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Laptop troubleshooting: Please help, my computer goes rogue on me
- 11/13/09 2:53 PM
Re: Please help, my computer goes rogu on me
by TheBlackHole - 10/31/09 9:35 AM In reply to: Please help, my computer goes rogue on me by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You might have to take the hard drive out and put it in a new laptop. If it still goes rogue, beat the crap out of it.
Rogue Laptop
by digitaleyes - 10/31/09 12:53 PM In reply to: Please help, my computer goes rogue on me by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Since you mentioned that you dropped the laptop, the first thing I would test is the hard drive. Run a chkdsk with sector recovery turned on. Should this indicate that any data was moved to a "safer" area on your hard drive, you should then count your blessings that your hard drive hasn't crashed...yet. Then immediately replace it, maybe with an SSD drive, if the funds exist.
The reason behind checking the hard drive as the problem is simple. A bad sector on the hard drive will cause it to slow down computer access while it is trying to write and/or read from the sector, until a timeout point is reached. During this try/retry period, the rest of the computer is stuck waiting for the hard drive to respond with a success or failure. You may also find evidence of the error in your system's error log.
Just try this...
by wilswong - 10/31/09 8:26 PM In reply to: Please help, my computer goes rogue on me by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Take a USB keyboard, plug it into the laptop and see if the keyboard issue act up.
If it doesn't, the possibility that the laptop keyboard has spoiled due to the drop is pretty real.
If it does, then the controller is acting up and the motherboard may be damaged by the faull.
A USB keyboard does not bypass the laptop's keyboard!
by ravmatis - 11/15/09 12:58 PM In reply to: Just try this... by wilswongAny stuck keys or loose connections will continue to input data despite the presence of the USB board, so this test is meaningless.
define "going rogue"!
by ravmatis - 11/15/09 1:29 PM In reply to: A USB keyboard does not bypass the laptop's keyboard! by ravmatisUnless what you meant by "going rogue" is only that when YOU do input using the laptop keyboard you get what appears to be something different than what you typed. In that case a USB laptop is a great test. But sounds to me like you are getting random input without even touching your keyboard--in that case the USB board will not cancel what your faulty keyboard might be doing without being touched.
computer going rogue!
by buffalo p - 11/1/09 6:51 AM In reply to: Please help, my computer goes rogue on me by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Dont know if this will help,but worth a try>plug in a spare keyboard in your spare usb port,and use this in place of the one on your laptop,if this works without any hitches,then it looks like a key contact problem on your compaq..maybe corrosion inside?
What I have seen
by ezbesthost1 - 11/1/09 7:18 AM In reply to: Please help, my computer goes rogue on me by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
As an independent tech at a flea market I see many problems caused by users or their little children and pets. I may lose some business but I do not believe that cheaping out ever is a fix, especially for a laptop. So think, this is a keyboard problem, the most credible action is to replace the keyboard which most people can do thierself. One source is http://www.laptoprepairparts.com and then there is always Ebay. You may want to remove the old keyboard first after downloading and printing the tech manual, so you can have the manufacturer's part number.
Run Hard Drive Diags.
by wmkbilly - 11/1/09 8:22 AM In reply to: Please help, my computer goes rogue on me by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Laptops are built fairly rugged so if dropping it doesn't crack the LCD, then there's probably nothing wrong with the hardware. This sounds more like a Malware issue. Run HD diags first to ensure the shock didn't mess it up. Then try using Tune-up Utilities 2009.(Search Cnet Download.com for it) You can use full version for 30 days. It has a feature called one click maintenace or something to that effect. You don't have to be a techie to use it.
My solution
by Lawtimes - 11/1/09 11:35 AM In reply to: Please help, my computer goes rogue on me by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Try This: Download and Install A-Squared Free or A-Squared Emergency USB Stick, and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware too. Once you have Installed, run this tools one by one, until you have removed that malware. There is no matters if you have to reboot by a lot of times. The only thing that you need is delete such kind of viruses. It worked great for me. Good Luck!
Lawtimes74.
Try this first
by Fool me twice? - 11/1/09 3:44 PM In reply to: Please help, my computer goes rogue on me by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The keyboard will stop responding when the CPU is being fully utilized. Since you report that this all started after you dropped the computer, I would guess that it is hardware related. My two best guesses are that you damaged the surface of the hard drive when it hit the floor, or you dislodged a memory stick.
