hi everyone
i am new to computers--and dont know anything much about them .anyway every time i try to run scandisk it locks the computer up solid and i have to pull the plug to turn it off.it gets about 3 squares across the progress line and it locks up--but it will scan without locking up when i turn it back on (the standard scan)but it will not do a through scan and i cant run defrag either there is an error message saying i need to run scandisk first.Does anyone know whats causing this and or how to solve this prob
thanks
Rita
scandisk locks up computer
scandisk locks up computer
live each day as its your last because it may well be 
Rita ..I guess since you mention squares that your using Windows 98/95 or ME. Try running it in Safe mode. Reboot the computer and BEFORE it starts windows splash screen..Keep tapping F8ritaann wrote:hi everyone
i am new to computers--and dont know anything much about them .anyway every time i try to run scandisk it locks the computer up solid and i have to pull the plug to turn it off.it gets about 3 squares across the progress line and it locks up--but it will scan without locking up when i turn it back on (the standard scan)but it will not do a through scan and i cant run defrag either there is an error message saying i need to run scandisk first.Does anyone know whats causing this and or how to solve this prob
thanks
Rita
Under the advanced options Upper right hand corner FREE and lower left hand corner DELETE before you start the scan and Place a check on Automatically fix errors . Then click Start
Pie
SG Pimp Name : *Treacherous P. Shizzle*
*
The fight for our way of life needs to be fought on our own soil, for our own people and because of our own interests.
*
Hey, If Me & My Buddies Were Making Billions of Dollars I'd Tell Ya What Ya Wanted To Hear Too!
*
The fight for our way of life needs to be fought on our own soil, for our own people and because of our own interests.
*
Hey, If Me & My Buddies Were Making Billions of Dollars I'd Tell Ya What Ya Wanted To Hear Too!
thepieman wrote:Rita ..I guess since you mention squares that your using Windows 98/95 or ME. Try running it in Safe mode. Reboot the computer and BEFORE it starts windows splash screen..Keep tapping F8
Under the advanced options Upper right hand corner FREE and lower left hand corner DELETE before you start the scan and Place a check on Automatically fix errors . Then click Start
Pie
Hey Rita,
Would need a bit more info, such as what progs have been installed recently, OS and updates, any other symptoms, basically give as much info as possible...
From a hardware perspective, I have seen RAM that was bad or going bad cause this, or possibly your hard drive is getting too many bad sectors...
Anyway, I would look at it as a potential software problem first, so I am sending you to software for some help...
hiKen wrote:Hey Rita,
Would need a bit more info, such as what progs have been installed recently, OS and updates, any other symptoms, basically give as much info as possible...
From a hardware perspective, I have seen RAM that was bad or going bad cause this, or possibly your hard drive is getting too many bad sectors...
Anyway, I would look at it as a potential software problem first, so I am sending you to software for some help...
im running windows me.since you mentioned it the prob did start after i installed and tried to run a program called power defrag and it wouldnt work either--the reason i wanted it waas because scandisk took hours to run.maybe it messed something you think??thanks for your reply
rita
live each day as its your last because it may well be
hi Piethepieman wrote:Rita ..I guess since you mention squares that your using Windows 98/95 or ME. Try running it in Safe mode. Reboot the computer and BEFORE it starts windows splash screen..Keep tapping F8
Under the advanced options Upper right hand corner FREE and lower left hand corner DELETE before you start the scan and Place a check on Automatically fix errors . Then click Start
Pie
ive tried safe mode-it doesnt work either
os is windows me my computer may just be shot-- thanks for replyingRita
live each day as its your last because it may well be
ritaann wrote:hi
im running windows me.since you mentioned it the prob did start after i installed and tried to run a program called power defrag and it wouldnt work either--the reason i wanted it waas because scandisk took hours to run.maybe it messed something you think??thanks for your reply
rita
That is probably your problem... Do as Pie said (I mistakenly quoted Pie before when I meant to quote you...
) and boot into safe mode, uninstall the 3rd party defrag program, and then scandisk...In the future, you may want to always run scandisk from safe mode as 9x OS (95, 98, ME) do not handle memory well and have many things that hold memory, which is why scan disk would re start or take a long time to complete...
