HP a1710n

[redvette]

Hi Gang

I have this friends computer and it boots up and gets to the welcome screen and sits there for a bit, then goes to a black screen, stays there for a few minutes than goes to the desktop.

Any idea of why it goes to the black screen, I am afraid this computer has some bugs in it. I have tried safe mode but I cannot get it to load up any malware progams.

Any ideas.?

Thanx....Gunny

[Nuclear Krusader]

What have you in the Startup entries of msconfig?

[redvette]

Hi Nuc

There were a ton of them checked I unchecked a bunch of them, it still boots up the same way though maybe a little quicker only.

Thanx...Gunny

[redvette]

Hi NUC

None of the programs will open, I mean none. She had a whitesmoke bug big time, I got rid of it I think. But I cannot get it to run anything, it won't even open IE.

Thanx...Gunny

[redvette]

Hi NUC

I have tried system restore that did not change anything either. I think I mentioned this is Vista Home Pre.

Thanx...Gunny

[jdeb]

back the data up and do a factory restore from the restore partition.

[redvette]

Hi jdeb

I tried that but when I click on open it just brings a screen with the HP logo and says these files are used for you recovery, but there is nothing to click on or do anything with it. Where are the files.??

Thanx....Gunny

[glc]

Performing an HP System Recovery (Windows Vista) - HP technical support (United Kingdom - English)

[redvette]

Hi GLC

Ok I do that and it does it's little scan on all the boxes I have checked to back up and it comes to the where do you want to save these, and it says "Device with removable storage (0)" What is that.

Thanx....Gunny

[glc]

Probably the card reader - can you change that? Do you have a storage device connected for the backup?

It may be best to pull the hard drive and use a USB adapter to connect it to another computer to back up the needed files.

[redvette]

No nothing to change no options....No storage device connected to it, I was hoping to see the DVD drive show up, it only has 1 DVD drive.

You might be right pulling the HD, that might be the only option here. Something has really goofed up this computer, whitesmoke is just one of them.

Thanx....Gunny

[redvette]

I did unplug the card reader. now trying again

[redvette]

Now it wants a usb drive, and I don't have a big enough one. It don't give me the choice of using the DVD drive.

[glc]

You will either need a USB drive or pull the drive.

[redvette]

Ok I am pulling the drive. I am formatting the drive now, the one that I am going to do the backup to, it's a small one so should not take long.

Thanx....Gunny

[redvette]

Hi Gang

Ok here is something I am not computing.

Ok all I had to use for the back up, was an old SATA 80G HD, so I went through the process and clicked on to do the back up, which I clicked on all the boxes, Pictures, documents, etc.

Ok great but now what I have is a HD that has the recovery partition on it and I cannot open it to see what else is on it. When I click on it, all it does is open the HP recovery. It does not show any folders, programs, etc.

Did I do something wrong here, or is there a secret to opening it.

Thanx.....Gunny

[glc]

PULL the drive and use another computer to manually copy the files you need.

[redvette]

HI GLC

Sorry I am not understanding what you are saying to do. Are you saying the reason I am not able to see the files is because I am doing the looking on the same computer it was created on.???? And that if I connect the HD to another computer it will open up all the files, etc.???

Thanx....Gunny

[redvette]

Hi GLC

Gee I hope I dd not send you into a tizzy there GLC.?

Thanx...Gunny

[glc]

Pull the hard drive. Use a USB adapter to connect it to another computer.

[redvette]

Hi GLC

Ok will do. Do you mean I was right with my question.? If so I will have to put a big # 1 on the wall some place. :-)

Thanx....Gunny

[redvette]

Ok How do you open a FBW file.?

Thanx...Gunny

[glc]

That's a proprietary HP backup file, why would you want to open it?

Did you already do the recovery and wipe the data off the drive? My point is this - BEFORE you attempt a system recovery, pull the drive and get the data off it.

[redvette]

I want to open the back up files to see which ones I want to put back. All the files she had on it some were good and some were junk, so I want to be putting some files back on now, but not all the files.

Isn't that the normal way of doing a back up.? Between the time you do the back up and do the recovery don't you think I might not put all that crap back on now.??????? So you want to pick and choose which ones you want, so you have to see them, right.? These are your own files, not the ones needed for the running of your computer.

Thanx....Gunny

[glc]

Pull the drive, connect it to another computer, and pull off the files you want. Don't use any kind of backup software.

[redvette]

GLC...That is what I did and run into these FWB files, or what ever you want to call them.

I think you are not understanding my answers to you.

Thanx...Gunny

[redvette]

GLC...Just to make sure we are on the same page here..I did what you said to do. I did connect it to another computer but when I try to open the files it says they are FWB files, and you told me what these files were, so ok now what do I do, how do you open FWB fles.?????

Thanx.....Gunny

[glc]

Those are NOT the files you want to rescue. Using Windows Explorer, navigate the folder structure to find the files you DO want - pictures, music, documents, etc. You also don't want to open files - just copy them.

[redvette]

Originally Posted by glc Those are NOT the files you want to rescue. Using Windows Explorer, navigate the folder structure to find the files you DO want - pictures, music, documents, etc. You also don't want to open files - just copy them.

HI GLC

I understand what you are saying but I don't think you are getting the right picture as to what I am seeing. I will try to send you a picture here of what I am seeing. What I did was took what was on the HD and put it on a DVD disk, and when I open the files on it this is what I see, and when I click on that it opens the HP recovery program, no files nothing.

Thanx....Gunny

[glc]

It looks like you used the HP BACKUP PROGRAM to put that file on the disk...........

Let's try again - take the hard drive out of the HP computer, and connect it to one of your computers with a USB adapter. NOW do you see the correct file structure?