Start with the easiest thing. Remove the memory chips and reinstall them to make sure they are seated well in your computer.
The second thing I would do is run CHKDSK utility and have it do a surface scan. After the scan is complete, check the logs to see if it found any bad sectors. If it did, you might want to back up your data and reinstall your OS and programs.
Yes, it could be other things, but this is where I would start before I took it to a shop.
Your ROGUE is the hard drive
by ruggb - 11/1/09 6:37 PM In reply to: Please help, my computer goes rogue on me by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The problem, no doubt, was due to the fall. Hard drives do not like those kind of things.
The symptom is a Windows' trick. Windows totally stops what it is doing when it doesn't get the answer it is looking for. In this case, it is looking for something on your hard drive and the system stops responding until it times out. A lot of times it will give an error code, a lot of times it won't. If you know how to view the Event log, you may find the error in there. (Open Computer Services.Event Viewer). Note, unless you have a list of Event numbers and their meaning (available on the web with a search), it won't mean much, except it does log the time of the event so you can relate the errors that way.
The first thing to do is to backup all your data including mail and configuration files. That is a big job in itself and I can't tell you exactly how to do it not knowing your system.
Start by opening Windows Explorer and copying your profile (usually a folder with your name on it). Then the ALL USERS folder. Note some system files will not copy but they are not needed.
During this process you may try to copy a file or folder that is damaged and get an error. If it is an important file/folder you may have to get a recovery program like ZAR to recover those files.
Your data files are the only things you can't replace. All the config stuff is recreatable, albeit, a PITA.
Run CHKDSK /F on your drive from the RUN box and hope that it can find and fix the problem. If it finds and corrects a problem, the data files it may create are pretty much useless so don't worry about them. You may find that after the operation you will have to reinstall something, because that was where the problem was and it no longer is readable.
If that does not fix the problem, you may need to clean the drive off by deleting and recreating partition(s), and reformat it, then reinstall your system. During the format process if it finds bad sectors, it should flag them and use any spares that are available.
If that process doesn't complete, then it is time to order an new hard drive - You wanted to upgrade that old one anyway, right!
Dropped laptop going Rogue ??
by pc-clinic - 11/1/09 11:30 PM In reply to: Please help, my computer goes rogue on me by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Looks like the drop has caused a possible bad connection on the RAM module or other connection, remove & re-seat the RAM.
rouge lappie
by LostValley - 11/2/09 3:53 AM In reply to: Please help, my computer goes rogue on me by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Find your ram sticks and be sure they are seated properly. Kinda wonder if adhesion between cpu,heat spreader and/or fan dislodged. Checking manual find heatsink/spreader/fan. Your manual hopefully will show how to remove areas of case and perhaps keyboard. Also how to access ram bay, Laptops can be taken apart....IF you can be delicate, use correct drivers and always ASSUME the component is connected with a VERY short ribbon cable and you will mung the clip. Never ever, not at ANY time force or lever. Find the clip holding it. Should the manual that came with it not be sufficient, look online. Gut feeling here is RAM with heat issue close 2nd. Look in bios and manufacturers software for environment applications; get CPU temp, get amount of ram and compare to specs minus reserve for display and OS. Lappie bounce tests can get pricey.
I am not a technician
by Saskia Cornell - 11/2/09 4:16 AM In reply to: Please help, my computer goes rogue on me by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I am not a technician, but I would say dropping your laptop is the answer, they are not meant to be dropped, and the damage has been done. Laptops I do know are expensive to fix, don't bother and buy a new one. From what I can understand your laptop was working without any problems prior to dropping it, and after that it started playing up - buy another one, don't waste your money on repairs.
Saskia Cornell
Rogue Laptop
by RayGauthier - 11/2/09 7:41 AM In reply to: Please help, my computer goes rogue on me by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Here's one thought: One of the most fragile components of a laptop is its keyboard. When you dropped it you may have infinitessimally damaged the keyboard operation. Unluckily, these fragile keyboards are almost impossible to service. Luckily, laptop keyboards are relatively inexpensive (under $50) and easy to replace (you can find instructions online and do it yourself).
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