Getting a laptop with no free memory to boot

frivolous_fay

steve_r123 wrote: »

Dont click the first option to repair.

Click the Setup windows XP first option, then after that it should give the option to repair existing windows install. This is a non destructive one that should keep all your settings and documents etc.

Hi Steve, the end result of the repair console is the screenshot in post 5.

Edit: I'm losing my marbles. The end result of repair console is the TEXT in post 5.

albertross_2

sorry

chkdsk c: /r

dir

should tell you if the hd is really full

steve_r123

If all else fails, and depending how 'techie' you are feeling.

To save your documents, download a copy of Linux Ubuntu, plug a memory stick thing in if you have one, boot Ubuntu from the CD, that will give you access to the files etc on the C:, you can then copy them over to the memory stick and transfer them to another computer etc.

Then once all done, format and re-install windows on the laptop.

This obviously is a last ditch effort if nothing else gets your lappy up and running.;)

frivolous_fay

Halfway through 'additional checking or recovery'

frivolous_fay

I think it's been at 72% for at least 5 minutes now.

Edit: 73% now so it just about moving still.

frivolous_fay

Back at 50%, lmao.

frivolous_fay

Ok... apparently it fixed one or more errors. Took almost an hour.

39062012 kilobytes total space
17686540 available

I make that 17gb free.. which is significantly more than I was expecting.

fwor

Now that's almost ~exactly what I saw when trying to fix a laptop for a friend - chkdsk goes to 70+% and then suddenly drops back to 50%. In our case it completed ok and said it had fixed errors, and we were able to transfer his personal files onto a pendrive. HD failed again with similar errors 3 weeks later and we had to replace it :-(

frivolous_fay

Wild theory inc....

...during the recovery, it managed to patch up an area of the HD that was unusable... it then re-read the disc size and the completed check % dropped as a result.

Shall I reboot, just for giggles, and see if anything happens?

frivolous_fay

Tried rebooting - it looked as though it was doing better this time.

Ended with a black screen and a windows message - lsass - Requested operation could not be completed. (or something very similar) I tried to click OK, couldn't get a pointer. Then it shut itself down.