Is my pc about to die on me?

buyitall

My pc is playing up, and I was wondering if it's time to get a new one....
Problems are as follows
1. For about a year the blue checkdisk screen has appeared at every start-up. It ALWAYS crashes at some point during the check, so the only way to boot up has been to skip the diskcheck.
2. About a week ago my emails stopped downloading from the webserver to Outlook Express. I get the following error message:Error Number: 0x800C012F
Also, emails can't be deleted unless I delete the whole folder using windows explorer.
3. On boot-up, I get the message thet there is no paging file, when I follow the instructions to reset the paging file, it makes no difference.
4. I frequently get messages about running out of virtual memory, even though the system shows lots of free memory.
5. Since yesterday, every time I open up a new webpage, I get the 'windows installer' little box, which is v annoying.
6. AVG won't update due to not enough free memory (apparently this is a common problem with AVG?) I am scared to do an uninstall in case the general memory problem means that I am unable to download a new version.

I have run an AVG virus check, cccleaner and spybot. Really, I'd just like to know if the problems are linked in some way, or if the pc is on it's last legs - it's 6 or 7 years old! Thanks for any ideas.

ps I have googled/searched this forum for solutions to each individual problem but no suggestions have worked.

Traveller1981

The best thing I can suggest is backing up all your data (that you want to keep) and formatting the PC. Reinstall the operating system and all the drivers (should have been suipplied with a disc with these on, if not, check what you have i.e. which sound card, graphics card etc, and download the drivers before you format. A clean install should sort all your problems and give you a speed boast.

HTH

proxima_2

You can try a format, but by the looks of it I think you have corrupt memory in your PC.

If you try formatting and reinstalling everything to no avail, then I'd try some new memory.

Though if your PC is 6 or 7 years old... you've had good innings out of it Good prices here:

http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/dellfactoryoutlet/

Traveller1981

Missed that bit about it being 6-7 years old. If you can afford it, I would second proxima's advice on getting a new one. The tech has come on leaps and bounds over the last 6-7 years, and you can get a beast of your machine for a fraction of the cost from back when you bought your last one.

buyitall

Thank you, it's what I expected you to say really. I agree that I've had a good innings out of it, but it's always nice to get approval for spending more money! I do a weekly back up to an external hard drive, so hopefully it won't be a complete disaster if things suddenly go pop!

Rock_Bottom

buyitall wrote: »

My pc is playing up, and I was wondering if it's time to get a new one....

... if you have the dosh then absolutely - get a nice new PC, nothing cheap mind, get a good quality one and then surf trouble free .... enjoy.

buyitall

It's not something I have budgeted for this side of Christmas (I bought a laptop for my son for Christmas just last week and don't especially want to replace the family pc at the same time), but I guess I will just have to bite the bullet if the pc starts getting even worse. Was stressed out this morning in case I couldn't get online to try for Take That tickets! Thanks for all the replies.

iamesbo

Sounds like a problem with your hard drive if you can't run check disk?
What operating system is it?
Can you run it from the external drive? That would eliminate drive probelms I guess.
Have you tried other disk checking software? There might be some free stuff availaible.

It does sound like the drive though I bet you could pick up a similar one on ebay
for a few quid.

SJames_3

It could be a memory failure, but I think it's also just as likely to be a hard drive problem. Checkdisk crashing and Windows not being about to write reliably to the paging file would be symptoms of this. Your problem with Outlook sounds like a corruption of folders.dbx and/or outbox.dbx.

You could try and isolate the problem and then replace the offending part, both components are fairly simple to replace.

memtest will give you a good idea as to whether your memory is dodgy or not. You can also find out your hard drive manufacturer by right clicking on it's icon in My Computer, selecting Properties and then the Hardware tab. Download the appropriate diagnostic tool from your hard drive manufacturer's website.

In the long run, a new PC would obviously be ideal, but to tide you over Christmas, eBaying a replacement for a dodgy component for £20 and installing a fresh copy of Windows would hopefully at least leave you with a reliable PC in the meantime.

As Traveller1981 says, it would also be a good idea to back up any important files ASAP.

Donnie

I would definitely go done the new HDD route. £40 for a new hard drive should give your PC a new lease of life, providing that there is ample RAM and nothing else needing to be upgraded.

Example here.

Of course you should back up your important files using a Live CD and a USB drive in case the drive fails completely.

silkcutblue

Buy a new one. Do not spend hours and days and sometimes weeks researching new equipment and possible causes of this, that, maybe something else.

"It could be this...or maybe this...or maybe this."

It's old. The God of computers has been warning you over the last year with error screens. Listen to her. She speaks the truth!