My Sons Laptop

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gman

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Hi folks. My Sons laptop that he got for xmas has mysteriously started playing up tonight.
At first it wouldnt boot up, but thro persistance and doodling about, i managed to get it to fire up. Problem is, to do the most BASIC of tasks (ie start google chrome, try to to start anything up) takes literally minutes to complete. I managed to do a get the laptop back to a previous system Restore point, but alas, tis the same as before.
Im thinking it might be a hardware issue, but equally....it could be a virus.

(ps, assuming its new, because i wasnt there when he opened the laptop, i dont think there was any factory restore discs made) I have tried to text his mum to get some info out of her...but shes the worlds worst for not getting back to people. Id be a lot happier if she told me she bought it new and local, that way...she can take it back to the shop.

anyone suggest anything?
 
Could be a virus, after the initial failed bootup has it been ok going on and off? Also have you opened up the task manager and looked at the processes section is there anything that is taking up a lot of system memory or cpu usage and you don't actually know what it is? Viruses can often slow the system down to crawl this way...i'd suggest you use whatever anti-virus program you have to do a sweep of the system. Otherwise I guess it could be hardware.
 
I looked at the processes. CPU useage was only 15% and memory was fine too.

The Norton 360 anti Virus which was on the system wont run, there seems to be errors, so i installed Microsfot essentials, which i am running in safe mode, and it seems to be stuck on 77 items scanned (after running for 20 mins). Im DETERMINED to get to the bottom off this and get Lew's laptop working
 
Am i being naive, but shouldnt the fact that my sons laptop had Norton 360 installed have prevented virus causing problems? If thats NOT the case, whats the point in Anti Virus software?
 
I would stick with Microsoft Security Essentials for decent virus protection in the future. The real issue with worms and viruses though is just that the best anti-virus protection in the world won't help if the user of the computer is actively (unknowingly) downloading and installing things with viruses in them. If your son is downloading a lot of music or software from, let's say Bittorrent or other places where free things are found, these files may be bundled with viruses.

The easiest way to fix your current issues would probably be to virus scan and then remove any important personal documents from the computer via USB key, than just re-install Windows from scratch (whether the laptop came with a recovery CD or a recovery partition, use that).

If the computer is still acting up after a fresh install of Windows, you have a hardware issue. If it runs smoothly, you had a virus issue and need to email your son some Googled articles on best practices for not unwittingly downloading pirated software with trojans in it.
 
while the laptop is new, unfortunatley, i HIGHLY doubt his mother had the intuition to make rescue discs when it was first run. So im guessing there will be no form of software to rely on. I gave up after an hour of running the Microsoft essentials, as it had only scanned 91 items. Im now trying to get online and run a scan thro Mcafee. At east that would rule in or out a virus
 
OK....i can rule out online scan too.....its taking forever to do the smallest tasks. Im hoping its a hardware fault, that way it will have to be fixed by whoever the ex bought the laptop from
 
Just order a replacement disc for the operating system on the computer (Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit, whichever) directly from Microsoft and reinstall Windows from scratch.

The laptop will have the license key on a sticker on the underside or with the documentation that came with it.

How to order replacement Microsoft Products and discs. - Microsoft Answers
That link appears to only be for US and Canada based Customers. I dont think we can get free operating system discs in UK?
I know you can buy system Recovery Discs for most computers...but some are about £50.....that is asuming its a virus, which i hope its not
 
I found my copy of Ubuntu. if i installed that fresh, over the top of Windows 7, would that wipe the virus etc?

If so....is ubuntu pretty user freindly for a 12 yr old?

Also....can Google Chrome be used etc?
 
Awh...i cannot believe this.....even that isnt doing anything. It does nothing. The disc starts up, gives me options, when i choose Install....it starts promising, but soon dies a death. Im now thinking the hard drive might be goosed? Anyone agree? This is seriously getting me down :(
 
Sorry I didn't see this until now. This is what I deal with every day at my job (I work for a college and do all the student laptop repairs).

Sometimes extreme slowness (in general, not seemingly related to any specific processes or software programs) is indicative of drive failure. When it freezes up, stick your ear to the keyboard. What do you hear? Is it making any noise in a patterned, rhythmic fashion?

What brand of computer is this? Several come with diganostic partitions, diags in the BIOS, or other options. Post the make and model and I'll tell you the best way to run a hard drive diagnostic.

Personally I wouldn't reinstall the OS without ruling out a hardware problem first but that's just me. If there is a problem with the hard drive it should be replaced under warranty (most come with a 1 yr manufacturer warranty) and if it's a Dell, the new drive will come pre-loaded with the same OS and software that were on the computer when you bought it.
 
Hi Liesje....because of my trying things (since it was goosed anyhow).....the ONLY thing i can get into now is BIOS.

