I went to reboot my computer since it was running slow. It never has shut all the way down, it would always get to the blue windows is shutting down screen and go no further at which point I would have to hold the power button to turn it off. This is the first problem I've had with it.

When I go to start up in safe mode it loads to cetain point then I get one of those bright blue error screens that reads.
" STOP 0000221 {bad image checksum}
The image user32.dll is possibly corrupt. The header checksum does not match the computed checksum."

Any ideas as to what I can do? I have a remaining warranty from bestbuy, but am hesitant to take it there since I know it will be 4-6 weeks before I get it back and I really need it for work and school.

Thanks for any and all help.
Jonesy

Need more info. What version of Windows are you running? What model of computer is it? Do you still have the Windows XP installation CD that came with the computer? Is it possible to boot into Safe Mode?

Need more info. What version of Windows are you running? What model of computer is it? Do you still have the Windows XP installation CD that came with the computer? Is it possible to boot into Safe Mode?

sorry. Running xp media edition, it is an hp dv5000 platform. I still have the install/reboot cd that came with the computer, but didn't want to use since I have a lot of stuff I would hate to lose.

I have tried all the options listed when you press F8 at start up and they all come up the blue error screen or they just stay at the black windows loading screen with the little blue bar that runs across.

Let me know if you need any more info.

Jonesy

The reason I asked you if you had the XP install CD is because I wanted you to boot from it and attempt to enter the "recovery console". I am not sure if what you have is a "restore CD" or the "Windows XP install CD" - do you know which it is?

Do you have a floppy drive available on the computer?

The reason I asked you if you had the XP install CD is because I wanted you to boot from it and attempt to enter the "recovery console". I am not sure if what you have is a "restore CD" or the "Windows XP install CD" - do you know which it is?

It is the factory hp recovery cds. It also has a seperate driver installation cd, and a seperate driver install disk for the cd/dvd drive.

I talked to the guys at best buy and they are going to run a test on the hard drive to see if it bad or not. If it is bad I'll just do the recovery disk install my self. They said they could "attempt" to recover some of the information on my hard drive but it would be at least $100-$150 for that.

And no I don't have access to a floppy drive on my laptop.

Jonesy

I can guarantee you with 99% confidence that the problem is just a bad sector on the hard drive. So, out of those hundreds of thousands and thousands of little sectors storing data on the drive, one of them corrupted (pretty common) and it happened right on top of a system file that Windows XP needs to load. The only thing I have greater than 99% confidence in is that if you drop your laptop off with Best Buy or some other similar place, you will be losing your data and you won't get your laptop back exactly the way it was :)

If you can find someone - anyone - that has a Windows XP install disc - doesn't matter if it's a copy, if you have a key or whatever - just get any Windows XP install disc that is "bootable", pop it into your CDROM drive, boot up the computer and when prompted with "Press any key to boot from CD", press a key.

If you cannot find that person, please read the rest of this post and pay attention to the last line - I might be able to help get you a repair tool that will do what you need to do. Also - if you feel your level of skill is not high enough to do any of this stuff after reading it...see that last line.

At that point, you will be asked to install Windows - DON'T FREAK OUT - you will not be installing Windows XP using this CD, just follow these steps from Microsoft:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058

When you get to the part where it asks for your Administrator password, this is (for many people using XP at home) left blank - just press "ENTER". If it says the password is incorrect, or you know 100% for a fact that the account name "Administrator" has another password, enter the password you believe is the administrator password.

NOTE: Most people do not login as administrator, but they can be part of the administrative group. Just because you are an administrator does not mean you are the administrator :)

Now - after punching in the password correctly, you will be left at a blinking cursor. All you need to do is type in this command (notice the space before the /r!): chkdsk /r

This command will force Windows XP recovery console to scan and fix the disk and try to repair that busted system file. Afterwards, chances are at least a good 75% ... maybe better ... that you'll be able to boot up like nothing ever happened.

Any time somoene tells me that they're going to bring their computer to Best Buy or another chain for repair I get scared sh*tless. Most of the pimple-faced high school and college kids that work they wouldn't know their head from their ass if it weren't for mirrors :D

Good luck either way you choose to go with this.

Last note: I have a BART PE boot CD that will allow you to run Windows from a single CDROM disc - it should have the Checkdisk (chkdsk) utility to let you repair the hard drive. I can either mail this to you (Paypal me $2 for shipping, DHL, will get there wed or thurs) or I can set it up for you to download and burn to a CD (it's big, if you don't have highspeed access, then forget about it :))

Cool, I'll swing by best buy tonight and pick my computer up, and hopefully they haven't messed it up yet. I'll try it with my recovery disk and see what happens. If not I can always have you send the file (parents computer or school are both highspeed). Thanks for all the help and I'll let you know how everything turns out.

My email addy is jonesy_atv@fuse.net if you need to send the file.

Jonesy

Well - here's the deal - be careful when you say "Recovery disk". "Recovery disk" with a lot of laptop manuf'ers means "if you use me, I will recover the laptop by rewriting everything on the hard drive to the exact stuff when you got it". This is typically what the guys at Beast Buy will often do, without regard to your data.

I am talking about using either something like a BART PE boot CD to run a disk checkup and repair on it *or* using an original Windows XP CD to get into the "recovery console". This is normally done in a very similar way to installing XP.

Unless your email can handle 150MB files, I will need to send you a link to it. Also, you will need a working computer to burn this file to a CD.

Alright sounds like a plan. I currently only have 50mb available in my email so if you send a link my way that would be great. I am on my parents computer that I can download to and burn a cd.

I can also go out and buy a copy of XP. I have been putting it off for a while now, but I need a copy to redo my desktop that crashed on me.

Thanks
Jonesy

If your Desktop was from HP, Dell or something else, you can reinstall as many times as you want using the key on the side or back of the machine (look for the hologram sticker), and if you can't pass validation, just use the "validate by phone" method and explain your HP, Dell or whatever computer came with XP and you just had to reinstall and it won't let you validate using the key on the sticker that came with the machine.

Meanwhile, I will go ahead and upload that file to my website and email you a link for download. It will be large, download will take a while. Once you get it, download Blindwrite (www.blindwrite.com for info, or http://www.vso-software.fr/download_product_direct.php?product=blindwrite for the download)

This is the best tool to use to burn an ISO file like the one I will be providing you. If you need help burning, my cell number will be in the email I'm sending out. Feel free to give a call, I can walk you through it.

Email sent with TONS of instructions ;)

Thanks for all the help, I really do appreciate the time you've taken to help me. However it is all to no avail as I rushed to bestbuy after work to pick it up. They quoted me 8-10 days to get it back to me, well after 2 days they had already replaced the HD and were "waiting to verify it" before calling me.

Their explanation was that the hard drive actually had a mechanical malfunction. The "arm" (sorry don't know computer lingo) that writes on the HD plate was supposedly broke/bent/whatever and was scratching the surface of the HD. They said the HD was unrepairable and they just replaced it with a new one (without calling me, which they said they would). So I lose about 2 month's worth of pictures, videos, school work, and work documents.

Oh well you live and you learn I quess. I will be investing in an external hard drive as soon as possible, since it takes so long to burn 8-10 dvd's full of data.

Again I really do appreciate the help.

Jonesy

Sorry, wish I would have gotten to you sooner :(

They are full of poop about the arm being bent. They have no way to know that the arm inside was bent without opening the drive. If it was bent, that computer woulda been making some hellacious clacking and clicking and whatnot.

Like you said, live and learn...I'm sorry I took so long to tell you not to bring it back :(