I left the office a bit early today but was going to work at home on this crucial spreadsheet. I powered up my beloved IBM Thinkpad and that's where the trouble began. It worked fine last time, shut down normally and has been sitting undisturbed for a couple of weeks but today, when I desperately needed it to, it wouldn't boot.
First off, it wanted to run a disk check and I was cool with that; hey, if disk checking makes you happy, I will not stand in your way. Check completed, 3 files repaired, reached happy Windows login screen, but this was abruptly canceled. A problem was cited in a message that came and went so fast I wasn't sure what it was. This repeated a few times.
I finally got part of the error: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL. A quick Google told me that might be bad RAM or might be incompatible device drivers. I tried to boot in safe mode so I could check my drivers - nope. ThinkPad angry! Will not boot! I wrote down the line on which it kept hanging up (I'd tried booting to safe mode thrice). The Husband, while a computer geek proficient in many an operating system, is much like a unionized housekeeper, in that he does NOT do windows. So I phoned a certain high-profile computer-service hotline.
Helly: *Calls. Apologizes for not having a complete error message. Describes problem.*
Computer Girl: Mmmm, it sounds like it might be a virus or something.
Helly: That's kinda unlikely...my anti-virus is up-to-date, we have a firewall, I haven't downloaded anything lately and I don't generally use the laptop for e-mail. Sooo, I either have a hardware problem with my RAM or a problem with device drivers fighting - maybe 'cause Windows auto-updated or something? And I'm thinking a driver issue because I can't boot to safe mode--
Computer Girl: Ohhhh, you tried that?
Helly: Yes, and--
Computer Girl: That didn't work? That should work.
Er, well, if it worked would I be calling you? Okay, I didn't say that part.
Computer Girl: Um, you should probably bring it into the store, especially if it's a laptop. Is it a laptop?
Yes, remember when I told you it was an IBM Thinkpad? That's what those are. Okay, I didn't say that either.
Helly: Yes, it's a laptop. Okay, well, it ran a disk check - oh, it's FAT32 if that makes any difference, and I wrote down one file it said would be truncated and another that it said was linked on allo--
Computer Girl: Is it under warranty?
Helly: No. Look, would you be able to tell me if an error on a specific allocation unit is likely to be hardware or software? Just to point me in the right direction? [side note: I am computer-illiterate enough not to know whether or not this is technically possible.]
Computer Girl: Umm, you should probably bring it in. They'll probably have to open it up.
** Now this is the good part, that makes this whole conversation blog-worthy**
Computer Girl: Okay, um, since it's a laptop you should just bring it in, and when you bring it in make sure you bring the power supply with it, that's the part where you plug it in at.
Yes, Girlfriend actually explained to me what a power supply was.
Non-grammatically explained it.
After I'd offered information on file allocation tables and incompatible device drivers (that she wanted to write of as virii) and boot-to-safe-mode results that, one would devoutly hope, indicated that I am not a complete TV-brainmushed ambulatory vacuum tube.
Girlfriend explained to me what a power supply was.
*mind implodes*
First off, it wanted to run a disk check and I was cool with that; hey, if disk checking makes you happy, I will not stand in your way. Check completed, 3 files repaired, reached happy Windows login screen, but this was abruptly canceled. A problem was cited in a message that came and went so fast I wasn't sure what it was. This repeated a few times.
I finally got part of the error: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL. A quick Google told me that might be bad RAM or might be incompatible device drivers. I tried to boot in safe mode so I could check my drivers - nope. ThinkPad angry! Will not boot! I wrote down the line on which it kept hanging up (I'd tried booting to safe mode thrice). The Husband, while a computer geek proficient in many an operating system, is much like a unionized housekeeper, in that he does NOT do windows. So I phoned a certain high-profile computer-service hotline.
Helly: *Calls. Apologizes for not having a complete error message. Describes problem.*
Computer Girl: Mmmm, it sounds like it might be a virus or something.
Helly: That's kinda unlikely...my anti-virus is up-to-date, we have a firewall, I haven't downloaded anything lately and I don't generally use the laptop for e-mail. Sooo, I either have a hardware problem with my RAM or a problem with device drivers fighting - maybe 'cause Windows auto-updated or something? And I'm thinking a driver issue because I can't boot to safe mode--
Computer Girl: Ohhhh, you tried that?
Helly: Yes, and--
Computer Girl: That didn't work? That should work.
Er, well, if it worked would I be calling you? Okay, I didn't say that part.
Computer Girl: Um, you should probably bring it into the store, especially if it's a laptop. Is it a laptop?
