD again. Only then was I able to install Windows again. Even then, it only bought me a couple of extra weeks.

It was a very specific set of circumstances though, probably of little use. Maybe try a Ubuntu USB Boot? Unlikely to work though.

Edited by DFawkes at 13:00:33 18-08-2012

Load_2.0 18 Aug 2012 13:06:35 33,582 posts
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If you cant locate C;\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe you need to open DOS 2 and type expand X :\i386\rundll32.ex_ c:\windows\system32\rundll32.exe. Followed by regsvr32 rundll32.exe and press Enter.

You will need to remove the hard drive completely for the final step.

Once it is removed access the i386 folder and type EXPAND PATH OF THE FOLDER then rundll32.ex_ c:\windows\system32\rundll32.exe

EXAMPLE: expand D :\i386\rundll32.ex_ c:\windows\system32\rundll32.exe

Pop the hard drive back in and repeat the process but backwards obviously.

Finally access the BAT files and delete them all, replace them with DOS Exempt access points.

BigOrkWaaagh 18 Aug 2012 13:47:40 10,554 posts
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@SG If you've got a Windows DVD, boot from it and it will let you look at and rearrange your disk structure. If you haven't got one, then get one.

SG 18 Aug 2012 21:03:53 1,896 posts
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Thanks for the replies, I don't have a Windows DVD, the PC came with it pre-loaded. I had the option to create a backup disc when I first got it which I did, tried it out and it says I need a HDD bigger than ' HDD GB' (yes the blank space is intentional).

It isn't a multmedia PC, it's a gaming PC; an 'XPS'

I can't see it being the HDD dying as it's less than a year old, and as my linked post says, this guy with an identical problem got his working.

Ilovechips: I pay my own bills as well, but if you're nipping out for a short while and don't want to have to wait for everything to load up again, sleep is a very low-power option on laptops.

Edited by SG at 21:20:09 18-08-2012

BigOrkWaaagh 18 Aug 2012 22:00:39 10,554 posts
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You could always yarr a DVD and if need be use the serial on the bottom of your laptop. MS have been known to suggest this in the past in case that makes you feel terribly guilty. Failing that, you could always download a Linux distro just to see what the structure of your HDD is at the moment.

SG 19 Aug 2012 09:11:40 1,896 posts
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midnight_walker, cheers - I did just that in the end! I got hold of a Windows 7 disc and put it in, all of the repair options won't work. Upon opting for the 'command prompt', I am given 'X:\Sources>' - just like the other guy said he had a problem with that I quoted in the OP. So the way to fix is clearly along the way that he did it, however I'm not skilled enough to know what to do - if someone can make sense of what he said (it's there in the OP), I'll be able to get back on track.

Edited by SG at 12:24:38 19-08-2012

BigOrkWaaagh 23 Oct 2018 13:09:01 10,554 posts
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Damn, I never got back to you SG. I hope you fixed it.

askew 23 Oct 2018 13:59:19 24,121 posts
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It's why he can't post anymore

Load_2.0 23 Oct 2018 14:20:05 33,582 posts
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Well that and the prison sentence.

Psiloc 23 Oct 2018 14:39:49 6,366 posts
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Roughly translated it sounds like he used diskpart from a command line to reassign the correct drive letters to his partitions, and then probably went in his BIOS to reconfigure the boot sequence, because his Windows files were in a separate 'boot' partition for one reason or another. He then used a Windows disc to repair his startup.

At least that's what I make of it.

...aaaannd the OP was from 2012. Well hopefully this timely reply helps

fontgeeksogood 23 Oct 2018 16:18:25 12,913 posts
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The Monday Morningest of Quarterbacks