Apparently last night Dave was playing on the Cudakid's computer when suddenly it said corrupt file and the game closed down. It said " Windows/Prefetch/Dumprep.exe-1B46F901.PX is corrupt"

Then it said run scan disc. So Dave runs the scan disk then the computer will no longer work.

The black page comes up that gives you a time limit to run as normal/ in safe mode/ and a few other options, but nothing works at all.



Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

T/A6Pak

Cut off CudaDad until he brings in a new computer all loaded up and ready to go.

Old Man Mike

Too funny Mike.... bet he'd pony up... you could practice your shooting skills on it...

Junkie

LOL...Cudadad was thinking about it..tee hee hee



Well, I contacted IBM as a few recommended...the first person I spoke with I could not understand...finally after 1/2 hour on phone I asked hiim if I could speak with someone else due to the language barrier, he yelled at me "No", so I hung up and called back. Waited on hold another 15 mins to speak to another Tech support. Basically they said "It sucks to be you, everything needs to be replaced", but in a nice way.

After talking to the second tech support, I requested to be contacted by someone in management as this is the second time this has happened in 3 months. They are replacing everything and upgrading everything. A whole new computer except for monitor, keyboard and case for tower. Management and second tech support were very polite to deal with.

The big problem I see is that I have 2 Dell computers that I have never had a problem with.

Things that make you go hmmmmmmm.

BTW- Dave is grounded from all the computers...LOL

Do you mean you can't access the computer even in Safe mode?

If you can access the computer while in safe mode, it's an easy fix.
Browse to
c:/Windows/Prefetch
then delete the file giving your problems, in your case
Dumprep.exe-1B46F901.PX

If your unable to access the computer using the normal safe mode, try the command prompt option.
If your computer works via "safe mode with command prompt", then it's still fixable just not as easy for a newbie.

If all else fails and you can only get the computer running using the command prompt option
reply back and let me know.
I'll type out a step by step guide to fix the problem when your only able to access the comman promt.

This problem can be caused by anything from a bad power supply, hard drive, memory, etc to a virus.

Two things I can tell you. You have prefetching turned on, meaning that your computer boots programs into memory and runs them from there. Dumprep is executed when a program crashes, to collect all the info for that little box that pops up when a program crashes that asks you if you'd like to send an error report to Microsoft. The trouble comes if dumprep is trying to create this error report, but something else is also wrong... it will take up all of your cpu time trying to generate error reports. If you turned off or shut down the computer while dumprep is compiling it's report(s) then you will have created a corrupt file(s).

Do you have a recovery disk of any kind? It could be from when you installed your virus checker (they typically ask you if you want to make a rescue disk), or you could even have one that came with the computer, unless you built it yourself.

Barring a hardware failure, you most likely got a virus. If you can't boot into safe mode and then run your virus checker, and if you don't have a recovery disk, then ouch. If you don't have a computer geek that can come over and mess with it, you're probably going to have to take it to your local reputable repair shop.

Of course, there's always reformat your hard drive and re-install Windows and everything else from scratch.

Good luck with it! Sorry to hear about your troubles.

I cannot access in normal safe mode. How do you do the command prompt option? The IBM support tech in my area just called. He said they ordered parts to build a whole new computer...LOL I take it I've lost all my data on the computer? Druid, I think IBM should pay you!!!!!

Shar

TEE HEE TEE HEE



I sneaked onto the computer. SHHHHHH. Don't tell her. I even used her user name. ( GOOD COVER)



IT WAS NOT MY FAULT. YOU GUYS AND GIRLS HAVE TO BELIEVE ME. Doh!!!!!



