PC reboots

[craigwatanabe]

Okay I'm stumped. I'm working on a computer that will reboot when you try to do a disk cleanup whether in normal or safe mode.

1. Reseated and cleaned all components...everything.
2. Unplugged everything except PSU, memory and hard drive.
3. Replaced PSU, hard drive, memory, CMOS battery even reset the BIOS.

I've eliminated all PCI and AGP graphics cards, memory, power supply, IDE optical and floppy drives and cables as possible back door culprits.

I've reset the BIOS.

Still the computer reboots when trying to do a disk clean up.

At first I thought it was a hardware malfunction but it runs XP fine even plays DVDs and allows you to search the internet with Firefox. No driver conflicts.

Then I figured virus so I installed another hard drive with XP pre-loaded and this MSI motherboard's BIOS accepted it and booted up to the Desktop. Same thing when trying to do a Disk Clean up.

Memory? Changed that out and same problem.

PSU? Changed that out and same problem.

I'm beginning to believe the problem is in the motherboard or the CPU. If that is the case then it's not worth repairing this five year old computer.

AVG and Ad-Aware didn't find anything.

Anyone else had this problem?

[helen]

Still the computer reboots when trying to do a disk clean up.

Then I figured virus so I installed another hard drive with XP pre-loaded and this MSI motherboard's BIOS accepted it and booted up to the Desktop. Same thing when trying to do a Disk Clean up.


I take it you are trying to do a disk clean up on the disk itself and not some other disk?

For instance you have disk#1 and you try to run disk clean up on disk#1. You take out disk#1 and put into it's place disk#2 and then you run disk clean up on disk#2 and you still have the computer rebooting on you?

By any chance did you try having disk#1 and disk#2 on the same computer, having disk#1 being the place where windows starts of from and then attempting to run a disk clean up on disk#2?

Anyone else had this problem?
Not really since I don't run disk clean up on my system.

[GeckoGeek]

So you've changed the hard drive and reloaded XP? I have had a case with a corrupted image wouldn't let me do diskchecking. Not sure what happened, but everything runs OK otherwise.

Because it's a bad image, I've got multiple computers with that problem. Won't reboot, but just won't do it.

[MixedPlateBroker]

Sounds like a gopher of a problem.
Have you tried deleting (in safe mode) the folders WER1.tmp.dir00, Temp in Local Settings, Temporary Internet Files and everything in c:\windows\minidump then doing a chkdsk /f and rebooting?

[craigwatanabe]

Helen to answer your question, this rig has just a single hard drive.

I removed that hard drive and plugged in my test hard drive pre-loaded with XP. This is a clean OS.

As for deleting files in safe mode, I'd have done that except for the fact that I'm having the same problem using another hard drive with another version of XP pre-loaded. This isn't even an image of the OS from this computer.

[helen]

Helen to answer your question, this rig has just a single hard drive.

I removed that hard drive and plugged in my test hard drive pre-loaded with XP. This is a clean OS.
So what happens when your test hard drive is used with this computer? Does this setup also reboots the computer when your test hard drive is attempting to do a hard disk cleanup on your test hard drive?

[Konaguy]

Craig, try replacing the IDE cable between the mobo and the hard drive.

[craigwatanabe]

When I used another hard drive with another XP OS it does the same thing. And I have replaced the IDE cables (All of them).

[GeckoGeek]

What happens if you use one of the hard drives on a different motherboard? (Do you have another motherboard of the same type?) Perhaps it's a defective driver that's getting loaded to work that motherboard.

You might check the properties of the disk controller or drive and see if there are any advanced features you can turn off.

Can you check a partition that is NOT the OS partition? How is it going about checking the OS partition? Most of the machines I work on tell me they can't do it but will set a flag so it will do it in a DOS window on reboot.

[craigwatanabe]

What happens if you use one of the hard drives on a different motherboard? (Do you have another motherboard of the same type?) Perhaps it's a defective driver that's getting loaded to work that motherboard.

You might check the properties of the disk controller or drive and see if there are any advanced features you can turn off.

Can you check a partition that is NOT the OS partition? How is it going about checking the OS partition? Most of the machines I work on tell me they can't do it but will set a flag so it will do it in a DOS window on reboot.

I'm thinking IDE controller as well. I may have to consider using a PCI IDE controller card. Problem is I don't have a PCI IDE controller card to attempt troubleshooting any further.

