The Nightstar Zoo

Im new to this section of the forum, and it seems like the best place to put this thread since i didnt find a computer and tech forum.

I have a problem with a computer. The mouse crashes (logitech optical, stop working, light goes out, still detects in the system as functional) the the computer will freeze forcing a reboot, at which point the system says:

window\system\config is corrupt or missing.

this is off a fresh reformat, which by the way is a pain to do because i get memory errors and no page faults. I have systematically tested the ram, the drives and the installed boards to see what the problem is, and run the system BIOS under every working configuration i can find. If anyone has some advice i would really love to know what i can do to fix the computer, cause right now i am totally out of ideas.

PS: if this is the wrong place for this thread, let me know where i can go...
just dont tell me the hot place.

Thanks

download knoppix. burn to cd. reboot off the cd. If the same thing happens, you know two things: 1) it's probably a hardware problem. 2) It's not the hard disk

If you don't have broadband, there are some smaller "live linux" cd's out there. Ubuntu will mail you a CD for free, and huge number of images can be found at linuxiso.org.

step two. remove the mouse, and any cards that you don't need for IO. (if you have on-board video, then there should be your motherboard and nothing else. leave the memory in. boot into knoppix. (yes it'll work without a mouse, there are enough keyboard shortcuts that you don't really need a mouse at all (but it's annoying on any gui). run for a bit, if the problem happens again, you know that it's not any of the cards you removed: you have a main board problem (or a power supply problem or a keyboard problem)

If you're using Windows XP, this might be relevant:
How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from starting.
It quotes error messages pretty close to the one you got.

WinXP = EVUL!

This might be a hardware problem. My friend has had some really bad RAM installed and he got random crashes. Try other RAM bones.

_________________
It's the real me, I swear!

thanks for the tips guys, i ran the comp without the mouse first and booted it to ANOTHER fresh format and reinstall. still crashes. tried running only the HDD, no other drives. still crashes. I tried switching the ram to confirm that they are working. crashed on both clips, dont have any other spares that work on this particular system. still crashes. the only thing i can do is knoppix... if i only knew how. sorry guys, not a linux man.. the only linux system i have used is Xwin, and it was already set up. keep the info coming, i got a beligerent brother breathing down my neck for a working computer and no ideas left, i really need the help.

Thanks to those that have already helped.

Knoppix is mindlessly simple; it comes with KDE installed, and you don't have to do any setup. Your only question is whether it works at all, and that can be solved without any knowledge of Linux at all.

Vorn

ok, i put in a spare HDD i knew was good, and i still got the same crash on win xp install. here is the error code and all the information i could get:

windows has experienced an error and has shut down to protect your computer

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.

if this is the first time you have seen this screen... blah blah blah..

technical information:

*** STOP: 0000000A (0XE83B2739, 00000002, 00000000, 080831CE7)

Thats all, info is appreciated as always. please let me know what the heck is going on... i cant stand not being able to fix it..

Is there any chance the CPU could be overheating? It's a frequent cause for that error, according to these guys.

I recognize the error, having just learned how to program drivers (0x0A is pretty much the easiest bluescreen to get). However, if it happened during install, your best info is probably here:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.as ... us;Q314063

The short version of it is that the problem is almost certainly hardware. If you have any new hardware or stuff that you haven't installed Windows on before, then I expect that's what's wrong. If this has had WinNT on it before and is now breaking, then you've got bad hardware somewhere. If you've tried the other recommendations in this thread and still get the error with nothing more than the keyboard, and a verified-working HD... Congratulations, you get to replace the mainboard.

While it *could* be the CPU overheating, I'd go with pi and poke at the mainboard... I had a board that sort of worked for two years and then one day magically crapped out and exhibited many of the signs you're describing. In the end the power button didn't even work.

Anyway, the reason it's probably not the CPU is that CPU usage only spikes for a few seconds on boot, if that. It hasn't had time to really heat up, more than likely.

well, i tried everything in this thread, and a few things my technogeek friends in my neighborhood have suggested. according to them, all of you and about a dozen internet sources including the mainboard manufacturer, as well as microsoft, i have to replace the main board. this is definetly not the option i wanted to have to use, i was hoping that it was a problem i could solve without spending money, but it looks like this is my only option.

I want to thank everyone for the help, and the advice, i dont think i would have been able to confirm the problem this fast without your help. To everyone over the legal age where you live: i owe you a brew. to those that arent: i owe you a coke. Thanks all.

Before you give up on that motherboard, search the Internet for any problems specific to that board. You might find some obscure solution that will save you the expense of a new MB.

For example, I have an older computer with an Asus CUBX motherboard, which would very intermittently bluescreen with an 0x0A error.

After doing some research, I found out that the MB didn't like having the first DIMM slot populated if any of the other DIMM slots were populated. When the computer booted, sometimes it would recognize both DIMMs, sometime it would recognize only one, and sometimes while it was running, it would suddenly decide it had a different amount of RAM and crash.

The solution was as simple as moving my DIMMs from slots 1 & 2 to slots 2 & 3.

chreck to see if the fan on your power supply isn't clogged with dust and lint. This can lead to a power supply failure after several minutes of operation

Hi,
you power supply unit doesn't even have to be dusty.

There is a lot of cr*p out there, and I have a lot of horror stories in my library about weak power supplies (I got through 4 so far).

The only thing you can do: get an expensive, well known brand like enermax.
Te computer suck a lot of power while booting and maybe your psu is not able to keep up the voltages or the amperes needed - both ends in quiet interessting crahes - if the box boots at all.

but then wouldnt the computer not have booted at all from ther day he got it? it worked fine, and i mean perfectly fine, up until about two weeks ago when this memory error started popping up. Just so you guys know, i said i did everything i could think off, i meant everything, and this includes complete disassembly and cleaning. it was dirty, now its shiny, and it still doesnt work. as for a specific problem related to the model and maker of motherboard... its an ASrock. need i say more?

Hi,

nope - that is exactly the behaviour of a psu going down.

At the beginning, it is able to hold up under the load it has to drive, but with the cheap capacitors at the edge of their specs after some reboots the action starts.

Note also that a dying PSU can do some weird and crazy things to parts, often frying them (common in my experience are optical drives and motherboards, really anything that's got a direct plug to the unit).

But yeah, the other parts might actually be fine after all.

Finally, a PSU needn't be dying, just unstable, to fry parts, just like having tiny power line surges over a long period of time destroys other electronics.

I have a quick computer question of my own. What do you guys know about Averatec and AMD?

I know AMD stands for Advanced Micro Devices. And the company produces cheap processors.

_________________
It's the real me, I swear!