Cuda


OH YEH ....THANKS FOR THE BACKUP OLD MAN MIKE. IF YOU WERE A GOALIE, I'D BE SHOOTING FOR THE FIVE HOLE...... BUT A LITTLE HIGHER. LOL

To get to the other safe mode options
1) Restart your computer
2) Watch your computer start up, as soon as it says "Verifying DMI pool data" start tapping the F8 key. ( you got to be quick)
3) This should bring you to "Windows Advanced Options Menu"
It will list these options.
Safe Mode
Safe Mode with networking
Safe Mode with command prompt <-- pick this

Plus several other options.
Don't get to happy when you see "Last known Good configuration" As that's more for registry problems.

Even if you can't get it to work via command prompt, there is still hope.
The other option is to start the computer using your windows CD and going to the recovery console.

If you do get the computer to load using the command promtp option , here is how you'll fix the problem
You should be looking at a black screen with a blue title bar that says cmd.exe
The prompt will say something like c:\Documents and settings\Your login name to the computer
1) type cd c:\windows\prefetch
the prompt should now say c:\WINDOWS\Prefetch
2) type del Dumprep.exe-1B46F901.Pf

You should get a message asking if you want to delete this file.
Hit y

Now restart your computer & you'll be good to go.

Like I said , even if you can't access the computer using the safe mode command promt
I'm 100% sure I can walk you through fixing it by using your windows cd to start the computer.

Nope. Unless the problem is the HD, and it seems it isn't, then though you can't boot from the disk, all that data is still there. It's just windows that's FUBAR, not the hard drive. If you remove the hard drive and add it as a second drive on another computer (not the one you boot up from), you'll be able to access all your user files.
Of course, if the problem was caused by a virus, this could spread it. Best be ready to scan with an up-to-date virus checker as soon as you turn the computer on.

Thanks Druid, while I was gone Dave snuck on the forums copied out your post and tried every thing to get it working. Was going to tell me he fixed himself...LOLFOF.....yea right.

Anyways, he could not get it going. We did not get a windows disc with his computer....it was loaded when they built the piece of crap for us...must have been Friday afternoon after a liquid lunch.

Oh well, I wonder how long the next one will last until it crashes. We have nortons on all our computers that is automatically updated, guess that works well.



The only question I have is ...does it sound like a hardware or software problem? Or is everyone as dumb founded as me? And why does it always happen when Cuda dad is on the computer. Just to add the city had to remove a tree from out property as it had the ash bore disease. All in our neighbourhood were removed. Well today they put up new trees for all, ours is in this weird spot and it already looks dead...oh yea and Dave was watching TV then our satellite went out. I told him to go sit in the corner for the rest of the night...don't touch anything, don't talk and don't open your eyes.....my poor cuda husband, he must think it's Friday the 13th...LOL

Shar

Ahhhh ... I love my Mac.

No Windows disk at all?
What about a windows disk that came with one of your other computers?

This problem could be caused by several things.
I would say it fairly evenly split between 3 possible causes
Spy/spamware or virus corrupted something in the prefetch directory
a hardware problem causing a file to get corrupted, possible drive starting to crash, ect.
just one of those things were the planets were in the wrong alignment.

Honesty there have been to many issue's with with the whole prefetch thing that can't be explained.
For some odd reason it appears to be prone to problems.

If you don't have a windows CD to start the computer that way, how about a cd burner?
I can find you a boot program you can burn to disk, then use it to start your computer enough to fix the problem.

Actually I'm over thinking this.
You don't even need a burner if this computer an another one you have access to has a floppy drive.
You can download this file to make a floopy boot disk
http://freepctech.com/files/wxpboot.exe

Download & run to create a floopy boot disk
Depending on how your computer is setup, you might have to make a change in the BIOS to allow a floppy to boot the computer but by default it should work.
If not, let me know and I'll walk you thru how to make your computer's floppy bootable.

