Just one quick bitch ...

[Peter]

Now my comp is ill.  It froze up when I was playing a game, so I had to shut it down by pressing and holding the power button until it switched off, and now it'll only boot in safe mode.  I've no idea what's wrong yet.

[odeon]

This place means certain death to computers everywhere.

Have a look at your event logs, Peter. They should give an indication of what's wrong. And if you need help, post here.

[Lucifer]

Laptop died on me 

blimey - this place is turning into the computer graveyard. 

Yup. Ask Parts how his laptop is doing these days.

The black dot is gone but there is some distortion near the crack

i cannot even begin to describe the image i've got in my head!

[odeon]

There's ALWAYS distortion near the crack. Well, in my mind there is.

[Lucifer]

/dies.

and you always say you're not into anal. 

[odeon]

Hence the distortion.

[Lucifer]

Hence the distortion.

/tries to visualise what he means...

/can't get brain to visualise in eleventeen dimensions, so gives up.

[odeon]

[Peter]

This place means certain death to computers everywhere.

Have a look at your event logs, Peter. They should give an indication of what's wrong. And if you need help, post here.

I found these entries in the system logs, which started at the time my comp ran into problems, and which reappeared in the logs whenever I booted the comp into safe mode.

Event Type:   Information
Event Source:   Application Popup
Event Category:   None
Event ID:   26
Date:      29/05/2008
Time:      22:49:01
User:      N/A
Computer:   DURANDAL-XP
Description:
Application popup:  : Machine Check: Regs

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 08 00 03 00 6c 00   ......l.
0008: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0010: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0028: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........

Event Type:   Information
Event Source:   Application Popup
Event Category:   None
Event ID:   26
Date:      29/05/2008
Time:      22:49:01
User:      N/A
Computer:   DURANDAL-XP
Description:
Application popup:  : Machine Check:

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 38 00 03 00 9c 00   ..8...œ.
0008: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0010: 03 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0028: 01 00 00 00 01 00 00 00   ........
0030: 9c 52 27 ce d5 c1 c8 01   œR'ÎÕÁÈ.
0038: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0040: 03 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0048: df b9 00 00 00 00 00 fe   ß¹.....þ
0050: ef ff 7f ff 0f 00 00 00   ïÿÿ....
0058: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........

Event Type:   Information
Event Source:   Application Popup
Event Category:   None
Event ID:   26
Date:      29/05/2008
Time:      22:49:01
User:      N/A
Computer:   DURANDAL-XP
Description:
Application popup:  : Machine Check: Regs

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 08 00 03 00 6c 00   ......l.
0008: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0010: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0028: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........

Event Type:   Information
Event Source:   Application Popup
Event Category:   None
Event ID:   26
Date:      29/05/2008
Time:      22:49:01
User:      N/A
Computer:   DURANDAL-XP
Description:
Application popup:  : Machine Check:

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 38 00 03 00 9c 00   ..8...œ.
0008: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0010: 02 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0028: 01 00 00 00 01 00 00 00   ........
0030: 9c 52 27 ce d5 c1 c8 01   œR'ÎÕÁÈ.
0038: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0040: 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0048: 52 01 02 00 00 00 00 f6   R......ö
0050: 0f 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0058: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........

Event Type:   Information
Event Source:   Application Popup
Event Category:   None
Event ID:   26
Date:      29/05/2008
Time:      22:49:01
User:      N/A
Computer:   DURANDAL-XP
Description:
Application popup:  : Machine Check: Regs

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 08 00 03 00 6c 00   ......l.
0008: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0010: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0028: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........

Event Type:   Information
Event Source:   Application Popup
Event Category:   None
Event ID:   26
Date:      29/05/2008
Time:      22:49:01
User:      N/A
Computer:   DURANDAL-XP
Description:
Application popup:  : Machine Check:

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 38 00 03 00 9c 00   ..8...œ.
0008: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0010: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0028: 01 00 00 00 01 00 00 00   ........
0030: 9c 52 27 ce d5 c1 c8 01   œR'ÎÕÁÈ.
0038: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0040: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0048: 85 01 00 00 00 00 06 e6   …......æ
0050: 38 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   8.......
0058: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........

It seems to be ok now, though.  I thought it might be overheating from dust, so I opened up the case and there was indeed a lot of dust which I cleared away and the HD's were hotter than I remembered them getting in the past, but it still didn't boot up normally until I selected 'use last known good settings', after which it's been fine so far.