I have found that it is usually best to stay away from most 3rd party programs, as that is usually what causes software problems...
kenKen wrote:That is probably your problem... Do as Pie said (I mistakenly quoted Pie before when I meant to quote you...
In the future, you may want to always run scandisk from safe mode as 9x OS (95, 98, ME) do not handle memory well and have many things that hold memory, which is why scan disk would re start or take a long time to complete...
I have found that it is usually best to stay away from most 3rd party programs, as that is usually what causes software problems...
i believe too now its better to stay away from most 3rd party progs (hindsight is 20/20 lol)maybe ill get this fixed soon --at least i hope.thanks for your time
rita
live each day as its your last because it may well be
Ken wrote:Did you uninstall the program? Will it scandisk now?
Ken
yes i uninstalled the program and it still doesnt scandisk--im wondering if it didnt really mess something up bad.im going to do a search and see if there are any files on the computer left of this power defrag--that maybe didnt get deleted and if there are delete them.of course it may have nothing to do with this prog but i did install and try to run it before the scandisk started locking up--ill post back and let you know if i ever get it to work again
thanks
Rita
live each day as its your last because it may well be
Rita
Go through your c:\windows\temp and delete all your temporary files. Also in your c:\windows directory find and delete all your ~ffxxxxxxxx files (these are made after searches or file finds...the xx's represent random characters or numbers). Open your Internet Explorer click on TOOLS/Internet Options/ Click Delete Files, place a tick on delete all offline content and click OK, when thats done click on Delete Cookies if you have internet explorer 6.0 or above.
Right Click on MY COMPUTER , Left Click Properties, then Click the Advanced Tab which will be the last one, click on File settings, then Click on Troubleshooting and DISABLE SYSTEM RESTORE , Click apply, OK and then REBOOT and Restart back into safe Mode and try running scandisk again as explained earlier. I may be wrong about the File Settings as Im going from memory but it will be in the advanced section under Troubleshooting. There will be 3 buttons, one is for Video, one is for Files and the other I completely forgot. I work so much on XP I have forgotten unless its in front of me.
Pie
Go through your c:\windows\temp and delete all your temporary files. Also in your c:\windows directory find and delete all your ~ffxxxxxxxx files (these are made after searches or file finds...the xx's represent random characters or numbers). Open your Internet Explorer click on TOOLS/Internet Options/ Click Delete Files, place a tick on delete all offline content and click OK, when thats done click on Delete Cookies if you have internet explorer 6.0 or above.
Right Click on MY COMPUTER , Left Click Properties, then Click the Advanced Tab which will be the last one, click on File settings, then Click on Troubleshooting and DISABLE SYSTEM RESTORE , Click apply, OK and then REBOOT and Restart back into safe Mode and try running scandisk again as explained earlier. I may be wrong about the File Settings as Im going from memory but it will be in the advanced section under Troubleshooting. There will be 3 buttons, one is for Video, one is for Files and the other I completely forgot. I work so much on XP I have forgotten unless its in front of me.
Pie
SG Pimp Name : *Treacherous P. Shizzle*
*
The fight for our way of life needs to be fought on our own soil, for our own people and because of our own interests.
*
Hey, If Me & My Buddies Were Making Billions of Dollars I'd Tell Ya What Ya Wanted To Hear Too!
*
The fight for our way of life needs to be fought on our own soil, for our own people and because of our own interests.
*
Hey, If Me & My Buddies Were Making Billions of Dollars I'd Tell Ya What Ya Wanted To Hear Too!
thepieman wrote:Rita
Go through your c:\windows\temp and delete all your temporary files. Also in your c:\windows directory find and delete all your ~ffxxxxxxxx files (these are made after searches or file finds...the xx's represent random characters or numbers). Open your Internet Explorer click on TOOLS/Internet Options/ Click Delete Files, place a tick on delete all offline content and click OK, when thats done click on Delete Cookies if you have internet explorer 6.0 or above.
