OE, you around?

[cee-dee]

This morning I had a strange happening.

I'd fire up this computer and it booted up but because I was doing other things, I didn't log on to anything, it was just on the desktop. A while later, I looked over at it and there was a Black screen with an arrow in the middle, then, it started to boot up again.

When it had done so there was a box in the middle of the desktop "Windows has recovered from an unexpected shutdown" and "click here to check for solutions online". I did, nothing happened!

Any thoughts?

[otherego]

I'm really starting to loathe Lithium and all its works.

Another post banished into cyber oblivion, with the helpful (or not) error message:

Authentication failed for the action you are trying to do. This failure could be due to your browser not supporting JavaScript, JavaScript not being enabled, or trying to use the action URL directly in the browser address bar instead of clicking the link on the page.

Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. At least they're consistent. Consistently inconsistent.

cee-dee, why not try another disk check? Perhaps you could run it from the GUI (Computer > Disk C > Properties or whatever it is - mentioned earlier in the thread.) Tick both boxes.

Seek the wininit in the Event Viewer as soon as possible after the computer restarts.

I don't think you want to seach via the Windows Start button. One of the earlier links did, however, suggest an easy way of searching for the bit you need in Event Viewer - nothing to do with the Windows search function. (And you're looking for wininit as in windows initiation or initial or something - not winnit as in we won we won we won.)

Mentally tossing coins. Go for a walk despite the fact that it keeps raining, or stay in, sink a few cold ones and perhaps venture a Macrium image, taking a couple of notes along the way. I think the fact that it's Friday and I've already been soaked this week in search of fresh air and exercise should over-ride what's left of my conscience quite easily.

Now let's see whether this execrable mess of binary bosh useful facility for member-to-member communications works.

[cee-dee]

"Computer", highlight C, right click and "Properties", "Tools" yeilds this:-

Then after clicking "Check now" check both boxes, izzat what you mean?  I did that before?

[otherego]

Yep, then click Start and go for it.

Once it's restarted and done its thing (seem to remember the last of five stages is the one that seems to take forever), quickly check your Event Viewer for the appropriately timed event and copy the details.

Repeat for your external drive (judging from your error messages) and if you're feeling conscientious, your D drive.

Rain and beer have won, and instead of going for a walk I'm looking out an external drive with enough free space to essay a quick Macrium image in order to refresh my fading memory.

Let's see if this works - it just dumped another post.

[otherego]

I just tried it - worked a treat.

At least, I think it did. I was certainly able to browse files in the image afterwards - I'm obviously reluctant to attempt a full recovery just in case.

And guess what?

I can't post any pictures.

The site appears to have attained what The Register is pleased to term, in technical jargon, Total Inability To Support Usual Performance.

[otherego]

Consistently inconsistent. I didn't even log out and back in.

The third might de-mystify the "destination" bit, assuming it hasn't changed too much since the version I'm using.

The whole thing took about a quarter of an hour.

[otherego]

Sorry, I should have mentioned that the destination folder is one I created on the external hard drive, and navigated to via the drop-down menu activated by clicking on the little box with the three dots - hope that makes some sort of sense.

[cee-dee]

Right. I did the deed. It took two hours.

In stage 4 it was verifying 287728 files and it stopped it file 58734. Eventually it got going again and this appeared:-

Windows replaced bad clusters on file 58783 \windows\system32\drivers\BrSerId.sys.

Then, like you said, when it moved on to stage 5 it said it was verifying 100294905 free clusters and took an absolute age.

When it finished, it was too quick flashing something up before it started to boot then up popped "Volume is clean".

Flippin' 'eck, what a palarver.

[cee-dee]

I checked the event viewer and looked at "Windows logs", "Application" and lo and behold, there's......... winnit.

I looked at the "source" but what am I looking for?

[otherego]

I think if you simply double click on the line "wininit" it'll expand and give you the chance to copy everything within your window. I wouldn't worry too much about "source" etc. ('cos I haven't a clue and in the words of the classic - frankly...)

