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Author Topic: Gateway computer support Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 03-27-2003 12:46 PM                     Since I upgraded from WebTV, I've been on a Gateway 2000 computer that is running Windows 95. It has run well until recently. When the previous owner of this computer deleted files, apparently they deleted some of the Windows operating system. I need to find a recovery disk for this system. Here's the fun part of all of this: We called Gateway and told them everything that they needed to know. They informed us that since we are not the registered owners of this computer, they dont have to help us AT ALL, even though this computer has a lifetime warranty...purchased by the original owner! So, if you are looking at a used Gateway, BEWARE! I hope that someone in this forum can help me. The computer is crashing regularly, suddenly, with Kernel 32 error codes. I have all of the discs that came with the Gateway, including a System CD (v1.7) that will not run. The computer sounds like it is grinding flour in there. I KNOW there are some incredibly brilliant patient people here. Won't you please help a computer novice get his 95 system running properly? Until we loaded a new HP printer software, the Gateway never crashed, even though it was indicating that there were parts of the Windows system missing... but wouldn't reveal what it was! PS: We uninstalled the printer hardware. Same problems. I hope this gets on the forum without a crash! Bruce  |  IP: Logged Sam Hunter Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 779 From: West Monroe, LA, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 03-27-2003 12:54 PM                     Just wipe the thing and install windows 98. XP or something. Get a copy of win98 and use that to step up to XP or whatever. Or just reinstall Win95, you should be able to find a copy somewhere but it would be best to just do a format and install a new operating system.  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 03-27-2003 12:55 PM                        Is the "sounds like it's grinding flour" noise coming from one or more bad fans? Maybe the system or CPU is over-heating. That could cause things to be flakey. However, I agree with Sam, your best bet is nuke-and-pave, preferably with a newer version of Windows.  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 03-27-2003 01:10 PM                        Maybe Norton Utilities could help. It can undelete deleted files, although not in all cases. It can also scan the Registry and maybe find which entries point to files which are no longer there. Then you could get those files from another computer.  |  IP: Logged Sam Hunter Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 779 From: West Monroe, LA, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 03-27-2003 01:14 PM                     As far as the noise goes you probably need to check the fans and see if you dont have a cable rubbing against one. Or you may just have a bad fan. Or better yet check out Tigerdirect.com and buy you a new one for $200.00.  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 03-27-2003 01:22 PM                        The flour grinding is probably the hard disk running amok. Another strategy: When the computer starts, wait until it beeps and then quickly hit F8 for the start menu. Select dos prompt and then tye this at the prompt SCANREG /RESTORE Scanreg scans the registry (that`s why it is called scanreg), the central system data base in Windows, for wrong entries. The registry is saved regularly, and when there are faulty registry entries, you can restore an earlier backup copy of the registry. That helps in many cases where an installation routine has messed up the registry.  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 03-27-2003 01:44 PM                     OK, thanks for all the fast replies. I may have a solution cooking. We are going to reformat this computer. So, I will not be online for a few days. I should have been more specific. The grinding is the hard drive running. When we defraged the computer last month, it quieted right down. Since all these kernel 32 errors started, it grinds. Thanks, and I will reply when I get back... (I feel like I am going on a trip!) Bruce McGee  |  IP: Logged Sam Hunter Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 779 From: West Monroe, LA, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 03-27-2003 01:50 PM                     Out of curiosity, what kind of hardware makes up this machine? How big is the hard drive and all that? Is it possible you have a boot virus? You may just pick up a bigger hard drive.  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 03-27-2003 02:09 PM                        Before you format, try my tip.  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 03-27-2003 03:35 PM                     Well. nothing is working. Michael, I tried your suggestion. Windows will not allow itself to be stopped. Something like HAL 9000. This System Disk that came with the machine... it does nothing. Could be defective, or is this just another way that Gateway has of saying :GOTCHA!: ??? I'll never own another Gateway. Inside, this is a standard computer with a 133 processor, and hard-drive. I added a hard-drive strictly for images, etc. I have lots of images....  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 03-27-2003 03:46 PM                        You can always stop the computer during boot but you have to be quick enough, right after the beep. Or exit Windows into dos then run scanreg.  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 03-27-2003 07:34 PM                        If I remember correctly Gateway used to really like poledit, so it might not be possible to just 'hit F8 or F5 or CTRL' to get a boot menu. In anycase it's probably best to start over since it's new to you and you've got nothing to preserve. Make sure that you have / download any any drivers you'll need to get back on the 'net. Specifically your modem or ethernet drivers. As long as you can get on the internet you'll be able to download drivers for any hardware you missed.  |  IP: Logged Joe Smith Film Handler Posts: 56 From: Dale City, Va. USA Registered: Oct 1999 posted 03-27-2003 10:17 PM                     My guess is a defective Western Digital 1 GB or 1.2GB disk in there as a boot disk, or maybe a smaller 800MB drive. A P5-133MHz system is a 1995 vintage and Gateway used mostly Western Digital drives then. There was a higher than average failure rate for the older drives. (I'm not knocking Western Digital, it just seems that the 1995 era had a high failure rate and Gateway seems to have a lot of the failed drives). In order to boot the Win 95 CD that comes with that vintage system, it should also have come with a DOS 6.22 boot floppy in an orange envelope used to boot the system and then load the appropriate CD-rom driver so you can access the Win95 CD to re-install the OS. However, I do agree, it's better to install Win 98 if you can get a copy.... BTW, my old P5-133 still works but I only turn it on once a year or so.... Good luck, Joe  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 03-27-2003 10:52 PM                     Sam made a good suggestion. However, drive space could be an issue in those old hogs. I ran across this issue Compoop machines using Windows 95. I formatted the drive, converted to FAT32, installed Windows 98SE, and Microsoft Office Pro. Oh, it'll run fine....except for one small minor insignificant detail....It'll chew up about damned near 500megs on a hard drive. Lot of those old Compoops I am dealing with only had 750 meg drives....so you figure. There may not be enough drive space to install the program, "A Wet Fart" by Anus Gasflapper. I suggest you stick with the latest version of WIN 95 that was available when WIN 95 was discontinued. They were not quite as much as a hard drive hog as WIN 98SE or above was. Of course, you have other issues to look at, such as RAM, CPU speed, Front Bus speed, etc. I would highly recommend you listen to Daryl and some of the other computer GURU's on FT. They make a living at this shit, and I am just a puke trying to keep my shit running. ...and disable that "Chipaway Boot Sector Virus" program that was incorporated in the BIOS. That is as lame as a port-a-potty that has not been serviced in 7.5 years.  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 03-27-2003 11:08 PM                        Windows 98SE is well worth the extra space over Windows 95. Of course I'd take NT4 Workstation any day over either, but I won't go there. In any case, the difference in size between the 9x OSes is marginal compared to the enormous size of Microsoft Office -- which isn't bloated, it just has a lot of features and programs that most people will never use. Paul, if you cut back on those weenies you wouldn't be puking! BTW, BIOS Boot Sector Virii Detectors are the leading cause of failed OS installations. Even if you want to use the feature, make sure to temporarily disable them before you install the OS. Oh yeah, most actually work just fine since the only thing they do is detect when the hardware tries to write to the boot sector -- there's really not much to update about them.  |  IP: Logged

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