laptop boot error

[bikes]

I was sitting and grinding internet poker when my laptop blue screened and rebooted. However on reboot it told me my boot image was corrupt and then the screen went black and has remained black. Laptop is a Toshiba satellite L650-st3n01x and is not even 3 months old.

How to fix?
More importantly what is the likelihood I'm going to lose my harddrive because if so ill just /life right now
Also any idea on cost to get this fixed. Id look myself but am typing this all on a phone. It's a bitch.

[Hawk]

Do you have a Windows installation disk? The installer will have an option to repair your installation. I'd probably start there.

[bigred]

Oh snap, your computer got the herp from the Thai chicks. THERE'S NO CURE THE END IS NIGH

[bikes]

No Windows disks

[celtic123]

No Windows disks

How many times have you tried rebooting it?


Do you have skype on your phone ?

[celtic123]

Toshiba Satellite L650-ST3N01X Windows 7 Driver Recovery CD Restore Disk

[bikes]

Like 5 times. Screen stays black. Back light does not turn on.

[celtic123]

Like 5 times. Screen stays black. Back light does not turn on.

Have you taken the battery off for a minute or so ?

[Jack Sawyer]

You need two USB sticks (and an external hard drive).

To recover your files (and have them in a safe place, just in case of shit), grab a USB stick and head to the nearest internet cafe. Download two things:

1) Universal USB Installer
2) a recent Ubuntu Linux Iso

From the Universal USB Installer, choose Ubuntu 11.04. You should then browse to the ISO you just downloaded. Then Select your USB drive with its drive letter, tick the "format" box, then choose a persistent file size. This allows for the USB stick to be treated as an installation, and will have its own hard drive so to speak on which you will be able to store files. You can also use some external media, or use the free space from your windows drive to specify a new drive.



Then, boot from the USB stick. I assume you know how to change boot priority in your laptop's BIOS. Choose to run/evaluate the Ubuntu desktop or some similar option when asked (I can't recall which right now); just do not choose to install it. Once you boot within that desktop, you then mount the drives from your windows file within Ubuntu, and copy them somewhere safe. Take a minute to familiarize yourself with the environment, as you will be back within it to copy your files back to the windows install.

I don't know how many files you have, so obviously this is all true if you don't have more files than your USB stick has space. If you got more than that, I would suggest plugging in an external hard drive with sufficient space for the transplant.

Then on to Windows. I can help you with that but not legitly: I could tell you where to look for help on obtaining a proper working copy (boots and installs) to and how to boot it from USB to make your life easier but I'm not sure if I should do so on a public forum, so pm me if you would like to know. If you have a Windows 7 license key, go ahead and grab the ISOs for your particular key's version directly from M$ here:
Download Windows 7 ISO – Official Direct Download Links - Direct download, download windows 7, download windows7, win 7, win 7 iso, Windows 7, windows 7 amazon, windows 7 digital river, windows 7 direct download, windows 7 download links, windows 7

Instructions on making it bootable on a USB are available here:
Install Windows 7 from a USB Memory Stick | Remote Administration For Windows

*note: you can boot and repair without needing a license key. If you want to reinstall you need a license key.


Once you have a windows boot disk, then you proceed tor repair as Hawksfan said. This will work and return you to a normal installation in 60% of the cases: if not it will simply fail. This would then mean you would need to reinstall Windows and all the fun that has with it.



It goes without mention that I'm assuming your laptop's hard drive is still good, and your battery's still good. This advice is for recovering from a corrupt Windows install that refuses to boot. I also assume you don't have a "recovery partition" on your laptop.

[bikes]

Trying now

[bikes]

Kk removing battery did not work. Will try jacks thing when i wake up i guess

[boost]

did you remove battery AND unplug it, then let it sit for a minute or so? Not trying to be a dick.. just being thorough.

[bikes]

Yes

[Warpe]

did you try booting in safe mode?

[Warpe]

i.e. hitting F8 on boot

[Warpe]

if you get in in safe mode then run chkdsk

[celtic123]

Ive got a recovery CD, its compressed into 170 mb. If there is anyway I can send it, postal or if there is a way to transfer.I don't know any hosting sites. lts a long shot, I think you need to burn it to CD, or maybe USB drive.

[bigred]

Damn man. Not good timing. I would def try Jack Sawyer's thing.

@warpe, I don't think he can get to safe mode.

[bigred]

Bikes, worst case scenario and it's dead, what's the backup plan? Doesn't singapore have cheap electronics? Could you ship something from there?

