Please help me - Windows not loading

KiKi

Sorry for crashing the techie forum. If anyone can help me, I'll be hugely appreciative - but I know nothing about how computers work, so anyone kind enough to help will need to talk to me like I'm a child...


I have a Toshiba laptop, running Vista (I think).

Switched it on today and the fan made a horrid noise which it very occasionally does (an "I hate you and will blow up in a moment" noise), so I forced a shut down by holding the power button. Restarted and got the "unexpected shutdown" screen, with the option to start in normal or safe mode. Selected normal mode. Got the (c) Microsoft Corporation screen with the little whizzing green bar showing it's loading. The 'Doing Stuff' light was on, as if it were indeed loading, but taking its time. But nothing actually happened, and it restarted itself.

Selected safe mode this time. It did the "Windows loading files" then blank screen. Nothing. I restarted again and tried normal mode again. Same.

Each time the 'doing stuff' light comes on as if it is indeed loading, with the loading image of the whizzy green thing, but then the light goes out and it's doing absolutely nothing.

My life is on the laptop (certainly my work life as well as all my study), and although I have a back up of my files, it's from November time. Can anyone please suggest any way that I can get my laptop to load windows again without wiping the data?

I would be so, so appreciative of anyone who can offer any suggestions here, I really would. Thank you in advance for any help, and I can offer good thoughts in return...!

Cheers
KiKi

closed

buy a usb hard disk caddy costing a couple of pounds, get your data off, reinstall windows.

try all F8 options at boot.

KiKi

Thank you - I have no idea how to get the data off, though, as the extent of my knowledge is how to work Word, Excel etc. Is there anywhere you could recommend as to how to get the data off?

sickofusernames

Probably more experienced guys on here but to me seems like your fan has possibly failed. Can you still hear your fan whirring when you start the laptop now?

The reason it turns of is to protect the CPU from overheating hence why the laptop switches off before Vista loads fully.

Your data will be ok so nothing to worry about.

closed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB_1gtkD54o&feature=related

KiKi

closed wrote: »

buy a usb hard disk caddy costing a couple of pounds, get your data off, reinstall windows.

try all F8 options at boot.

I really appreciate your help, but I really don't understand what this means! My computer use is excellent in terms of applications, but not what goes on behind it! Happy to try the F8 thing, but would appreciate anyone explaining what I have to do to make it happen...!

sickofusernames wrote: »

Probably more experienced guys on here but to me seems like your fan has possibly failed. Can you still hear your fan whirring when you start the laptop now?

Yes, the fan still works, whirring happily whilst nothing else happens. It does this very occasionally. I just force a shut down, reboot and it's fine.

Your data will be ok so nothing to worry about.

Thank you for the reassurance!

closed wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB_1gtkD54o&feature=related

Thanks, I'll take a look at this.

KiKi

closed

hold down F8 at boot, a list of safe mode options come up, try them all (apart from factory restore if that appears)

KiKi

closed wrote: »

hold down F8 at boot, a list of safe mode options come up, try them all (apart from factory restore if that appears)

Thanks - I've tried them all but none work. On the ones where it lists the windows file loading (on what looks like a DOS screen) it gets stuck on the same one each time and doesn't go any further, automatically reboots and then offers a Windows Recovery Error screen with a tool - which can't fix it. That gets stuck, too, on a GIANT cursor. Looks like I will need to salvage the drive as you suggested and reload windows.

Thankfully I have a netbook I can work on in the meantime, but crap, I hate it when things like this happen.

Thank you for your help.
KiKi

closed

The alternative is a repair install if you have the windows disc, or a linux boot cd.

KiKi

closed wrote: »

The alternative is a repair install if you have the windows disc, or a linux boot cd.

I have a Product Recovery CD which came with the laptop - which says "PRODUCT RECOVERY for distribution only with a new Toshiba PC" then "Windows Vista Business 32 bit".

I assume that's a wipe and reformat CD, though, as it says recovery!

Thanks again for your time and help.
KiKi

p.s. Just realised there was an OU CD in the CD drive and hoped beyond hope that was causing the problem. Sadly not.

GunJack

if you boot from the recovery disk, you will have repair options as well as a reinstall, so as long as you're careful and DON'T choose the wrong one, you could attempt a repair from that disk