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I have a problem with my Gateway DX4831-01e desktop computer (1 1/2 years old) which is running Windows 7.
Last week, something happened (I don't know if it was an upgrade or a virus) but Windows 7 (64) started running extremely sluggish. I restarted and it was extremely slow on start up. I can get into Safe mode but it takes a couple of hours to load all. I can still access my hard drive and files there and I can plug devices into my USB ports (to allow backups and to load files for running)
On start up it goes from the Gateway screen to the Bios screen and then starts acting slow. Pressing F8 over and over gets me into Safe mode but it is very slow and during driver loading, it seems to hang up on the ClassPNP.sys file, but it eventually loads all(after an hour or so).
I have tried many things including running System restore and repair and running sfc /scannow (took overnight), removing AVG 2011 free (my virus scanner) and all of the folders that the AVG removal tool didn't remove, and deleting Temp files.
One other strange thing I noticed is that in my Start up programs (I use selective start up) there were three checkboxes for starting up a Java update, and Adobe reader and Adobe acrobat.) I removed all checkboxes but the system gets slow before I even get to the start up files, but it was strange and might point to the cause of the big problem.
My questions are, what is happening between the Bios screen and the driver loading screen that would slow it down? Could it be prefetch or start up file loading? I don't think so because I haven't even gotten to the Safe mode choice screen before the slow down happens.
Should I erase Prefetch or remove and reinstall the button cell battery to reset Bios? Will it ask me for a password on restart that I know I don't have?
Thanks in advance!
Gwen
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
HI,
Gateway should have documentation on installing Windows on a new drive. And
they will sell the installation media cheap, if you need it, since you already own
Windows. Once you have the correct disk the installation is very straight forward.
The Repair Disk you made is not an installation disk.
Hope this helps.
Rob Brown - Microsoft MVP <- profile - Windows Expert - Consumer : Bicycle <- Mark Twain said it right.
Hi there,
This morning, Windows repair was still running, so I rebooted with the Trinity Repair Kit. I ran the first Virus scan Clam AV and it came up with several of these messages: "Unclean File System the file system wasn't safely closed on Windows [Fixing] and then after a few of those messages I got the following message:
Neither DNS nor proxy parameters for wget found so no internet connection, cannot fetch AV engine.
I tried F-Prot and the next one and got the same message.
What should I try?
What is the BIOS manufacturers name.
Each manaufacturer has it's own list of beep codes. These can provide clue as to what is wrong.
Hi,
Make one or more of those disks I suggested and boot to it to see if the same
slow conditions exist. And you can try running the malware checks built in
to them.
I suspect this is a hardware issue however that is very tough to determine in
a home setting with limited components to swap in and out.
Hope this helps.
Rob Brown - Microsoft MVP <- profile - Windows Expert - Consumer : Bicycle <- Mark Twain said it right.
O.k. I made the change and then it attempted a start. I could see it was going to be slow as always and then it came up to the starting Windows screen and it couldn't make it past the color wheel when it beeped and restarted and then after the Bios screen it came up with the Windows failed to start. A recent ... attempt to start normally... Windows is loading files. Then the Start up repair screen came up with the running bar and said it is repairing disk errors. It says it will take a few hours, but I know for a fact that the repair before takes many more hours.
I just don't know what to do. I guess I could :
cancel out of the repair and then
Run repair from the F12 screen (instead of the Del screen) and see what happens.
Or I could wait the few days for it to come up normally and run the Process Explorer
Or install a new driver from the Gateway website for BIOS and see if the driver is the problem.
Or try booting with Trinity Rescue Kit
Can I stop the Repair without further damage by just pressing and holding the button and then run it from F12 mode so it runs without the slowness of safe mode?
Thanks for your patience. I've been working on this computer for 2 weeks during Winter break and the Holidays, so it has been nice to have someone listening to the problems.