Right Click on MY COMPUTER , Left Click Properties, then Click the Advanced Tab which will be the last one, click on File settings, then Click on Troubleshooting and DISABLE SYSTEM RESTORE , Click apply, OK and then REBOOT and Restart back into safe Mode and try running scandisk again as explained earlier. I may be wrong about the File Settings as Im going from memory but it will be in the advanced section under Troubleshooting. There will be 3 buttons, one is for Video, one is for Files and the other I completely forgot. I work so much on XP I have forgotten unless its in front of me.
Hi Pie
i done every thing you said in this post and it still freezes up after it gets to about the fourth square across.i really want to thank you for your reply and if you think of anything else i will try it.
thanks
rita
Pie
live each day as its your last because it may well be
Hi NormNorm wrote:Give scandisk a try from the commandline.
reboot to the menu again (tapping F8), instead of 'safe mode' select 'command prompt only'
Then type:
scandisk c: /autofix
Hit [enter]
i tried typing scandisk c: /autofix and it gave the message:you have typed parameters that are invalid for scandisk for windows.thanks for the reply
Rita
live each day as its your last because it may well be
Sorry about the error Rita, it's been a while since I had 98 installed.
If you have a 98 boot floppy (startup disk) try the same command after using it to boot to the A:> prompt.
I'm also wondering if your scandisk is freezing up, or is it just taking a long time and appears locked up. How long have you been waiting before giving up on it?
If you have a 98 boot floppy (startup disk) try the same command after using it to boot to the A:> prompt.
I'm also wondering if your scandisk is freezing up, or is it just taking a long time and appears locked up. How long have you been waiting before giving up on it?
Norm wrote:Sorry about the error Rita, it's been a while since I had 98 installed.
If you have a 98 boot floppy (startup disk) try the same command after using it to boot to the A:> prompt.
I'm also wondering if your scandisk is freezing up, or is it just taking a long time and appears locked up. How long have you been waiting before giving up on it?
hey Norm
no it is locked up--wont anything work on the computer --i just have to pull the plug on it--it used to work real slow and one way i can tell too is that it has an icon with a disk that turns all the time it is running and when it locks up the icon is still there but stops turning.im afraid the computer is just a lost cause although it still runs well--it just wont scandisk or defrag
thanks
Rita
live each day as its your last because it may well be
We had better get this fixed or problems will escalate. It may be a corrupt file, or a filename is too long and scandisk can't handle it.
If you allow this problem to persist errors on your drive will be allowed to multiply.
If making and using a boot disk is a problem, don't worry, I'll walk you through it.
If you allow this problem to persist errors on your drive will be allowed to multiply.
If making and using a boot disk is a problem, don't worry, I'll walk you through it.
Norm wrote:We had better get this fixed or problems will escalate. It may be a corrupt file, or a filename is too long and scandisk can't handle it.
If you allow this problem to persist errors on your drive will be allowed to multiply.
If making and using a boot disk is a problem, don't worry, I'll walk you through it.
Hi Norm
yes id love to get this fixed and i am embarased to say i dont know how to make or use a boot disk but i can follow instructions if i have explicit instructions to the letter lol i thank you so much for your help!
thanks
Rita
live each day as its your last because it may well be
Ok, lets get started.
You may want to print these instructions, since you won't have access to them once we use the bootdisk.
Go into the control panel Start>Settings>Control Panel
Click on the tab named Windows Setup ...wait a bit.
Click the startup tab.
Follow instructions to make a startup disk. (you will need a floppy disk in the drive)
Once you have the startup disk made, go into "My Computer" and click on the C: drive icon. Then click on the 'Windows' folder (then click 'show files' ), then on the 'command' folder.
Look for a file named smartdrv.exe (you may not be able to see the extension exe)
Look for a file named deltree.exe (you may not be able to see the extension exe)
Copy/paste smartdrv to A: drive in 'My Computer'
Copy/paste deltree to A: drive in 'My Computer'
Leave the floppy in the drive and reboot your PC.
When it asks you if you want CDRom support, select no CDRom support.
(use your arrow keys to navigate and highlight, then hit [enter] to make the selection)
Once you see the A:> prompt type the following commands, one after the other, but hit your [enter] key after each command. Wait for each command to complete, and show you the A:> prompt before typing the next command.
smartdrv
deltree /y c:\windows\tempor~1
deltree /y c:\windows\cookies
deltree /y c:\windows\history
deltree /y c:\windows\temp
scandisk c: /AUTOFIX
Note: The character ~ is found to the left of the number 1 on your keyboard. Use the 'shift' key as well.
