i have a hp pavilion notebook computer that runs windows xp. i don't know if it is just a terrible computer or what, but here are my problems:

*Something in the computer is making a strange noise, it is somewhat high pitched sometimes a small clikcing...definitely was not there when i originall bought it.

*My computer shuts itself off after a few minutes or when the hard drive starts running hard (but the fan seems to be working).

*it will not reformat. it shuts off or freezes in the middle of it. even when I have been successful reformating...after i installed a d-link wireless cardbus, it stopped working and the system got messed up again. The computer also started to be slower as well.

I was wondering if i may have gotten a virus that is super terrible...or if the harddrive is messed up. i have taken the thing into a computer repair shop TWICE, and they didn't know what it was. in fact they didn't think anything was wrong...

*Also, another issue i have been having since i have had the computer is that sometimes the monitor just doesn't turn on. at all. and i have to restart the thing a few times before i can get it on. even while the it is on...i will shut my laptop and it won't sleep or antything, but i will lift the top up and it will be off and won't come back.

this stupid thing is driving me nuts because the os will not load or reformat and i am constantly seeing the blue screen of death.

With all of this in mind, does anyone have any idea what could be wrong???

THANK YOU.........

Probably one or two things. The HDD may be going (the whirring and clicking sounds) and the processor may be overheating.

Can you give more specs as to the system, processor speed, etc.? I would see about getting a new HDD to see if that resolves the formatting issue. I would see about having the system cleaned from dust or air blocks to verify it is not overheating.

Bug

Could you tell me what an HDD is. sorry, i am not good with terms, abbreviations, etc....harddrive disk? i have no idea...

i wish i could say more about my computer, but i don't see the info anywhere on it, and obviously i cannot look it up on the computer either...all i can tell you is that it is more specifically a ze4300/ and the model NO is ze 4315. i really don't even think the processor speed is in the ghz to be honest....it is definitely no more than 1... i really appreciate your help by the way. this drives me insane.

Yeah, hdd = hard disk drive.

If it still has warranty left, I'd return the computer.

from what i understand, the stupid pos doesn't have a warranty on it anymore, despite the fact i have only had it for a year and 4 months.

you all were right. it was definitely the HDD. Thank you for being smarter than the idiots at the place I took my computer to be fixed. You'd think something like the hard drive being busted would be a rather obvious problem to them...as the noises it was making, amongst the other problems.

Thanks again!

If you was runing the computer on battery and it shut off that issue is that the system is sstill going to try to finish set up (reinstall). the best thing to do is a Debug that wipes out the hdd and then you can tru the reinstall again. If you want to know how the do the debug of can contect microsoft or visit there web site and just use the word debug as a search., then you can do the reisntall again and make sure that the battery and the AC adapter is pluged in, to keep form having this issue again.

some virus's have been known to corrupt the code writen to drive at low level format
this in effect makes the firmware on disc not know what type of drive to write to.

That is true but if they run a debug which is just like a fdisk, it will actually format the hdd a lot better and will get riad of any viruses that is not removed by a format.

Is that so? Can u give me an example for the virusses name? And please elaborate the above statement..i'm curious..thanks

Magistr overwrites hard drives and erases CMOS and the flashable BIOS
Polymorphic virus's can rewrite firmware on hard drive
ther are other types that will make the head destroy the disc
you can spend hrs researching this stuff and only keeps growing

Can u give me the url point to the articles that support your claim? Thanks...

dude, do a search the info is out there

Okay...so i assumed u never know this stuff...maybe u just heard it from ppl's talking rite? i did search the whole net but i can't seem to find the rite info that's why i'm curious.

i work for a computer company and the Sasser worm is the one that is not fully removed from just a normal format using the XP or 2000 cds, that is why it is best to debug or fdisk the drive, see if it work before thinking that you know everything.

I use System Mechanic and in System Mechanic there is a format tool called Drive Scrubber. It takes a few hours to complete, and I believe it does a good job.

My computer started shutting itself off every 4 or 5 hours, and eventually began shutting itself off every time I tried to load a program. I finally resorted to scrubbing it, then reinstalling windows XP. I got Gomez Peer loaded, then adaware, then it started shutting down again. I just managed to get System Mechanic back in.

I supppose the shutdowns could caused by a bad power supply and I suppose I'll try that next. There is no notice before a shutdown, it just shuts down. Since there are so many of us with this problem I have to wonder why all our power supplys are burning out?

Sandy in Sumter FL

Maybe I’m writing prematurely, but as an experiment I went into msconfig and under general I unchecked process system UNI files and Process Win.ini fles. I then rebooted my computer and even though I have changed programs, pages and all that stuff that used to make it shut down, it has not yet shut down.

As I said, I recently scrubbed my drive with System Mechanic and reloaded windows. So if this is a fix, it seems to imply that either during the Windows reload I apparently skipped a file that the computer needed but could not find on the CD, or that the CD is corrupted.


Sandy again