Windows 7 Killed my Laptop

[Crazy Buddhist]

I noticed the ACPI implementation on Windows 7 was buggy but didn't think much of it. Just kept the Laptop on or off and avoided seep functions. Then one day half way through shutdown it stopped shutting down. Had to turn the machine off by using the power button 5 second press.

Next day the machine won't boot .... try recovery options .. nada . ... safe mode boot is fine. But won't boot into win7 ... won't reinstall windows 7 or windows Vistsa .. won't run a live Linux CD ... any of the above and you end up with artifacting on the screen .. a black screen of no action or the first gsod - green screen of death - I've ever seen.

Booting into a linux distro it reports errors connecting to addresses on the PCI bridge before stopping. Booting with bootlogging into Windows 7 the last driver to load is CLASSPNP.sys then there are a ton of ACPI drivers that look like interfaces between ACPI and the system components that fail to load.


Early Vista releases did things like this to a few machines. I appear to have a dead laptop. Oh .. except I can use it in safe mode only lol.

It looks like during the shutdown sequence the buggy ACPI implementation might have burned out something on the PCI bus ..

I don't care what the EULA said .. they don't stand up in court anyway lol .. been deemed unreadable ... think I may try and sue Micro$oft for this one.
Anyone got any bright ideas for fixing the lappy or finding out what the H/W fault really is? I'm not all that with laptops.

CB

[Drum Thumper]

How old was the laptop? What did you have on there prior to 7?

[HackSore]

Try something along the lines of eurosoft pc check to check all the components, the results it will provide will at least give you an idea of what the problem is and possibly how to fix it!

[Luke122]

have you tried disabling the advanced power functions in the bios? Maybe also try restoring the system defaults in there.

How about the "last known good configuration" boot option?

[Crazy Buddhist]

Thanks guys,


How old was the laptop? What did you have on there prior to 7?

2 year old (but end of the line at the time) Compaq Presario 500 series .. has run Vista and Ubuntu .. had Vista on immediately before the install. The GPU used to get damn hot under Vista with no Aero/effects running .. that ran much cooler under win7.


Try something along the lines of eurosoft pc check to check all the components, the results it will provide will at least give you an idea of what the problem is and possibly how to fix it!

I'd like to but at £149 a copy I think I can buy a laptop for the same cash... know a cheap alternative?


have you tried disabling the advanced power functions in the bios? Maybe also try restoring the system defaults in there.

How about the "last known good configuration" boot option?

No can do .. it's the most limited BIOS I have ever seen .. unless there is some secret key code to unlock more options on these things. The only thing you can change is boot order and set a BIOS password.

Tried every recovery option there is. System restore is not working properly. I have restored back to immediately after installation and all resore points are still present and so is the software.

CB

[Luke122]

If you can get into safemode, maybe check the device mangler for conflicts/errors.

Does the event viewer list any error codes/events?

[HackSore]

I'd like to but at £149 a copy I think I can buy a laptop for the same cash... know a cheap alternative?

Wow, i had no idea it was so expensive, seems i got a pretty good deal on my copy!

Google isnt helping much to find a cheap or free alternative, i have found one called test my hardware, but it doesnt appear to be bootable, which isnt going to help if you cant get into windows.

EDIT: Just found this, might be worth a shot?

Ultimate Boot CD (http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/)

[nevermind1534]

I had troubles even getting the ACPI to work with Compaq computers in Windows XP when I reinstalled with a non-OEM copy (still can' get the ACPI features to work), and I read about them (compaq machines) needing some files that are saved on the hard drive, or they won't boot at all.

[simon275]

It could just be a hardware fault that is unrelated to Windows 7. Laptops die unexpectedly all the time.

Hope you can fix it.

[Eclecticos]

Damn that sucks. I'm just going to wait until all the kinks are worked out. Then give it a wirl.

[TheGreatSatan]

There's a new program from Microsoft called: Fix-it (http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9645377)

[OvRiDe]

and I read about them (compaq machines) needing some files that are saved on the hard drive, or they won't boot at all.

I thought they had grown out of that years ago, BUT Compaq was notorious at one point for actually storing the BIOS on the hard drive in the first sectors of the HDD. This pretty much guaranteed that you HAD to buy a replacement drive from them. BOOO :down:

As for the Win7, I kinda agree with Simon in the fact it could be unrelated. If you are not worried about retaining the data on the drive at this point. I would try doing a DBAN on the drive which should wipe any remnants of Win7 off, and try reloading.

Good luck!

[Kayin]

I can tell you for a fact that newer Compaqs do not store the BIOS on the HDD. I'd DBAN it and see if it works again afterwards. Half the stuff I have has no idea what an implementation of ACPI is, and it's all fine. I think you have a coincidence going on.

[nevermind1534]

I can tell you for a fact that newer Compaqs do not store the BIOS on the HDD. I'd DBAN it and see if it works again afterwards. Half the stuff I have has no idea what an implementation of ACPI is, and it's all fine. I think you have a coincidence going on.

The one that I had was only a few years old, and it might not have been the bios, but it was at least a file that the bios looks for before booting.

I couldn't get the ACPI to work with it on a clean install, either (Windows xp!).

For example, it wouldn't power off by itself after shutdown or go into standby.

[HackSore]

Sorry bout the link, i just scanned over it and figured it was legit seeing as pc world and sourceforge have download mirrors for it.

[OvRiDe]

Sorry bout the link, i just scanned over it and figured it was legit seeing as pc world and sourceforge have download mirrors for it.

I did some rechecking on the Ultimate Boot CD.

I have restored the link. It appears they have cleaned it up to only include free versions and demo versions of the software, instead of their pirated counterparts. :up: My apologies for not checking it out more thoroughly.

[HackSore]

I did some rechecking on the Ultimate Boot CD.

I have restored the link. It appears they have cleaned it up to only include free versions and demo versions of the software, instead of their pirated counterparts. :up: My apologies for not checking it out more thoroughly.

No worries, can never be too careful with these things!

[Crazy Buddhist]

It could just be a hardware fault that is unrelated to Windows 7. Laptops die unexpectedly all the time.

Hope you can fix it.

It was not coincidence. Windows 7 definitely damaged something on the ACPI subsystem. The quicklaunch buttons on my machine (which include ACPI functions) were all failing to function and the driver was suddenly missing.

There was a coincidence - the screen artifacting was because one "hinge" on the laptop lid is made of Gaffer Tape .. had been an intermittent problem but that was what was stopping anything booting that loaded a graphics driver. This issue was caused by me dropping the laptop three feet on to the ground.

... and solved the same way :dead: dropped it on the ground and got my screen back .. then I could boot but the machine was messed up. Seven would not run properly and neither would Ubuntu.

I borrowed a copy of Eurosoft PC-Check which showed my CMOS RAM was faulty so I flashed the BIOS, wiped the hard drive and reinstalled Vista which is working. But ....

.... did not load the quicklaunch drivers and when it turns off the sound card now makes a cracking sound that was never present before .. so Windows 7 definitely messed up that side.

But the laptop is alive .... watch this space .. I have a habit of dropping it and the overall rigidity of the thing is weaker than normal as I started taking it apart and lost 25 screws when a friend "tidied up" for me when I was out. :evil:

[Drum Thumper]

No offense CB, but I'm inclined to think that the abuse your laptop is taking has more to do with your quicklaunch buttons and screen issues (which you admitted you fixed by dropping it again) than any software you may or may not have on your system.

Quit trying to lay blame.