The laptop is only 7 weeks old, so would still be replaceable under warranty.

Its a Toshiba Sattelite C660-2d7.

According to my son...it was working about one hour before he came here. He arrives here, tries to fire it up and its from there the problems started

Im just heading to my bed...as its -1.40 am here....but i will check back here in the morn. Hopefully you can at least put me out of my misery. Im HOPING that its a hardware failure, as it will then be the shops responsibility to correct......failing that...could be looking at having to find a small fortune to get it fixed, and with not being able to work coz of health probs...i dont have much spare cash :(
 
I tried it in safe mode, was exact the same as in normal mode...pretty much unresponsive :(

Id be DELIGHTED if it is a hardware fault, as it means the shop would have to fix/replace it, and save me having to find a small fortune (that i cant spare) for the repair. The more i think about it (the laptops reluctance to install a OS) the more i think it is hardware issue
 
I don't have experience replacing products under warranty through Toshiba (sorry, HATE Satellites!) but I would first boot into the BIOS and see if there are any diagnostic options, like the ability to run a quick or long test of the hard drive from within the BIOS. If not you can download a utility and burn a bootable disc on another computer. I can't remember what brand Toshiba usually uses but the Hitachi Drive Fitness Test utility will work for any drive (it just won't give a specific error code for a non-Hitachi drive). Here is a direct link to download the DFT iso file http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/downloads/dft32_v416_b00.iso You need to make a bootable disc with that ISO file, put the disc in the laptop, you may need to boot into the BIOS first and change the boot sequence so that it looks for a CD before the internal hard drive, then just follow the prompts. If it asks about ATA/SATA vs. SCSI choose ATA. If it can't even find a hard drive before running the tests then there's your problem right there. If the drive is bad it will either not find it at all, or it will fail the test. Contact Toshiba support. I've replaced many drives and other parts through Dell and HP but I'm not sure how Toshiba handles it. Generally a computer is covered under 1 year manufacturer's warranty, so the store you bought it from will tell you to contact Toshiba first even if you purchased an extended warranty through the store. With Dell and HP I typically go into their support chat, tell the service rep what tests I ran and what errors I got, and then they send a replacement drive with prepaid return postage for the bad drive.
 
Hello again Liesje. I can kill two birds with one stone here. What do i do when i download an ISO file? Does it need to be converted? I downloaded Ubuntu in an iso file last night. So i tried to burn it to disc...thinking it would work...but i think it just burned as an iso file. so, what exactly do i have to do to make it a bootable disc? Helps appreciated :)
 
You need to burn an bootable disc, not just a data disc with the iso. I don't know if Windows does this natively, I usually use Deep Burner.
 
You will need to excuse me...but this iso files are new to me. I downloaded Deep Burner (Free) version. So, how do i make a "bootable" cd? As i say...when i tried to make one last night...all i eneded up doing was burning the iso file on to a cd...and thats not what i want to be doing i think?
So...how would i go about doing it in Deep Burner?

*****UPDATE*****

OK....i understand 90% of how to create the bootable disc with Deep burner. Problem is...in the tutorial, when it comes to slecting "boot" in the tutorial, it suggests the file you burn is an .ima file...where as the file i want to make a bootable disc of is .iso

Do i need to convert the iso file to ima?
 
No it should burn isos, at least the version I have does (I burn isos probably once a week at work). I pop in the disc, load the program, select Burn Iso Image for the project type, click the little [...] button to the right of the Image File field and browse to the iso file, then click Burn ISO.
 
OK...im guessing the free version wont allow me to burn iso file. It lets me choose to burn iso file.....it allows me to selet the iso file....but then when i pop a blank cd in....the "select speed" doesnt highlight and it wont allow me to do anything else.
 
Hmmm, I've only ever used the free version. There are probably other freewares that burn ISOs though, that's just the one I've always used.
 
Oh...just my luck then. This is how it typically goes for me. Which aint good when you suffer from stress,nerve and anxiety disorders lol

I found a tutorial on youtube...so i have followed that. Im in the process of burning the disc now. Fingers crossed it will work :)
 
YAY....i got Ubuntu installed on lewis's laptop....and everything seems to be working fine. Much thanks to those who helped. It was appreciated :)

Iam however, having trouble getting Google chrome to install now :lol:
 
Well....after i updated everything on Ubuntu, google chrome worked fine. So lewis is upstairs trying out life without Windows 7. To be honest...all he mainly does is surf the net, so i dont think hes going to notice much difference. So, all in all, after letting myself get UBER stressed out, all is well again with his laptop, and im one happy man!
 
Hm, that's quite peculiar. So it was a software problem/trojan after all.

If your son experiences trouble, you could always get an ISO of Windows 7 from the web. Since it came with your laptop, you have a valid license code, and it is thus legal to download and install it. :)
 
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