'Missing Operating system'- Windows Vista

help me out here guys...

recently i bought a dell computer installed with Windows Vista Business, but
it's been giving me problems lately
- lagging a lot (i think its due to the hardware)/(e.g. opening folders, IE,
msn)
- can only run two programs at the same time, if more it will crash
- when i attempt to use another program while downloading something, it
would hang (i d/led iTunes, and opened the IE, it hanged!)

The worst thing that happened was when i was updating the computer, and I
attempted to open a cd. Suddenly the whole computer crashed and when i tried
to switch on my CPU, it shows 'Missing Operating System'

So just a few inquiries
- Could this be due to the hardware itself, or the operating system?
- Is there anyone with the same issue?
- Are there any known bugs with similar incidents?

Thanks

One more inquiry: During startup(when the bar is loading), do you see a
Vista logo?
Cos my computer doesn't when i do so

Continual problems? If this is still under warranty I would certainly send
it back. The hard drive may have gone bad. It happens.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!



"troubledman" <troubledman@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:D03BCEBE-1CB8-4D69-BB8F-1B8DC461453A@microsoft.com...
> help me out here guys...
>
> recently i bought a dell computer installed with Windows Vista Business,
> but
> it's been giving me problems lately
> - lagging a lot (i think its due to the hardware)/(e.g. opening folders,
> IE,
> msn)
> - can only run two programs at the same time, if more it will crash
> - when i attempt to use another program while downloading something, it
> would hang (i d/led iTunes, and opened the IE, it hanged!)
>
> The worst thing that happened was when i was updating the computer, and I
> attempted to open a cd. Suddenly the whole computer crashed and when i
> tried
> to switch on my CPU, it shows 'Missing Operating System'
>
> So just a few inquiries
> - Could this be due to the hardware itself, or the operating system?
> - Is there anyone with the same issue?
> - Are there any known bugs with similar incidents?
>
> Thanks
>
> One more inquiry: During startup(when the bar is loading), do you see a
> Vista logo?
> Cos my computer doesn't when i do so

Sounds like Win ME running out of "resources" with the only 2 programs open at a
time.

Missing operating system. Wooooo, that's freaky. Sounds like my life at this
moment.

"troubledman" <troubledman@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:D03BCEBE-1CB8-4D69-BB8F-1B8DC461453A@microsoft.com...
| help me out here guys...
|
| recently i bought a dell computer installed with Windows Vista Business, but
| it's been giving me problems lately
| - lagging a lot (i think its due to the hardware)/(e.g. opening folders, IE,
| msn)
| - can only run two programs at the same time, if more it will crash
| - when i attempt to use another program while downloading something, it
| would hang (i d/led iTunes, and opened the IE, it hanged!)
|
| The worst thing that happened was when i was updating the computer, and I
| attempted to open a cd. Suddenly the whole computer crashed and when i tried
| to switch on my CPU, it shows 'Missing Operating System'
|
| So just a few inquiries
| - Could this be due to the hardware itself, or the operating system?
| - Is there anyone with the same issue?
| - Are there any known bugs with similar incidents?
|
| Thanks
|
| One more inquiry: During startup(when the bar is loading), do you see a
| Vista logo?
| Cos my computer doesn't when i do so

Return it for repair or replacement.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] rgharper@gmail.com
* NEW! Catch my blog ... http://msmvps.com/blogs/rgharper/
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* The Website - http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"troubledman" <troubledman@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:D03BCEBE-1CB8-4D69-BB8F-1B8DC461453A@microsoft.com...
> help me out here guys...
>
> recently i bought a dell computer installed with Windows Vista Business,
> but
> it's been giving me problems lately
> - lagging a lot (i think its due to the hardware)/(e.g. opening folders,
> IE,
> msn)
> - can only run two programs at the same time, if more it will crash
> - when i attempt to use another program while downloading something, it
> would hang (i d/led iTunes, and opened the IE, it hanged!)
>
> The worst thing that happened was when i was updating the computer, and I
> attempted to open a cd. Suddenly the whole computer crashed and when i
> tried
> to switch on my CPU, it shows 'Missing Operating System'
>
> So just a few inquiries
> - Could this be due to the hardware itself, or the operating system?
> - Is there anyone with the same issue?
> - Are there any known bugs with similar incidents?
>
> Thanks
>
> One more inquiry: During startup(when the bar is loading), do you see a
> Vista logo?
> Cos my computer doesn't when i do so

I have the installation cd for windows vista- should i try to install it?

