Computer Errors - Need Help!

[Tbone]

So I was idled in SWTOR for a few minutes and I noticed it had begun to thunder outside. Suddenly I hear my computer turn off and back on. Ugh!

The computer boots up, I try to get back into SWTOR, and nothing happens. I can't load it up. I double-click and nothing. Finally I get something to work and the patcher opens up and begins patching the whole game again, starting from scratch. Ugh!

I restart the computer and try again - can't get it to even boot. So I figure that doing a check disk will be faster than redownloading, and I restart to do so. As I'm restarting, I notice an error about Nvidia. What's that about? Ugh!

By this point I'm having trouble shutting down (I have to turn it off manually) and I get an error saying Windows isn't booting properly. So I run the Windows boot check and then I run the check disk (which takes five hours). Finally I boot things back up. Nothing is fixed. Ugh!

I notice that the exe is showing up in task master, but nothing is popping up. Then I have to update Teamspeak and Digsby. Then Steam gets an error and I have to reinstall that. I try downloading a torrent of a registry program, and uTorrent won't load up. I stick in a DVD of Windows 7 to try to do a repair install and the SETUP WON'T LOAD.

Some things run fine (TS, Digsby, Chrome, Skype, Photoshop), but others are not working at all (SWTOR, uTorrent, DVD setup.exe, and Steam is still acting funky). I've done a registry scan and fixed all of those issues. I've uninstalled SWTOR and rebooted and tried reinstalling from scratch. Nothing is working. I feel like something is hanging up my computer but I can't figure out what it is.

[Tbone]

I also notice that windows explorer will not refresh automatically. If I rename a file or a file gets downloaded to a location, I have to refresh the window to see the change.

[Tbone]

Nevermind, I THINK I fixed it. Somehow I had an exe file association problem. I had to boot in safe mode and apply a fix. At the very least, all of my programs seem to be loading now (SWTOR and uTorrent are back online, anyway). I have to redownload the whole game, but hopefully by tomorrow my computer will be somewhat back to normal (I still lost everything on my E drive, but I've grown used to that...)

[eeth]

this isn't meant to be flippant at all, but everyone should have one of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842102048

Edit: Or if your PSU is a pure sine wave model (PFC), you need a sine wave compatible model...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842102133

don't spend $1200-2000 on a PC and then not drop the extra $130-170 on a good power protection system. the PC you save could be yours!

get something with AVR (automatic voltage regulation)/brown out protection.

[Tbone]

Yeah, I need something. My external drive has taken such a beating that I need to replace it. I thought my CPU was pretty well protected, though, as it's never had a problem like this before.

[Revalis]

this isn't meant to be flippant at all, but everyone should have one of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842102048

This particular one is great. It's what I have at work... saved my stuff through all the tornadoes. :P

[eeth]

just make sure you get a "PFC" compatible one if you have a power supply that has that fancy sine wave technology. which if you have a relatively new/high end system you probably do.

[JazzyC]

A fair few years back we had a lightning storm pratically overhead.  And, yes, that is about as bad as it gets round here.  Anyway, had my PC on, huge flash of lightning later and the PC wouldn't boot.

Took several weeks and many a frustrated call to Customer Support before we found the fault to be a fried modem.  Apparently, and I say apparently because I lack to scientific knowledge to say otherwise (though it does sound rather flimsy), lightning struck our telephone line and travelled through into the modem.  Fried that and prevented anything else from booting.

The replacement modem though is another, even longer story.

[Lithium]

Just for future reference. Windows corruption problems can often be fixed by running the repair tool found within the boot disk utilities.

[Tbone]

Just for future reference. Windows corruption problems can often be fixed by running the repair tool found within the boot disk utilities.

Yeah, I ran some repair at boot. The other repair had to be done within Windows, however, but the setup.exe wouldn't load from the DVD.

[Tbone]

Power went out last night and now those same programs don't work again. W..T...F...

Fixed it again. Had to run the exe fixer in safe mode, I think. Though now I'm worried I'm fixing the symptom and not the problem. I think it might be a windows update issue. I might have been due for a restart to apply some updates, but since the computer reset on its own, the updates didn't get applied and it screwed some things up. I think I've repaired Windows Update, so hopefully I won't have this issue again.

[Ademaro]

not going to lie it sounds like your up shit creek ... I am sure in due time your issue will be fixed but ouch it seems painful

Best of luck wish I could offer some advice

[ArchNemesis]

I had a bit of an issue with Windows update recently as well. Is yours getting stuck at a certain percentage when downloading since the power outage by any chance?

[Ketamininja]

This'll be common knowledge to a lot of folk, but thought it might help someone. These things happen more often these days with higher power consumption in gaming PCs.

Windows DLLs and critical files can get seriously effed up if you are doing something serious when the power goes (gaming will do it since it's heavily using memory and CPU is trying to juggle sound, graphic, hdd, etc all loaded into memory).

Best approach to this is a system restore, which will only revert your critical windows files, back to an earlier date; it won't touch normal files, so you shouldn't lose anything important. Of course getting it to run if your file extensions are messed up is tricky.

PE is a "lite" OS... I kinda see it as the new DOS in a way. Windows PE has been around since XP days, we are now on PE 3. Windows RE is the "recovery flavour" of PE, and should be an option if you F8 at pre-boot if I remember correctly.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744291(WS.10).aspx

Bart PE could help. Bart PE is just a hacked out version with lots of tools.
http://4sysops.com/archives/free-bartpe-a-windows-pe-based-rescue-platform/

Win PE tools can have IMAGEX utility... this can let you capture an IMAGE of your PC, and then you can restore this at any time on the same PC [or PC with same components]. Will capture EVERYTHING and is very handy IMO. I can't remember if this will be built in to PE or if it's something I received from the WAIK tools specificially [WAIK is the Automated Installation Kit for Enterprise users]. If you are interested and can't find details, I'll post up the tool - fairly light EXE if I remember, and works under PE.

PE is not difficult to get to/use, but it does require some basic command line knowledge.

Hope this helps someone.

[Eroz]

This'll be common knowledge to a lot of folk, but thought it might help someone. These things happen more often these days with higher power consumption in gaming PCs.

Windows DLLs and critical files can get seriously effed up if you are doing something serious when the power goes (gaming will do it since it's heavily using memory and CPU is trying to juggle sound, graphic, hdd, etc all loaded into memory).

Best approach to this is a system restore, which will only revert your critical windows files, back to an earlier date; it won't touch normal files, so you shouldn't lose anything important. Of course getting it to run if your file extensions are messed up is tricky.

PE is a "lite" OS... I kinda see it as the new DOS in a way. Windows PE has been around since XP days, we are now on PE 3. Windows RE is the "recovery flavour" of PE, and should be an option if you F8 at pre-boot if I remember correctly.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744291(WS.10).aspx

Bart PE could help. Bart PE is just a hacked out version with lots of tools.
http://4sysops.com/archives/free-bartpe-a-windows-pe-based-rescue-platform/

Win PE tools can have IMAGEX utility... this can let you capture an IMAGE of your PC, and then you can restore this at any time on the same PC [or PC with same components]. Will capture EVERYTHING and is very handy IMO. I can't remember if this will be built in to PE or if it's something I received from the WAIK tools specificially [WAIK is the Automated Installation Kit for Enterprise users]. If you are interested and can't find details, I'll post up the tool - fairly light EXE if I remember, and works under PE.

PE is not difficult to get to/use, but it does require some basic command line knowledge.

Hope this helps someone.

It's like you never left.