Startup repair problems keep occuring

[bounce2302]

Hello,

Welcome to my headache. I built a computer from family friends and installed windows 7.

Last week it came up with startup repair which just seems to mess everything up and never completed, luckily everything was backed up. Anyway, after researching and not really finding a solution we replaced the motherboard which came up with an error saying that there was a power surge (it's plugged into an anti surge plug and I tried two power supplies and leads.) When doing this I also replaced the power supply for a quieter one - a brand new one. So all fitted, windows reinstalled. Updated. Running fine. Tried restarting, shutting down - no issues. Sorted...

Until this morning I get a call to say it's gone into startup repair again... "oh ffs" lol.
I told them to cancel straight away due to the issues it caused last time, and i've just heard it started normally after they cancelled. They said they just opened their emails (Windows Live Mail) and it shut down (or restarted I haven't got full details yet), thats when it came up with startup repair.

So the only thing that is the same is:
Motherboard is same
Processor - AMD Phenom II X2 555
Hard drives - 2 raided 500gb sata
RAM - 1 x OCZ DDR3 PC-10666 - 1333MHZ
DVD Drive
Case
Power lead


I ran the windows 7 memory diagnostic after reinstalling windows the 2nd time, and it found no errors with the RAM.
Hard drives have been reformatted but I will run seagate's seatools on it if I can get in later.
Can't see the DVD being and issue.
Case wouldn't be an issue, but i'll double check the power switch.
Power lead i'll replace later just in case.
Processor has been reseated as motherboard has been changed.

I will check event logs later for clues but i'm at work now.

I've told them to leave it until later. But i've come here asking for advice.
Anyone got any advice on what to try?

Thanks Guys.

 

[mckillwashere]

Bounce...
In all reality given the fact that with two different sets of hardware the exact same issue is happening, I would have to suggest it is more of an user error...

What programs are they installing?
Are there any critical errors in the event viewer?
And do you have a sense of humor when it come to technology?

 

[bounce2302]

Thanks for your reply mckillwashere.

It was only yesterday I returned the computer to them after the second reinstall. I installed the printer drivers/software there, as far as I know they haven't installed anything else since, but I will double check later.

I think it probably is a software issue of some kind, my instinct at the moment suggests Windows Live Mail has something to do with it, as they said when they opened up their email it switched off/restarted. I had opened it up previously though and it opened and got emails fine, so it could be an intermitant bug, but whether it would cause the computer to restart I'm not sure...

But as you mention, due to a change in bits of hardware, I don't think it atm it's a hardware issue but probably it was either windows 7 or some software(possibily Windows Live Mail) that cause it to reboot and triggering the startup repair again.

The previous issues I have had with startup repair going into endless loops and days spent on 'repairing' make me very reluctant to use it, so I think I will disable startup repair (can always use DVD to run repair tools if needed).

I will have a look at the event logs when I go over later and report back about any errors, I'm hoping to find something in there that will give me some answers.

I work with computers every single day, so I know a sense of humor with technology is very important if you wish to stay sane lol.

Thanks again, any other advice is welcomed.

 

[mckillwashere]

Next time you work on this machine I would drop logmein on there so when you get it back up you can jump on really fast remotely and check everything out... without having to pick the machine up

ps check your P.M.s

 

[bounce2302]

Lol, thanks for the PM

The only thing that installed after I left it with them where some windows updates when they switched it off. But i'll take a look later. They have left it switched off so logmein wouldn't help too much atm, although teamviewer should be installed I think. But thanks mckillwashere, i'll report back later when i'm over there

 

[bounce2302]

Hello mckillwashere and anyone else who wants to join in the thread

I've been over this evening and I was getting a BSOD every time when starting up and logging into windows. After a lot of humming and ahhh-ing I decided I would disable the 'Core Unlocker' which is a feature on the Asus motherboards to unlock AMD which I assume most of you will know about. Link here if you don't. Basically I read beforehand that they often disable cores and sell them as 2 cores if other cores fail quality control - but this doesn't necessarily mean they are defective. But disabling this feature appears (at the moment) to have solved the issue which does make sense, although it must be very intermittent as it didn't fail when I was installing windows or anything.

Anyway, assuming this is the issue, what are suggestions? I could attempt to return it as faulty to get a replacement which might work ok as a 3/4 core or I just leave them with a 2 core processor. Any suggestions?

Thanks guys.


P.s. Hope this post makes sense, it's late here in the uk

 

[mckillwashere]

It may have to relate to the fact that if a core is bad and its only stressed to the point of failure when under a certain load.

 

[gregrocker]

Please run this tool to collect your Bluescreen bugcheck file, zip it up and upload it as an attachment to a new post in the Crashes & Debugging forum where the real geniuses hang out: http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/96879-blue-screen-death-bsod-posting-instructions.html They will tell you quickly what is causing the crashes.

After doing that post back a screenshot of your full Disk Management drive map with listings, using snipping Tool in Start menu, the installers here will look it over to make sure partitioning is config'd correctly.

 

[bounce2302]

Well, after having it seeming working fine last night, tried shutting down and leaving for a while, restarting I couldn't get it to go wrong after I disabled the core unlocker...
This morning I get a message saying that it's been turned on and it's doing a similar thing...
I will check out the BSODs later.

Could it be a cpu issue and disabling the core unlocker only helped but didn't solve?

Other than the BSOD stuff is there anything else I can try, or any other suggestions?

 

[bounce2302]

For reference, logs/dumps posted here : http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/122859-intermittent-restarting-bsod.html

 

[gregrocker]

No Disk Management screenshot I see.