Yes, remember when I told you it was an IBM Thinkpad? That's what those are. Okay, I didn't say that either.
Helly: Yes, it's a laptop. Okay, well, it ran a disk check - oh, it's FAT32 if that makes any difference, and I wrote down one file it said would be truncated and another that it said was linked on allo--
Computer Girl: Is it under warranty?
Helly: No. Look, would you be able to tell me if an error on a specific allocation unit is likely to be hardware or software? Just to point me in the right direction? [side note: I am computer-illiterate enough not to know whether or not this is technically possible.]
Computer Girl: Umm, you should probably bring it in. They'll probably have to open it up.
** Now this is the good part, that makes this whole conversation blog-worthy**
Computer Girl: Okay, um, since it's a laptop you should just bring it in, and when you bring it in make sure you bring the power supply with it, that's the part where you plug it in at.
Yes, Girlfriend actually explained to me what a power supply was.
Non-grammatically explained it.
After I'd offered information on file allocation tables and incompatible device drivers (that she wanted to write of as virii) and boot-to-safe-mode results that, one would devoutly hope, indicated that I am not a complete TV-brainmushed ambulatory vacuum tube.
Girlfriend explained to me what a power supply was.
*mind implodes*
9 Comments:
lol. She probably didn't even know what you were talking about.
I hope you get the problem figured out soon.
By
Still Trying, at 6:43 PM
Me, get the problem figured out??? I'm mailing it to Ray.
By
Helly, at 7:16 PM
Hahaha...wow. I don't think she was the right person to ask your technological questions to (Just a thought). BUT ACTUALLY this may or may not be good news to you but my old laptop had a huge hissy fit that said FAT 32 as well!!! I sent it in, it got fixed, got it back, and it broke down a few weeks later. Thus I have a new nifty laptop....
By
Anonymous, at 9:10 PM
Don't be too hard on computer girl, in fact you should feel sorry for her ;)
She's a warm body making slightly over minimum wage that knows the difference between the power button and the enter key, (but only if they're labeled) and YOU made her deviate from her script. ;)
but seriously, I have seen that error before, more than once. It can be almost any major piece of hardware having problems, or a corrupted operating system.
First. recover data. Pull hard drive and attach to another computer. You will need an adapter. (you may be able to do this with the live cd mentioned below) Backup any personal data that you can't replace. Run hard drive and memory tests from a bootable cd. Get your husband to find a linux live cd and run a motherboard test. if all this comes up clean, format and reinstall. (Win98, 2000?)
if you need software recommendations or further suggestions, email Afton
Of course you could just take it to the store, but find out if they will back up personal data before you leave it.
Ray
By
Unknown, at 9:20 PM
Thanks for the sympathy, Catchy!
Wow, Ray, thank you!!! There's actually not much on that machine that isn't also somewhere else, in terms of data 'cause it's mostly a 'for convenience machine' - which runs Windows XP Pro BTW. Alan's searching for that Linux live CD as I type and thanks you for the suggestion. If he can't fix it easily, he's going to take it to Fry's on Friday morning - do you have Fry's Electronics in Canada? The Husband loves Fry's.
By
Helly, at 10:13 PM
Good lord, when did you turn into such a total computer GEEK? I'm saying that in the most complimentary way. Girlfriend was probably shamed by your superior knowledge and vocabulary.
By
Anonymous Me, at 10:54 PM
Sorry for mistaking the OS. FAT 32 usually means 98/me/2000 but it can also mean older XP. (obviously) As for Fry's, nope not in Canada, at least not in Western Canada.
Ray
P.S. There are other methods for trouble shooting, but since your husband likes penguins...
By
Unknown, at 11:53 PM
Ugh, I hate computer problems like that. When I get error messages that have anything to do with my computer actually running or not running, I hand it to Leigh-Ann (or yell for her to c'mere!) and then softly sob in the corner, while she fixes it for me.
And, whodathunk the power supply was where you plug it in at? Good for Computer Girl for knowing that!
By
Anonymous, at 8:30 AM
Flippy, that doesn't work for me. While I sob in the corner, Alan cold-heartedly stands aside the malfunctioning equipment telling me that's what I get for not going Mac.
He seriously don't do windows.
But he let me buy a new laptop and it is shiny and spiffy and makes F1-engine revving sounds when it starts (I didn't do it, it came that way) and has lovely Ferrari prancing ponies on.
Alan says it's a great laptop with 1g of RAM and a 100+g hard drive but, who cares? They had me at the ponies.
/is really that shallow
By
Helly, at 9:24 PM
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