Gateway GT5656 Will Not Load GUI screens

[batemantech]

Alright I have a gateway gt5656 that has an AMD 64 6000 3.0 processor with 3 gb ram. It is stuck on the windows vista loading screen, will not boot into safe mode, and will not boot vista disk all the way. I used my newly acquired code board and it is flashing the processor is bad. I am guessing the processor does not have enough power to load GUI cause if I use one of my boot disks to check they boot up fine. If I use one of the ones with a gui it wont. I have tried a different video but it does the same thing. I do cpu tests under one of my boot disk and it does it and then disappears and goes to a black screen. Any thoughts. Also I used the code board on a good pc and it flashed the CPU as being good so the code board should be alright. Thanks.

 

[angry_geek]

In 15 years of working with machines, I can only recall maybe a dozen times I actually had a bad CPU. Here's something you might try. Disconnect the HDD, then try loading your vista install dvd. Also, check the RAM, DVD Drive, PSU, VGA. I don't recommend relying on a post card. Those things are notoriously unreliable and misleading.

 

[batemantech]

Angry geek. I unhooked hard drive and windows vista restore now loads. I thought I unhooked it before but I guess I thought wrong. Question is why would it load XP restore with hard drive connected but not Vista.

 

[angry_geek]

I quit asking those kinds of questions long ago. Don't question the force young padawan.

In all seriousness, though. XP doesn't look for the hdd until you get to the F8 screen. Vista starts looking for it immediately, and, if it sees something it doesn't like, it does strange and mysterious things. With that step out of the way, I would slave the drive to another machine with a usb adapter and start running diagnostics. You may have a hdd on its way out. Make sure you do a backup first.


Edit: I'm no fan of gateway's psu's. Make sure to test that psu as well.

 

[batemantech]

PSU tested good. Yeah I had an emachine yesterday that the processor was gone on it and come to find out that type of emachine is notorious for the power supply ruining the CPU so I explained to customer and replaced both for them. I will do a diagnostic in another machine on the hard drive. Thank you sir.

 

[batemantech]

Angry Geek. I used hiren and to try and repair the partition. Keeps locking up when it gets to a certain point. I tried to slave it again to see if I could see the partitition and all it is showing is the restore part and not the os side. Is the drive pretty much toast?

 

[angry_geek]

I would say the drive is definitely over the rainbow, but there is still a glimmer of hope for the data. Try running getdataback or another recovery tool to see if you can grab the data off the drive. While this is happening, it would be a good time to call your customer and explain the situation if you haven't already. Luckily, hdd's are cheap. If you can't recover the data with any tools, the only other option is a clean-room service which will usually cost thousands of dollars. Usually the data isn't quite that important to the customer.

 

[batemantech]

Yeah I have already told her what was going on. She said the only thing on there is her daughters music but I dont want to kill a bunch of time just for songs. I think its time to part ways and get a new HD

 

[angry_geek]

If all she's worried about is the music, then it probably isn't worth it to her to pay you 2 extra hours trying to get the data. New drive, fresh install, and onward and upward.

Make sure to use the key on the coa on her machine.

 

[batemantech]

What I always do. Thanks for the help on this sir

 

[angry_geek]

On a side note. I would hang onto that drive and play with it in your free time. Practice and see if you can bring back the data.

 

[batemantech]

You were reading my mind. SPOOKY