It might be worth trying to copy the chkdsk details (before you close that event viewer window, go back to previous posts about how to do this).

Then why not have another go at doing a Macrium image? If you get the same error message, run a full chkdsk on the external drive you're using, and try again.

[cee-dee]

Ready for this?:-

Checking file system on C: The type of the file system is NTFS. Volume label is OS. A disk check has been scheduled. Windows will now check the disk. CHKDSK is verifying files (stage 1 of 5)... 287744 file records processed. File verification completed. 1961 large file records processed. 0 bad file records processed. 0 EA records processed. 44 reparse records processed. CHKDSK is verifying indexes (stage 2 of 5)... 381098 index entries processed. Index verification completed. 0 unindexed files scanned. 0 unindexed files recovered. CHKDSK is verifying security descriptors (stage 3 of 5)... 287744 file SDs/SIDs processed. Cleaning up 23 unused index entries from index $SII of file 0x9. Cleaning up 23 unused index entries from index $SDH of file 0x9. Cleaning up 23 unused security descriptors. Security descriptor verification completed. 46678 data files processed. CHKDSK is verifying Usn Journal... 34311560 USN bytes processed. Usn Journal verification completed. CHKDSK is verifying file data (stage 4 of 5)... Read failure with status 0xc0000185 at offset 0x8a08000 for 0x10000 bytes. Read failure with status 0xc0000185 at offset 0x8a15000 for 0x1000 bytes. Windows replaced bad clusters in file 58783 of name \Windows\System32\drivers\BrSerId.sys. 287728 files processed. File data verification completed. CHKDSK is verifying free space (stage 5 of 5)... 100294905 free clusters processed. Free space verification is complete. Adding 1 bad clusters to the Bad Clusters File. CHKDSK discovered free space marked as allocated in the master file table (MFT) bitmap. Correcting errors in the Volume Bitmap. Windows has made corrections to the file system. 476264447 KB total disk space. 74536232 KB in 212959 files. 144264 KB in 46679 indexes. 4 KB in bad sectors. 404327 KB in use by the system. 65536 KB occupied by the log file. 401179620 KB available on disk. 4096 bytes in each allocation unit. 119066111 total allocation units on disk. 100294905 allocation units available on disk. Internal Info: 00 64 04 00 42 f6 03 00 34 27 07 00 00 00 00 00 .d..B...4'...... 2d c0 00 00 2c 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 -...,........... 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ Windows has finished checking your disk. Please wait while your computer restarts.

[otherego]

It's usual for all sorts of corrections to be made, but I find the reference to bad clusters interesting. A cursory glance suggests that at least one driver file was affected, which might just have had something to do with your black screen.

Bad sectors/clusters aren't necessarily a big deal, but could just be a sign of a drive showing its age - a good time to image it.

You'll have seen from that text that various repairs have been effected. Hopefully, this will improve things, although it's unlikely to be noticeable.

I'd still be inclined to try to make an image as soon as convenient.

[cee-dee]

The reason for my initial concerns is that the drive might be on the way to failing.

When I boot up in the morning, the drive light is on, shortly after the desktop appears it goes out. If I just leave the computer, after a while the drive light flickers as if it's "doing something", then the drive light comes fully on and stays on. If I try to do anything, either nothing happens and the cursor stays still, or the "hand" changes back to an arrow and clicking does nothing, or after a delay, whatever I've clicked "works".

If I just leave it alone, eventually the drive light goes out and all is normal all day.

[otherego]

Probably just Windows doing stuff on start. It doesn't sound different from my various heaps. Even the Linux machines take a while to get through their start up routines.

I think the principle here is one of, "If in doubt, there's no doubt." If you make an image and the drive lets go, you'll be very chuffed. If you make an image and the drive turns out to be fine, you're still ahead - you know you can restore everything to the date of the back-up should anything happen.

As we've discussed earlier - we really should back up fully and often. My excuse is that I tend to keep nothing life-changing on the computer. Still, there are bits and pieces I'd prefer not to lose.