Report back here with how it all went and include any messages presented to you, especially any filenames it says are causing problems. It may take a while be very patient
You may want to print these instructions, since you won't have access to them once we use the bootdisk.
Go into the control panel Start>Settings>Control Panel
Click on the tab named Windows Setup ...wait a bit.
Click the startup tab.
Follow instructions to make a startup disk. (you will need a floppy disk in the drive)
Once you have the startup disk made, go into "My Computer" and click on the C: drive icon. Then click on the 'Windows' folder (then click 'show files' ), then on the 'command' folder.
Look for a file named smartdrv.exe (you may not be able to see the extension exe)
Look for a file named deltree.exe (you may not be able to see the extension exe)
Copy/paste smartdrv to A: drive in 'My Computer'
Copy/paste deltree to A: drive in 'My Computer'
Leave the floppy in the drive and reboot your PC.
When it asks you if you want CDRom support, select no CDRom support.
(use your arrow keys to navigate and highlight, then hit [enter] to make the selection)
Once you see the A:> prompt type the following commands, one after the other, but hit your [enter] key after each command. Wait for each command to complete, and show you the A:> prompt before typing the next command.
smartdrv
deltree /y c:\windows\tempor~1
deltree /y c:\windows\cookies
deltree /y c:\windows\history
deltree /y c:\windows\temp
scandisk c: /AUTOFIX
Note: The character ~ is found to the left of the number 1 on your keyboard. Use the 'shift' key as well.
Report back here with how it all went and include any messages presented to you, especially any filenames it says are causing problems. It may take a while be very patient
NormNorm wrote:Ok, lets get started.
You may want to print these instructions, since you won't have access to them once we use the bootdisk.
Go into the control panel Start>Settings>Control Panel
Click on the tab named Windows Setup ...wait a bit.
Click the startup tab.
Follow instructions to make a startup disk. (you will need a floppy disk in the drive)
Once you have the startup disk made, go into "My Computer" and click on the C: drive icon. Then click on the 'Windows' folder (then click 'show files' ), then on the 'command' folder.
Look for a file named smartdrv.exe (you may not be able to see the extension exe)
Look for a file named deltree.exe (you may not be able to see the extension exe)
Copy/paste smartdrv to A: drive in 'My Computer'
Copy/paste deltree to A: drive in 'My Computer'
Leave the floppy in the drive and reboot your PC.
When it asks you if you want CDRom support, select no CDRom support.
(use your arrow keys to navigate and highlight, then hit [enter] to make the selection)
Once you see the A:> prompt type the following commands, one after the other, but hit your [enter] key after each command. Wait for each command to complete, and show you the A:> prompt before typing the next command.
smartdrv
deltree /y c:\windows\tempor~1
deltree /y c:\windows\cookies
deltree /y c:\windows\history
deltree /y c:\windows\temp
scandisk c: /AUTOFIX
Note: The character ~ is found to the left of the number 1 on your keyboard. Use the 'shift' key as well.
Report back here with how it all went and include any messages presented to you, especially any filenames it says are causing problems. It may take a while be very patient
i printed out your instructions and when i went to control panel there was no option of windows setup to click on.what do i do now
thanks
Rita
live each day as its your last because it may well be
hey normNorm wrote:oops, a mistake....
smartdrv.exe is not in the folder I sent you to, it's in the Windows folder.
copy/paste it onto your floppy disk.
i got the floppy made and scandisk is running from the floppy and so far its doing fine it says its got 1,830,040 clusters and its already done 50,000 and its just zipping along.Do i have to run scandisk every time i need to from this disk now? thank you so much for your help--now i know how to make a floppy disk--which i didnt before.it was so nice of you to see me thru with this prob ill post back with the results ok
Rita
live each day as its your last because it may well be
Lets pray this fixes the problem
I had the same thing with scandisk on one of my old drives when I was running 98. It was a filename that was far too long. Scandisk crapped out for me, even in Dos. I had to search my PC for quite a while to locate the bad file.
