Urgent Computer Advice - Am I hosed?

[AZSpeechCoach]

I was playing the TCB Demo on my laptop. I was trying to recruit a player and the game stopped responding for a minute. The screen went pixellated for a second, and then the game came back, but my desktop underneath the game was black. About 10 seconds later, I got the blue screen of death. The computer restarted, but got caught in a blue screen loop. Each time, it said that I had a "page error in a non-paged area." It gave me a screen with multiple options. Safe mode options didn't work, restarting normally didn't work, going back to the last successful configuration didn't work. Each time, it sent me back to the blue screen. The last time it restarted, I F10ed into the configuration menu. I'm currently running a hard-drive test just to confirm that everything is okay there (and to give the laptop something to do while I ask here for help). Is it time to get out the original configuration DVDs? Please help me, oh great ones with more expertise in this area of IT than I have.

[stevew]

That's just taking the RTE to the next level.

Sorry about your bad luck.

[MizzouRah]

Laptop... probably the HD.

Boot into the recovery console and run a chkdsk /f

But if you have a good diag program, I'm betting you HD is going bad and you'll see some bad block errors.

[stevew]

Sounds like Video card drivers possibly, from a Yahoo search. I had a laptop where they just totally expired one day and it screwed up a couple functions till i figured out and fixed the problem.

[AZSpeechCoach]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Laptop... probably the HD.

Boot into the recovery console and run a chkdsk /f

But if you have a good diag program, I'm betting you HD is going bad and you'll see some bad block errors.

I'm currently running the "hard drive self test" in the configuration area. Will that be an accurate test of how my HD is? When I restart, what button would I hit in order to get to my recovery area? Esc? F8?

Sorry for sounding like such a noob.

[MizzouRah]

I assume this is Windows XP? If you have your CD, boot to it and select R for recovery console when the screen comes up.

[AZSpeechCoach]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

I assume this is Windows XP? If you have your CD, boot to it and select R for recovery console when the screen comes up.

Thanks! I'll do that when this HD test is over.

[MizzouRah]

You could also try removing one of your memory DIMMs if you have two to see if one of those are bad.

In fact, if you have two DIMMs try this first. One out boot... if it blue screens, try the other DIMM by itself.

[AZSpeechCoach]

I am being told that "The file ql2300.sys is corrupted" when doing the recovery. Que?

[MizzouRah]

Well, you could do a re-install of Windows XP - that should fix that issue.

[MizzouRah]

Instead of selecting R - act like you're installing Windows XP for the first time, it should find windows already installed and ask if you want to reinstall.

I have to get some sleep, I'll check back in the AM.

Good luck!!

[AZSpeechCoach]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Well, you could do a re-install of Windows XP - that should fix that issue.

I will try that from the DVD. Wait...I will first amuse myself by going to HP help.

[AZSpeechCoach]

Ding ding ding...we have a winner it seems.

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

You could also try removing one of your memory DIMMs if you have two to see if one of those are bad.

In fact, if you have two DIMMs try this first. One out boot... if it blue screens, try the other DIMM by itself.

Or prehaps

Originally Posted by stevew

Sounds like Video card drivers possibly, from a Yahoo search. I had a laptop where they just totally expired one day and it screwed up a couple functions till i figured out and fixed the problem.

It's going in for service. Shit.

[AZSpeechCoach]

Darn you TCB!!!!! Now there's no way Mrs.SpeechCoach will let me buy that game...not when it wrecked the laptop...





Yeah, I know, it didn't, but it's a convenient excuse for her.

[stevew]

ql2300.sys is the miniport driver for the QLA2300 Adapter which seems to be your network adapter. Possibly you could overwrite yours with a fresh version of this file, but taking it in seems to be the good option.

[Franklinnoble]

A google search for ql2300.sys indicates that's a driver for your drive controller. You can download a copy (just google it) and try to replace it using a boot floppy...

Edit... the QLA2300 appears to be a fibre channel adapter... that makes NO sense on a laptop.

[AZSpeechCoach]

Yeah...I know how to make the software that I need to work, work. Hardware, I leave to the professionals (especially when it is still under warranty). I am a bit sad, though. I know that it is never the same when it gets returned to you. Although, if they can fix it without erasing everything on the HD, I will be a happy person. Unlikely, I know. Thank goodness I did not use this laptop for porn.

[Wasabiak]

Originally Posted by AZSpeechCoach

Thank goodness I did not use this laptop for porn.

Good point. I, too, have a separate laptop just for that.

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by AZSpeechCoach

Darn you TCB!!!!! Now there's no way Mrs.SpeechCoach will let me buy that game...not when it wrecked the laptop...





Yeah, I know, it didn't, but it's a convenient excuse for her.

She'll only stop you from buying the game if you told her what happened.

Wait a minute, you told her?

[AZSpeechCoach]

Update:

HP sent me a box on Monday. I sent the laptop in on Tuesday via FedEx. They got it on Wednesday and turned it around on the same day. I got it this morning. They replaced the memory and hard drive. I didn't like the image they placed on the hard drive (wasn't their latest revision), so I'm reformatting from the recovery DVD that I created when the laptop was new. My long strange journey may be at an end!!!!!11!!!!