There's also no harm in learning new stuff, even as we age. In fact, I'm told it's a good thing. Doesn't seem to be helping my brain much, alas.

[cee-dee]

I'll have a go at doing another image tonmorrow...... If I can remember what to do.....

Thing is, where else do you keep it? I just don't fancy printing all my stuff out.

[otherego]

Thing is, where else do you keep it? I just don't fancy printing all my stuff out.

???

I suppose printing out a "hard copy" of your printable data (presumably photos and documents) could have its merits, but I would just keep the files from the computer on a hard disk - much as we've been discussing for some pages now.

Bear in mind a system "image" has nothing to do with pictures - although I doubt whether that's what you meant. It's simply a huge file which, using appropriate software (on the Macrium rescue CD) allows you to reinstall your operating system and other software, along with your data, should a new hard drive be necessary.

Bed time, I think - hopefully I'll be less confused on the morrow.

Have fun with the whole process, anyway. It's interesting stuff.

[cee-dee]

To add further intrigue in to the matter regarding the longish startup time, I suspect I have some programs running which don't need to run on startup.

Now for techies, I guess with everything "it's fun finding out"..... but I don't find it fun, it's a nuisance.

I suppose it's all down to the way Windows works but I wish it was as simple as "Do this, that and the other and bingo, you're sorted" but Windows is such a convoluted system that you almost need a degree to work it all out.

When Win 95 was the thing, I got a book, "Windows secrets"...... it's two inches thick, how thick would one be for the later versions of Windows?

Now, is there a simple way to find out which programs are running on startup, which are needed and how do you stop the unnecessary one?

[cee-dee]

OK, so I used MSConfig to find the startup programs. There's a lot. I couldn't expand the dialogue box to show the lot in one go so I've used two screenshots (I use the snipping tool) to show them. There's three more after the second, I'll mention them later.

There's three more tacked on, two from Microsoft which are checked and one called "LaunchHPO......." which is unchecked.

[otherego]

Grrrrrrrr.


This feeble, misbegotten blob of binary bosh just binned another post.


One more time, with feeling...


"Tune up" facilities often include a simple way of turning start up programs off. To the best of my knowledge, they will only list those whose absence won't prevent Windows from running.


In CCleaner, you'll find this facility under Tools > Startup.


You'll want to keep your antivirus going - but it might be profitable to experiment with the rest. You can always turn things back on.


AVG used to be good, then it wasn't then it was - and now? I've no idea. Different computers/software combinations seem to respond differently to different antiviruses. If you're concerned about you computer's performance, perhaps you might try replacing AVG. Avast! is still spoken of highly. They also own AVG now, and I suspect that both now slurp information - at least in the free versions. I'll leave you to research that.


Now to see whether this wretched site lets me post. It usually seems to bin the first post after logging in. I think.

Edit - it did it again...

[cee-dee]

OE, it must be something to do with your set up? It doesn't happen to me (touch wood).

I see I've two AVG things, should one of them go? What about the rest of the stuff there? Does CCleaner need to "run" on startup?

[otherego]

I'd be inclined to leave anything related to the antivirus alone, as you really want maximum protection from the word go. I suppose there are exceptions, such as plug ins rating internet sites by reputation (Avast has something like this - I've stopped it in Internet Explorer because I've no intention of ever using IE anyway.)


I can honestly see no reason why CCleaner (or Macrium, for that matter) should run on startup - simple enough to start them when needed. I suppose if you have automated certain tasks in them, then they would rely on autostarting - but if you only ever use them on demand, I'd be inclined to disable their autostarts.


As for the board problems - yes, there's something about my setup which Lithium can't handle - it happens on two computers (at least.)


I don't suppose it could possibly be anything to do with the fact that my browsers are not entirely optimised to encourage tracking, profiling, local storage or the serving of advertisments.

(It just did it again - good thing I'd kept a copy bwah-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaah!)