[siouxper]

I purchased an HP Pavilion Elite e9120y a few months ago preinstalled with Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit (so I don't have any backup discs or boot discs). I don't have any System Restore points from before the incident, only ones from after. Worked great until about a week ago. I'll try to list out the events by time to keep it simple:

Day 1, probably 5-8 days ago:

I was trying to install a program when, mid-way through, I canceled it. I thought everything was fine and kept doing my current activity (browsing with Firefox). I shut it down a couple hours later.

Morning of Day 2:

I turn the computer on and leave for around 20 minutes, when I come back, it's still trying to start up. I hold down the power button until it shuts off, then turn it back on and enter Startup Repair. I leave for the day

Afternoon of Day 2:

I come home and see that Startup Repair found a couple errors (I didn't write down anything, however). It attempts to repair them, but doesn't fix all of them, however. It finishes and I shut down the computer and then turn it on. It loads as normal and the computer is fine. I assume the problem is solved.

Day 3:

Everything on my computer works as normal. No problems.

Day 4:

I turn the computer on, but this time, after about 20 minutes of trying to start up, it successfully starts up like normal. I try to look around the computer and see if anything I recently installed might have triggered the problem and uninstall a couple things and restart the computer. Takes about 20 minutes to restart, but eventually starts.

Day 5-6:

I still continue to use my computer and just try to ignore the occasional failed startup, but on one of the failed startups, I looked at the error report log. Here is part of it:

Root cause found:
-------------------------------
Unspecified changes to system configuration might have caused the problem.
Repair Action: System files integrity check and repair
Result: Failed. Error code = 0x490
Time taken = 606828 ms

A few days later, and here I am, requesting your help. I appreciate your help.

[rainforest123]

s:
Does your computer have a recovery partition?

Start > programs / all programs > look for an entry for a recovery manager.

What is your warranty?

Have you contacted HP? You might need to purchase a set of recovery DVDs from HP.

Nice job of providing a detailed history.
You probably have figured this out, but NEVER cancel the installation of a program after the installation has started. I do NOT know why the cancel button is present after the setup / installation process has started.

Which program? Try to find a removal / clean up tool for said program, from said program's company / vendor.

Is this your computer?
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/p...&lang=en&cc=us

Tip:
Take careful notes. Document circumstances & error messages.

Control panel > classic view
1. Admin tools > event viewer > windows logs
Applications
Look for errors. Provide the details

System
Look for errors. Provide the details

2. Problem reports & solutions.
What is listed?

This is not encouraging.
ERROR_NOT_FOUND
1168 (0x490)

Element not found.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...83(VS.85).aspx
It means there is not much documentation about the problem Windows encountered.

Boot to the advanced options menu, by tapping the F8 key once a second during the startup process. Go to the command prompt.
type: chkdsk /r
press "enter"

Then, in Windows
Admin tools > event viewer > windows logs
I think in "applications", but it could be in "system", look NOT for an error, but an entry for Winlogon.

Copy the details and post them in a reply.

RF123

[siouxper]

First: While browsing through my History on FF to see if I could find the program/time this happened, I found that I canceled the installation of that program (and likely started this chain of events) on October 28.

By recovery partition, if you mean the D: drive (it's called FACTORY_IMAGE with a single file called Recovery on it, which, when clicked on, displays a warning from HP saying that the D drive is a recovery partition).

Not quite sure on the warranty, to be honest.

Wow, your instructions really uncovered some new information. While browsing through the error logs, I found that the program was called MacroMaker.

The computer to which you linked appears to be the same as mine.


While sorting through the log for Application, I think I found a log entry that might have some signifiance:

(I'll try to attach it in a little while)

Side note: While browsing through the logs, I think it was right after I tried to sort the logs by category, I received this popup message:

MMC has detected an error in a snap-in and will unload it.

(o) Report this error to Microsoft, and then shut down MMC.
(x) Unload the snap-in and continue running

(There were radio buttons next to each option, with the second one check by default)

And then I received the "Microsoft Management Console has stopped working" error and it closed it.