"Richard Urban" wrote:

> Continual problems? If this is still under warranty I would certainly send
> it back. The hard drive may have gone bad. It happens.
>
> --
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Richard Urban
> Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
> (For email, remove the obvious from my address)
>
> Quote from George Ankner:
> If you knew as much as you think you know,
> You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
>
>
>
> "troubledman" <troubledman@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:D03BCEBE-1CB8-4D69-BB8F-1B8DC461453A@microsoft.com...
> > help me out here guys...
> >
> > recently i bought a dell computer installed with Windows Vista Business,
> > but
> > it's been giving me problems lately
> > - lagging a lot (i think its due to the hardware)/(e.g. opening folders,
> > IE,
> > msn)
> > - can only run two programs at the same time, if more it will crash
> > - when i attempt to use another program while downloading something, it
> > would hang (i d/led iTunes, and opened the IE, it hanged!)
> >
> > The worst thing that happened was when i was updating the computer, and I
> > attempted to open a cd. Suddenly the whole computer crashed and when i
> > tried
> > to switch on my CPU, it shows 'Missing Operating System'
> >
> > So just a few inquiries
> > - Could this be due to the hardware itself, or the operating system?
> > - Is there anyone with the same issue?
> > - Are there any known bugs with similar incidents?
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > One more inquiry: During startup(when the bar is loading), do you see a
> > Vista logo?
> > Cos my computer doesn't when i do so
>
>

On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 23:53:13 -0800, troubledman

>I have the installation cd for windows vista- should i try to install it?

Definitely not, unless you're sure your hardware's OK.

>"Richard Urban" wrote:

>> Continual problems? If this is still under warranty I would certainly send
>> it back. The hard drive may have gone bad. It happens.

>> "troubledman" <troubledman@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

>> > recently i bought a dell computer installed with Windows Vista Business,
>> > but it's been giving me problems lately
>> > - lagging a lot (i think its due to the hardware)

If mouse pointer sticks while this happens, it could be a failing HD

>> > - can only run two programs at the same time, if more it will crash

Ew...

>> > The worst thing that happened was when i was updating the computer, and I
>> > attempted to open a cd. Suddenly the whole computer crashed and when i
>> > tried to switch on my CPU, it shows 'Missing Operating System'

The "Missing Operating System" (white "DOS" text on black screen, top
left) is usually from BIOS when it can't find anything to boot.

Can be due to:
- HD is defective or corrupted
- HD is not selected as a boot device
- a non-bootable disk is found before the HD in the boot order

Try this:
- insert your Vista DVD
- allow the "press a key to boot DVD" prompt to go by
- does Vista boot?

If Vista boots this way, then it's most likely the HD isn't in the
boot order, or there may be something wrong with the Master Boot
Record (MBR) code. When the DVD chains into the HD boot, it bypasses
BIOS boot order and device sessings, as well as the MBR code.

>> > So just a few inquiries

>> > - Could this be due to the hardware itself, or the operating system?

Bad RAM crashes at full speed
Bad HD bogs down in retry loops, causing "sticky" slow-down

Bad RAM can cause bit-rot of the installation and file system, so that
problems may persist after the RAM is replaced.

Both secondary bit-rot as above, and primary hard drive bad sectors,
will affect particular files and may thus mimic a more specific
problem (e.g. "Word crashes, but it's OK after I re-installed Word")

>> > - Is there anyone with the same issue?
>> > - Are there any known bugs with similar incidents?

This is not normal OS mileage, so I suspect there's bad hardware or
possible malware in the frame.

To check RAM, download MemTest86, make a boot disk from it, boot that.
and leave running overnight. Any errors = bad, chase warranty.

To check HD, download and run HD Tune from www.hdtune.com ; run with
admin rights or it won't get the low-level access it needs to work.
Once again, any bad blocks, chase warranty to replace.

Yes, MS now have a RAM tester, but it's not well-designed. See...

http://cquirke.blogspot.com/2007/01/...er-design.html

....on all that stuff.

>> > One more inquiry: During startup(when the bar is loading), do you see a
>> > Vista logo? Cos my computer doesn't when i do so

The white text-mode bar is usually so fast you don't really see it;
then the Vista GUI radiator-grill thing appears with the little Knight
Rider swing indicator below.



>--------------- ---- --- -- - - - -
Saws are too hard to use.
Be easier to use!
>--------------- ---- --- -- - - - -