Anyway, then it would be as easy as typing in these to commands
cd c:\windows\prefetch
del Dumprep.exe-1B46F901.Pf

Druid, how much do you cost an hour?? I am thinking about sending the cudadad for schooling on computers with you ...this would be his christmas gift. I am going to try out your last piece of advise..maybe it didn't work because Dave did it...LOL

Shar

....Says the guy with the recent harddrive problems j/k Hamma

You say you have Nortons on the computer? Surely then they gave you a recovery disk made with Nortons. Or, the first time you booted it up, Nortons asked you if you wanted to make a recovery disk (and of course, you said yes and made one, right)? That would alao work to get the computer up from a floppy.

Druid, I'm thinking that yes, if they get rid of that one dump file, the computer might come right back up. But since she originally mentioned that they also saw the message to run checkdisk, I'm thinking that if the dump was eating up cpu cycles, it would make the computer appear crashed, so that if the computer was reset or turned off, there could be other corruptions that happened because of that, because it happened during a write. But of course, there's no way to know this until the computer is at least coming up crippled.

The suggestion above was good, to slave the hard drive off of the other computer, then immediately run the virus scan. Then go in and remove any dump files.

If only we had the computer in front of us. <sigh> If it can get back to running somewhat, then one of us could do a remote administration and take a look inside.

Thanks Steel - I am sending it fedex asap...LOL

I figure I will wait until Monday then after replacing it all..it will be as fresh as a daisy:) cough cough

Throw that IBM in the trash and buy a new Dell! I have worked in computer service since 1974. I see this all the time (even with the Dell's) they will replace the motherboard, CPU, Memory and Power Supply. It is one of them that causes the problem. If they don't replace ALL these parts at the same time, you could have the problem return.

Let them handle it under warranty... good luck!

You know.... this would never happen on a Mac!

Te He!

Yep. It never woulda happened on an Amiga either!

With my 15 years of knowledge, ive never heard of an Amiga. Would you be nice enough to enlighten me?

Amiga was the 1st kickass computer around '85
It was going to blow the socks off the competition at the time (Atari).
It was going to be the ultimate gaming system because it was the 1st computer to offer a multicolor graphic interface, it was also the 1st that offered the ability to connect to a TV.
Then a few years later it's parent company Commodore was in financial trouble & finally went bankrupt.
Bye bye Amiga

The 2000
ran at 7mhz and came with 1mb of ram

yes and then the chinese bought what was left ofthe company and now amiga's can be found in large numbers in the Peoples Republic of......

Update on the IBM (loser) computer:

So the tech comes over at 10:00 am, runs all these diagnostic tests...I can tell he has no idea what he's doing..but talks the tech talk. So by 12:00 noon he decides the hard drive is toast (No sh*t sherlock). Replaces the hard drive. I tell him that the IBM manager said that the memory, motherboard and someother piece are also suppose to be replaced as on-going problems with computer (documented). He says no, that's all. Then he say's I have no programs to re-boot the system. I tell him that IBM already knew that as all the programming had been downloaded at the factory and no discs were sent. So buddy tell's me...I will come back tomorrow with the programs. 12:30 (I am not a happy camper). 12:35 Tech guy returns to the house and says "just realized that they put them in the box too, so I can download it now. Stays at my house until 2:50 pm downloading programs and chatting on his phone and I make him change the memory. The guy tell's me, I don't get paid to do this so you do it. So I finish the download for system recovery and bingo---> still does not work.."SYSTEM FAILURE"

I get return call from IBM manager...very respectful guy---> he is not happy with the tech's work. Apparently I have to babysit him again tomorrow when he returns to again try and fix the dang computer.

Stay tuned for Day Two Drama in the Cudaworld. What a waste of my day....thinking I should start a blog...LOL

T/A6Pak

If I were the manager and heard this, I would have fired him on the spot. I hope you have that manager on speed dial for tomorrow and insist that the tech replace everything as you were promised.

Old Man Mike

ok dokey 6 pak- what's the latest;
It's so nightmarish to realise a support person online or in person is guessing as they go along, or giving you totally erroneous info when all they need to do is get firm facts from their boss - or a co-worker who really knows their stuff. I hope you don't prematurely grind your teeth to nothing in the meantime!