As for advanced features on the drives, I've tried setting the hard drive to Cable Select as opposed to Master. Happens in either case.

I ruled out the hard drives as a transplanted HD reacts the same way even when running a distinctly different OS.

[GeckoGeek]

What about if you check a non-OS partition? Just as a test? Is it doing the check during reboot, or is it trying to check the OS partition "live"?

[craigwatanabe]

I can try creating another partition and attempting to read that but how will that be different than simply using another hard drive?

Other than the disk clean up utility, the unit runs fine, only when attempting to run this utility will the computer reboot. And remember two different hard drives, two different operating systems, same motherboard, same problems.

I'm suspecting the motherboard but why the problem only when attempting a disk clean up?

[GeckoGeek]

Oh, Disk Cleanup. I was thinking Defrag. I've never used cleanup. When I first tried to use it, it wasted an incredible amount of time trying to figure out if I'd save space by compressing my drive. To hell with that! I can manually clear the temp files and empty the recycle bin faster.

If I need to clean up, I use CCleaner (http://www.ccleaner.com/).

[craigwatanabe]

Oh, Disk Cleanup. I was thinking Defrag. I've never used cleanup. When I first tried to use it, it wasted an incredible amount of time trying to figure out if I'd save space by compressing my drive. To hell with that! I can manually clear the temp files and empty the recycle bin faster.

If I need to clean up, I use CCleaner (http://www.ccleaner.com/).


Be careful with CCleaner. That utility can actually clean out corrupted .dll files. Once these files are removed your computer may have boot issues, runtime errors or the dreaded BSOD.

[Konaguy]

Be careful with CCleaner. That utility can actually clean out corrupted .dll files. Once these files are removed your computer may have boot issues, runtime errors or the dreaded BSOD.

That is very odd, I've never had any issues with Crap Cleaner.Its my money in the bank computer cleaner program.

[craigwatanabe]

That is very odd, I've never had any issues with Crap Cleaner.Its my money in the bank computer cleaner program.

I tend to go in under the hood and clean up the garbage myself. I use disk cleanup as a preliminary cleaning tool then get in there thru Explorer and clean up as necessary.

[Konaguy]

I tend to go in under the hood and clean up the garbage myself. I use disk cleanup as a preliminary cleaning tool then get in there thru Explorer and clean up as necessary.

I try out a lot of software, so I use CCleaner and a bunch of registry cleaners. Never once have I run into a problem with it messing up the computer.Actually
thats not really accurate. There was a registry program I used in the past, it mucked up my add/remove applet (Where you add/remove Windows components).

[GeckoGeek]

Be careful with CCleaner. That utility can actually clean out corrupted .dll files. Once these files are removed your computer may have boot issues, runtime errors or the dreaded BSOD.

Which part of CCleaner? I've never had a problem, and if the DLLs are corrupted, then something needs to be done anyway. What exactly happened? I think it cleans the precache, and certainly the temp files, but I don't see why that should cause a problem.

[craigwatanabe]

Do you mean the prefetch folder in Windows System 32?

Yes I agree that corrupt dll files need to be cleaned out however by removing even corrupt dll files, you remove dll files period. These files are necessary to run the OS.

I've installed these registry cleaners in computers owned by people who don't know the difference between a dll file or spyware and they remove everything leaving the OS without the ability to boot up to the desktop.

[GeckoGeek]

I've installed these registry cleaners in computers owned by people who don't know the difference between a dll file or spyware and they remove everything leaving the OS without the ability to boot up to the desktop.

I'd like to see how they do that. When I use CCleaner, I just click, click, click the defaults. I've never seen a dangerous option. Maybe the uninstaller, but that shouldn't uninstall Windows.

Of course the best part of giving advice on-line is if they really hose their machine, they can't come back and complain. :D

[mp3jockey]

I've had lots of success with CrapCleaner as well, but when I want to "go deeper"...cleaning more of the registry than Crap Cleaner can handle, I use jv16 powertools 2007, by Macecraft. Its a very small, free 15 day eval download, but gives you the opportunity to really clean the registry! It will always give you the opportunity to backup the registry before you do anything potentially destructive. The Registry Cleaner part of the Power tools bundle can be had by itself as well. Handy program!

Whatever you use, make sure to make a backup of the registry before you use it. Even Crapcleaner gives you a backup option before it makes any changes.

jock