Computer problems

[Ruth]

I keep getting the blue crash screen every time I am in the middle of something.

 

[Ruth]

I typed the first post really fast before my pc has time to crash. A question: What kind of disk do you use to copy your hard drive data that you want to keep? How do you access the data after downloading it to a disk?

 

[Ruth]

I ask that question in the last post because I'm afraid my computer is dying, the hard drive that is. It keeps crashing every day now and several times a day.

 

[Ruth]

I may have to purchase a new pc. If I'm not around for awhile you will know why.

 

[MarkFL]

What operating system (OS) are you using? Have you recently (right before this issue began to occur) added any hardware or made an update of your OS?

 

[Ruth]

No I have not updated anything. I am using Windows Vista. It's been for the past months crashing and now it is getting worse it seems.

 

[Ruth]

I have had this computer for quite awhile, maybe 10 years now. Could it be dying?

 

[psalms 91]

Dont know but 10 years is a long time

 

[Ruth]

Computers are expensive but I may have to get a new one. I just don't know how to download the stuff on the hard drive to a disk and then how to retrieve that data afterwards. I tried it once and couldn't retrieve the data.

 

[psalms 91]

Maybe Mark could help you with that and a couple of others who are computer savvy might be able topoint you in the right direction for a cheap PC that does good. Have you considered a laptiop or a tablet?

 

[Ruth]

Laptops and tablets cost more, I believe. I don't know how to use a laptop either.

 

[tango]

I may have to purchase a new pc. If I'm not around for awhile you will know why.

What sort of computer is it? Desktop or laptop?

If your PC dies don't be too quick to throw it away, if the disk is good (or even partly good) you can get some of the data from it.

 

[tango]

I have had this computer for quite awhile, maybe 10 years now. Could it be dying?

The age won't cause it to blue-screen. I've had PCs for longer than that - as they get older you become aware they struggle to keep up (simply because new software tends to assume you're using a newer PC).

If you're getting the screen of death the chances are you've got something corrupted on your system. It could be that your disk is developing bad sectors (which is repairable, assuming it isn't totally trashed), or that a particular file has been corrupted. Sometimes that happens for reasons that never become entirely clear. If you know anyone local who can help look at it they may be able to salvage it, but as soon as you start taking it to the local PC store to recover the chances are it will cost as much as a newer PC.

I asked earlier if it was a laptop or desktop because if the cooling fans get choked with dust (which happens over time) it may overheat and shut down. A couple of years ago a friend had two matching laptops (one for him, one for his wife) and both had major issues. I took them apart - one of them just needed a dust plug removed from the cooling system and the other needed a clean and a new screen. He was expecting to have to drop a grand or more to replace two laptops but in the end it cost him about $50 for a new screen and some beers to thank me for fixing his laptops

(Mark - I put two dollar signs in there and everything in between got formatted funny. I think it's your LaTEX addition, any chance it could be tweaked?)

 

[MarkFL]

...(Mark - I put two dollar signs in there and everything in between got formatted funny. I think it's your LaTEX addition, any chance it could be tweaked?)

It appears you figured it out...but dollar signs need to be escaped with a backslash in front of them (just in this forum where $\LaTeX$ is enabled).

 

[Ruth]

Thanks for the ideas. I've taken it in before when it crashed and wouldn't work and it was about $100. I know a new one costs a lot more. I will check the dust thing.

 

[tango]

Thanks for the ideas. I've taken it in before when it crashed and wouldn't work and it was about $100. I know a new one costs a lot more. I will check the dust thing.

Clearing out dust is a fiddly job. On a desktop it's a bit of a hassle, on a laptop it's probably not something you can do unless you're confident enough to dismantle the thing. (Dismantling it is easy, putting it back together again afterwards is a little more fiddly!)

 

[Ruth]

Clearing out dust is a fiddly job. On a desktop it's a bit of a hassle, on a laptop it's probably not something you can do unless you're confident enough to dismantle the thing. (Dismantling it is easy, putting it back together again afterwards is a little more fiddly!)

I have a desktop. I just dusted the back of it. It may have dust inside, too, I'm guessing?

 

[tango]

I have a desktop. I just dusted the back of it. It may have dust inside, too, I'm guessing?

Yes, the dust on the outside is only a small part of the problem.

Inside the box you'll find a fan attached to a heatsink (which will look like lots of metal fins in a line), which is attached to the processor. If the heatsink is stuffed with dust that could be a good part of your problem. Poking the dust out isn't inherently difficult to do but if you're not confident with the innards of the machine you may find it a little daunting. If you'd like more details I'll write more but don't want to give lots of instructions if you don't feel confident even to take the back off the computer.

 

[Ruth]

Yes, the dust on the outside is only a small part of the problem.

Inside the box you'll find a fan attached to a heatsink (which will look like lots of metal fins in a line), which is attached to the processor. If the heatsink is stuffed with dust that could be a good part of your problem. Poking the dust out isn't inherently difficult to do but if you're not confident with the innards of the machine you may find it a little daunting. If you'd like more details I'll write more but don't want to give lots of instructions if you don't feel confident even to take the back off the computer.

I'm afraid to take it apart really but thanks for telling me what may be wrong. I just noticed that every time it crashes it is right after it's been hibernating for hours. Last night I left it on and it didn't crash when I used it today.

 

[MS140ukn]

wow im sorry ruth! i experienced the BSOD before. i was tweaking under the pc's hood when i got it. for some unlucky people, they never recover. but for me, after reboot, it went away.