Under the 'System' category, I can't find any significant errors for October 28th (a few regarding my printer a couple hours before I tried to install the programs, but nothing else).

Other than a reported problem of IE freezing up, there are no reports for the time around when the problem started.

I tried the chkdsk /r but it said this:

Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process.

And then gives me the option to try it again when the volume is not in use (when the computer next restarts). I did a regular chkdsk and this is what it told me:

...bunch of stuff up here...
Volume bitmap is incorrect.
Windows found problems with the file system.
Run CHKDSK with the /F (fix) option to correct

962108720 KB total disk space.
90987068 KB in 182807 files
113604 KB in 33201 indexes.
4 KB in bad sectors.
355188 KB in use by the system.
65536 KB occupied by the log file.
###652856 KB available on disk.

(Note: My picture cuts off after the word 'correct' in the 4th line and cuts off the first 3 numbers on the last line. I also skipped the boring information, mainly about things that went correctly, at the top of the log, but I can include it if necessary.)



End note: I just ordered my free Windows 7 upgrade from HP. I'll be transferring my files from the computer to an external HD (which I haven't yet gotten, but will in the near future), and then back to the computer once Windows 7 is installed. Pros and Cons of backing up certain files versus cloning the entire hard drive?

[rainforest123]

Seems you have a recovery partition. Good work.

I like clones.

I use Acronis True Image. www.acronis.com

RF123

[siouxper]

Thanks for all your help If I do a clone of my HD, will the current problems be cloned as well?

[Noyb]

Originally Posted by siouxper

If I do a clone of my HD, will the current problems be cloned as well?

If software .. Yes
If hardware .. It won't make a difference.
Go to Programs .. PC help n tools .. Recovery DVD creator .. and see if you can make your own Recovery DVDs.
Your warranty is one year.

HP's support Email Address is .. pavilion_support_en@mail.support.hp.com

[rainforest123]

noby:
Unless s/he purchased an extended warranty.

Also, in the USA, some credit card companies will extend the warranty for an additional year.

RF123

[rainforest123]

Also, I don't know about HP, but Dell's re-furbished computers had been sold w/ only a 30 or 90 day warranty.

RF123

[siouxper]

I didn't purchase any kind of extended warranty.

I don't know if these problems are hardware or software problems, to be honest. If it's any indicator, my computer works as normal (minus the occasional 20 min boot and the 0x490 error listed in Startup Repair). Would a reset to factory settings fix the problem? Should I try running chkdsk /r or chkdsk /f and try to fix the problems it listed in the scan?

[joeten]

Hi Basicly the error 0x490 can be either bad file indexes or corrupt system files. Bad file indexes can be repaired if you can get to a cmd prompt but corrupt system files generally require a system reload try the chkdsk /f or try running a repair from you install or recovery disc

[rainforest123]

To expound upon joeten's comments:

I think HP has a boot option for system repairs.

Try to figure out how to reach the option 2 screen at:
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/19...t-startup.html

Then, go to the command prompt
type: c:
press enter:
type: chkdsk /r
press enter.

The "r" switch will give you the "f" functions as well.

The results will be found in:
control panel > classic view > admin tools > event viewer
maximize screen
On the left, expand the "windows logs" folder
I think, in "applications" you will find an entry "winlogon".
Could be in "system"
RIGHT said entry > properties
On the right panel, under action, left click "copy"
That will copy the details to your computer's clip board.
Paste the results into a reply at this thread.

If that fails to solve your problem, start > command prompt. RIGHT click command prompt. Left click "run as administrator".
type: c:
press enter
type: sfc /scannow
note space between "sfc" and /scannow
Press enter

If that fails, run a startup repair.
Tutorial here.
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tuto...torial148.html

If that fails, restore your computer to the factory settings AFTER you have copied your important data to a flash drive and / or optical disk[s].

RF123