[Pyraxis]

Fucking diplomacy. Give me a nice big stick.

[DirtDawg]

Hence the distortion.

/tries to visualise what he means...

/can't get brain to visualise in eleventeen dimensions, so gives up.

it was the bumteenth that I got me stuck in a rut.

[odeon]

This place means certain death to computers everywhere.

Have a look at your event logs, Peter. They should give an indication of what's wrong. And if you need help, post here.

I found these entries in the system logs, which started at the time my comp ran into problems, and which reappeared in the logs whenever I booted the comp into safe mode.

Event Type:   Information
Event Source:   Application Popup
Event Category:   None
Event ID:   26
Date:      29/05/2008
Time:      22:49:01
User:      N/A
Computer:   DURANDAL-XP
Description:
Application popup:  : Machine Check: Regs

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 08 00 03 00 6c 00   ......l.
0008: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0010: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0028: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........

Event Type:   Information
Event Source:   Application Popup
Event Category:   None
Event ID:   26
Date:      29/05/2008
Time:      22:49:01
User:      N/A
Computer:   DURANDAL-XP
Description:
Application popup:  : Machine Check:

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 38 00 03 00 9c 00   ..8...œ.
0008: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0010: 03 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0028: 01 00 00 00 01 00 00 00   ........
0030: 9c 52 27 ce d5 c1 c8 01   œR'ÎÕÁÈ.
0038: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0040: 03 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0048: df b9 00 00 00 00 00 fe   ß¹.....þ
0050: ef ff 7f ff 0f 00 00 00   ïÿÿ....
0058: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........

Event Type:   Information
Event Source:   Application Popup
Event Category:   None
Event ID:   26
Date:      29/05/2008
Time:      22:49:01
User:      N/A
Computer:   DURANDAL-XP
Description:
Application popup:  : Machine Check: Regs

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 08 00 03 00 6c 00   ......l.
0008: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0010: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0028: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........

Event Type:   Information
Event Source:   Application Popup
Event Category:   None
Event ID:   26
Date:      29/05/2008
Time:      22:49:01
User:      N/A
Computer:   DURANDAL-XP
Description:
Application popup:  : Machine Check:

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 38 00 03 00 9c 00   ..8...œ.
0008: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0010: 02 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0028: 01 00 00 00 01 00 00 00   ........
0030: 9c 52 27 ce d5 c1 c8 01   œR'ÎÕÁÈ.
0038: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0040: 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0048: 52 01 02 00 00 00 00 f6   R......ö
0050: 0f 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0058: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........

Event Type:   Information
Event Source:   Application Popup
Event Category:   None
Event ID:   26
Date:      29/05/2008
Time:      22:49:01
User:      N/A
Computer:   DURANDAL-XP
Description:
Application popup:  : Machine Check: Regs

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 08 00 03 00 6c 00   ......l.
0008: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0010: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0028: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........

Event Type:   Information
Event Source:   Application Popup
Event Category:   None
Event ID:   26
Date:      29/05/2008
Time:      22:49:01
User:      N/A
Computer:   DURANDAL-XP
Description:
Application popup:  : Machine Check:

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 38 00 03 00 9c 00   ..8...œ.
0008: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0010: 00 00 00 00 1a 00 00 40   .......@
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0028: 01 00 00 00 01 00 00 00   ........
0030: 9c 52 27 ce d5 c1 c8 01   œR'ÎÕÁÈ.
0038: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0040: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0048: 85 01 00 00 00 00 06 e6   …......æ
0050: 38 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   8.......
0058: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........

It seems to be ok now, though.  I thought it might be overheating from dust, so I opened up the case and there was indeed a lot of dust which I cleared away and the HD's were hotter than I remembered them getting in the past, but it still didn't boot up normally until I selected 'use last known good settings', after which it's been fine so far.

Check your memory using a memory tester: www.memtest.org. If your BIOS has an extended memory test, try that one as well. I suspect this is happening because of a faulty RAM chip.

But also check your HDD with checkdisk (or whatever it's called these days). If your HDD comes with a diagnostic utility, try that. You could be facing hardware problems.

[Lucifer]

Hence the distortion.

/tries to visualise what he means...

/can't get brain to visualise in eleventeen dimensions, so gives up.

it was the bumteenth that I got me stuck in a rut.

"bumteenth" is inspired!

 

[renaeden]

I bit my lip yesterday and now it is an ulcer.

[Lucifer]

I bit my lip yesterday and now it is an ulcer.

ouch.