Hi alan,
Thanks for answering those basic questions. Since it was loaded with Win7 when you got it new--it's VERY likely to a hard drive failure. Win7 computers are now 4-6 yrs. old, and laptop hard drives,
ESPECIALLY HP laptop drives, fail often 2-3 years of age.
Here's a post that will help you to troubleshoot your hardware first, and then the software to resolve this problem:
Before you start any kind of troubleshooting we recommend,
IS IT CRITICAL THAT YOU BACKUP ALL YOUR PERSONAL DATA TO EXTERNAL MEDIA!! Several of the repairs we suggest can cause irretrievable data loss.
Responsibility for your data is up to you!
I recommend we test for Hardware failures first, and then I'll give you some common software repairs that are frequently used to fix Windows problems such as yours.
START WITH TESTING YOUR HARDWARE HERE:
Occasionally, the RAM sticks also go bad, and can cause Windows corruption. To test your RAM memory, download the free
MEMTEST (you can Google it), and create a bootable dvd disc similar to method used for the
SEATOOLS drive diagnostic. Boot your Netbook into
MEMTEST and run the test on each RAM stick individually for a minimum of 8 passes. If
MEMTEST returns any errors, your RAM stick(s) have failed and must be replaced.
Next, begin testing your hard drive. Go to seagate.com and download the free
SEATOOLS drive diagnostic program. This is an
ISO image file, so you will need to burn to a blank DVD disk using the free
IMGburn program (you can Google it) to create a bootable test disk with which to test your hard drive.
Once you have your
SEATOOLS disk, boot your computer to it and run
BOTH short and long tests on your drive. If
SEATOOLS returns any errors, your hard drive has failed and must be replaced.
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START WITH REPAIRING YOUR SOFTWARE HERE:
STEP#1: Go to Start-->Run, and enter the
"CMD" into the Run box; do not click it when it comes up on the Search list; rather, right-click and choose
"Run As Administrator". This will open what we Techs call a "DOS Box" or a "DOS Window"; old lingo I know. In this black and white window, you will get a pop-up windows from UAC asking permission to run the "WINDOWS COMMAND PROCESSOR" which you must answer
"YES" to.
STEP#2: In the little black & white box, you will have something similar to C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32>. To the right of the little arrow pointing to the right ">", the greater-than sign, type in the following:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32>
CHKDSK /R
This will start a process of checking your file table indices and scanning your hard drive for any bad sectors. This process runs in 5 stages and depending on the size of your hard drive, can take anywhere from a couple of hours to 18 hours or more.
*DO NOT INTERRUPT FOR ANY REASON WHILE RUNNING THIS COMMAND!!**
STEP #3: Frequently, upon successful completion of the
CHKDSK command*, it will either restart your computer or ask you permission to do so. Restart your Computer.
STEP #4: Repeat steps, #1 and #2, except when you get to the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32> prompt again, you will be typing in a different command, this time:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32>
SFC /SCANNOW
Notice the stuff you type in
BOLD letters. This is the Windows built-in utility called
System
File
Checker. This utility will go through all the Windows system and core library files and compare them to a Read-Only hidden copy it keeps on your boot drive. In some cases, if your hard drive has failed or begun to fail, the stored copies will not work and this command will check for missing or corrupted Windows files and will attempt to copy/restore and overwrite any corrupted system files. If the SFC command, which should take several hours to complete, but not as long as the
CHKDSK command, does not complete, fails, hangs, freezes, then you will have to repeat running
SFC from your Windows Install disc using the
WindowsRE or
Recovery Console command to retrieve good copies of the system file from the CD/DVD Windows disc. This will usually fix things; but, if it doesn't, you should then suspect a faulty hard drive and test it thoroughly and if faulty, replace it and repeat all the steps above.
Should you get to this point, and suspect your hard drive of failing, post back and I will provide you a link with detailed instructions on how to test your hard drive.
STEP #5: If
SFC runs to completion, it will restart your Computer or ask you permission to do so. Restart it and things should be hunky-dory again!!
If the above 2 repairs do not work and your problem persists, you'll have to consider more drastic software measures.
The first one is to roll your system back (sort of like a Windows system undo key), to a time prior to this problem occurring. Bear in mind, if you've had this problem longer than 5 months on this computer, this won't work. The procedure is called
SYSTEM RESTORE. You may have heard of it. If not, it's a great way to undo damage from Updates or Viruses/Malware that scramble your Windows and you can be back up and running in 2 hours or so. You can google it or go to Microsoft.com to learn how to use it. There are also many YouTube videos on this for free.
The second one, is what we call a
WINDOWS REINSTALLATION or a WINDOWS RESET. This requires that you have or create a set of factory discs (on an OEM computer such as Dell, HP, ACER/Gateway) that will be printed and labeled with the computer manufacturer's name & logo on the discs. If you have a self-built or custom-rig, this step won't be an option. That's why we need to know your System Specs!! If you don't have any discs, most modern computers, made 6 years ago or sooner (2009) have built-in rescue software for Windows Reset on a hidden partition on the hard drive. But, that doesn't always work (only works about 30% of the time). These same OEM computers usually have free software such as
DELL MEDIA CREATOR which lets you make a copy of these factory reset discs; usually onto blank DVD discs or onto a single USB flash drive. Bear in mind if your computer is an HP, and you attempt to use their utility and you get a message:
"You've already created 1 set of factory Recovery Media--no more can be created" or similar,
HP only allows 1 set of these discs to be created; if you get this message it's already been done, either by the Dealer you bought the computer from, or by a previous owner of the computer if you are not the original owner. This sucks, as you can never make another set.
You have to call HP to buy a replacement set for $29-$99 US. If you have a different brand computer and you can't make your Recovery discs or the Recovery Partition fails to restore your computer, you can buy a set of Recovery discs from them as well for about the same price. They will be shipped to you in 2-3 weeks typically. Very few non-professional home users are aware of this.
This is a very long post, and I might suggest you print out a hardcopy of this post on another working computer or one at a friend's house or at your local library. There is a lot of information here, and this process of troubleshooting takes me 2-3 days. Most home Users we advise to follow this takes 1-3 weeks or longer depending on how much time they have to devote to fixing their computer, if it's their
ONLY computer or they have another one to use in their household, amount of patience with technology, etc.
Post back your tech specs on that computer, and let us know how it goes. If you get stuck, remember there are no stupid questions! We are here to help.
Best of luck,
<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>