disk write error..not in safemode

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chris Matchett
  • Start date Start date
C

Chris Matchett

I'm fixing a friend's computer.

She was getting a blue screen and 'disk write errors' on booting XP. I put
another working drive (and RAM) in and I'm getting the same errors. This
is not the case however if I boot into Safe Mode, then all is well.

I'm stumped?! All in the bios seems fine. The only other hardware is a pci
modem. Video is on-board and the machine has been running fine for the
last several years.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Chris
 
Chris Matchett said:
I'm fixing a friend's computer.

She was getting a blue screen and 'disk write errors' on booting XP. I put
another working drive (and RAM) in and I'm getting the same errors. This
is not the case however if I boot into Safe Mode, then all is well.

I'm stumped?! All in the bios seems fine. The only other hardware is a pci
modem. Video is on-board and the machine has been running fine for the
last several years.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Chris
Click to expand...

Since the problem is not present in safe mode, the most likely conclusion is
its driver or at least software related ie your addition of memory and
another HDD was not required to fix the problem so you may as well put the
originals back. If its a big name branded PC it will likely come with a
factory restore CDROM. I suggest all data be backed up and follow the
procedure to restore the drives contents to an "as it left the factory"
state. If however, the restore CDROM doesn't contain all the software thats
currently being used eg different OS and applications (or it doesn't have a
restore CDROM), then you might want to format and reinstall from the
original CDROMs for each one. If when you put another drive in, you've
already done this (rather than just setting the drive as an additional
drive - you didn't state), then the next thing to check for would be a
faulty drive cable - try swapping that with a known good one. Such a fault
would be unlikely to show up in safe mode because the PC is running in a
basic slower speed state without all the drivers for optimal performance
loaded. The other thing to check for would be a possible virus as these can
interfere with disk activity.

Paul
 
Have you download the HD diagnosis program from HD maker site?
Use it to scan the HD for errors.
 
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