If it turns out that you have the same problem, you may want to fdisk and format.
btw - My old drive didn't last too long after all that either.
I had the same thing with scandisk on one of my old drives when I was running 98. It was a filename that was far too long. Scandisk crapped out for me, even in Dos. I had to search my PC for quite a while to locate the bad file.
If it turns out that you have the same problem, you may want to fdisk and format.
btw - My old drive didn't last too long after all that either.
the computer with the scandisk prob is an old computer hp only 64 ram --its been a good one but it may be about worn out.the computer im on now is pretty old too--guess i need a new computer but till i learn more about them guess ill stick to these old ones lol.i sent you a pm with a log of the computer i thought something may be there you could see that may be causing the prob but i couldnt send it all because it was to long(the log) so i sent half of it anyway again thank you--you have been most helpfulNorm wrote:Lets pray this fixes the problem
I had the same thing with scandisk on one of my old drives when I was running 98. It was a filename that was far too long. Scandisk crapped out for me, even in Dos. I had to search my PC for quite a while to locate the bad file.
If it turns out that you have the same problem, you may want to fdisk and format.
btw - My old drive didn't last too long after all that either.
rita
live each day as its your last because it may well be
I had a look at the log you sent, but didn't see anything that pointed to a problem for scandisk. there were a few programs I wouldn't install on my machines, but other than that all looked ok.
The bigfix program MAY be a problem. Programs that advertise 'fixing' a PC tend to do more harm than good.
Anyway, keep me posted. Try scandisk in windows once it's done in Dos. (Don't forget to take the floppy out before rebooting
btw - When you ran it in windows, were you doing a full surface scan?
The bigfix program MAY be a problem. Programs that advertise 'fixing' a PC tend to do more harm than good.
Anyway, keep me posted. Try scandisk in windows once it's done in Dos. (Don't forget to take the floppy out before rebooting
btw - When you ran it in windows, were you doing a full surface scan?
Norm wrote:I had a look at the log you sent, but didn't see anything that pointed to a problem for scandisk. there were a few programs I wouldn't install on my machines, but other than that all looked ok.
The bigfix program MAY be a problem. Programs that advertise 'fixing' a PC tend to do more harm than good.
Anyway, keep me posted. Try scandisk in windows once it's done in Dos. (Don't forget to take the floppy out before rebooting
btw - When you ran it in windows, were you doing a full surface scan?
hey norm
the scan ran fine from the floppy and it didnt find any problems anywhere and i tried it in windows and it froze up again just like before.it still wont work--beats me
anyway thank you very much for your helpRita
live each day as its your last because it may well be
You didn't answer whether or not you ran a full surface scan from within windows.
I'll assume you did.
Try a full surface scan from the bootdisk. If it finds any bad sectors it will mark them, and windows won't use them. I have a feeling your HD has a ton of bad sectors on it.
Boot into the bootdisk as you did before "no cd support"
Type this:
scandisk c: /SURFACE/AUTOFIX
It will take a long time. (sometimes hours to complete) Just get it going then leave it overnight if you have to)
I'll assume you did.
Try a full surface scan from the bootdisk. If it finds any bad sectors it will mark them, and windows won't use them. I have a feeling your HD has a ton of bad sectors on it.
Boot into the bootdisk as you did before "no cd support"
Type this:
scandisk c: /SURFACE/AUTOFIX
It will take a long time. (sometimes hours to complete) Just get it going then leave it overnight if you have to)
hi NormNorm wrote:You didn't answer whether or not you ran a full surface scan from within windows.
I'll assume you did.
Try a full surface scan from the bootdisk. If it finds any bad sectors it will mark them, and windows won't use them. I have a feeling your HD has a ton of bad sectors on it.
Boot into the bootdisk as you did before "no cd support"
Type this:
scandisk c: /SURFACE/AUTOFIX
It will take a long time. (sometimes hours to complete) Just get it going then leave it overnight if you have to)
i done the full scan from the floppy and it took 3 hours to complete and there wasnt a one bad sectors--there were no errors found.i tried doing a scan from windows and it locked up like before.i guess if im gonna run scandisk at any time it will have to be from the floppy
thanks
rita
live each day as its your last because it may well be