[bikes]

Screen will not turn on for anything. Comp does not make boot noises. Taking it in tomorrow. Worst case buy new laptop and tramsfer harddrive. Worst worst case get new laptop and harddrive unrecoverable

[sweetlemon69]

buy a new one bawler!

[kiwiMark]

risk?

[Jack Sawyer]

GL on getting your datas! Cross fingers!

[OngBonga]

I did it to you, I got my buddies on 4chan to fuck you over for stopping me play WW.

Just kidding. 4chan is full of wankers. It was b3ta really.

[Nekrogovner]

Toshiba laptops are nice, though sometimes they tend to get fried if you get too fancy with them for a extended period of time, like me playing FPS on them for a couple of months.

However, they have a great customer support, so if you bought your laptop legally, just go to the nearest Toshiba service with your laptop and a warranty, and ask for a replacement laptop until yours gets fixed. Would be great if they had exactly the same one (they prolly do), so they just put your HDD in that one, unless its fried.

My guess is your disk is fine, but CPU got toasted.

But, even if your hard disk got fucked up, there are various services that offer data recovery, though that might cost you even few hundred bucks depending on complexity of data recovery.

[bikes]

am so glad that it was only both sticks of ram that was fucked. words cannot describe the emotion of awesome i feel atm. ty for all your helps. if anyone who helped me itt wants some free poker coaching ship me a pm with your AIM or skype

[Jack Sawyer]

I'm glad it turned out so awesome for you, but what happened left me perplexed as normally when the ram fucks up the computer affected beeps on boot. Maybe I'm getting too old school?

Anyway, start backing up them precious files. Locally you can do it with a USB disk obviously, but you also got online options such as SugarSync, Carbonite, Mozy and even Dropbox. Laptop fucking up is no excuse for losing files anymore

I'll most likely take you up on your offer (if you considered my post "help") sometime in the future when I play again. I have taken a sabbatical from poker.

[OngBonga]

Does my post count as help?

[Nekrogovner]

I'm glad it turned out so awesome for you, but what happened left me perplexed as normally when the ram fucks up the computer affected beeps on boot. Maybe I'm getting too old school?

Well that depends on BIOS. But since his laptop couldn't actually turn ON, there is no really way it could beep, yes?

[Jack Sawyer]

Well that depends on BIOS. But since his laptop couldn't actually turn ON, there is no really way it could beep, yes?

Hahaha, that's the problem. With faulty ram the computer should still turn on, but starts beeping like mad and would fail to boot. At least that's how it used to be, BIOS independent, which is why I think I'm getting too old school. Some BIOSes even used to have specific beeps for whatever the problem was.

With no beeping you have no idea what's going on. And that sucks, as you have to start guessing the cures for a pretty generic symptoms. Hence, a muted BIOS is a fucked up thing to have.

[Nekrogovner]

Hahaha, that's the problem. With faulty ram the computer should still turn on, but starts beeping like mad and would fail to boot. At least that's how it used to be, BIOS independent, which is why I think I'm getting too old school. Some BIOSes even used to have specific beeps for whatever the problem was.

With no beeping you have no idea what's going on. And that sucks, as you have to start guessing the cures for a pretty generic symptoms. Hence, a muted BIOS is a fucked up thing to have.

Usually BIOS has lots of beep codes for loads of stuff. In this example, if RAM was faulty, but not completely fried, computer would probably turn on and do the beep codes. But I assume, in this case, his RAM was totally fried, which means either short circuit or fried circuit. In both cases whatever safety mechanism prevented computer from booting it was necessary to prevent any further damage to hardware.

[bigred]

OH SNAP

we got ourselves a nerdoff!

[Sasquach991]

Maybe I missed it but how did you find out it was the RAM?

Like Jack, I'm used to beep codes.

[supa]

Having the same issue with my laptop (sorta) so I thought I'd read and then bump this one instead of starting a new thread. The major difference is that someone spilled a glass of wine on mine lastnight. The wine only hit the lower portion below the keyboard where the touchpad is and the computer was picked up immediately and wiped off. It didn't seem like any liquid actually got in the computer, and we were listening to spotify so I just left it on.

I'm guessing some must have gotten thru the touchpad buttons because about 5 mins later (maybe less) the screen flickered once or twice and then went black. The power stayed on and actually wouldn't turn off, but the screen went black and the music turned off. The only thing I could think to do was unplug it, disconnect the battery and leave it.

So now it's in the same state. Power light comes on, screen stays black, no little lights come on that make it look like it's trying to do anything computerish, and it will not power off unless I kill the power sources.

So is it just fucked or can something be done?

[celtic123]

Its looking glum.

How to Save a Laptop from Liquid Damage - wikiHow