Member Avatar for clair42210

I have a acer laptop, which opperating system is vista home. It was running well for a while, but then would not shut down. I brought the laptop of a friend which was brand new when i got it still in it's packaging. I have had t for 6 weeks and it was running well untill a week ago when it would not shut down, i had to push the button to turn it off, but then would not start up goes thro to the windows logo sign then nothing.
I have tried to format and wont let me do it, also tried to go into safe mode still wont allow me to do that.
But i did manage to do a system check and it came back fatal error and has to be closed down, any answers plz. Is it the hard drive?

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Dani AI

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A short diagnostic roadmap for (and anyone else with a Vista-era Acer that will not complete startup and whose onboard check reports a fatal error).

Start safe and protect data. Power-reset the machine (remove AC, remove battery if possible, hold power button 10–15 seconds). Remove all USB devices and cards. If comfortable, reseat the hard drive and RAM — a loose connector can mimic drive failure. If important files exist, avoid factory recovery until files are copied off the disk.

Check hardware visibility and try rescue media. Enter the BIOS/boot menu and confirm the hard drive is detected. If it is, boot from a Windows Vista DVD / System Repair Disc or a Linux Live USB to copy files off the drive. If the drive is not visible in BIOS, the drive or the internal SATA connector may be faulty.

Run non destructive repairs first. From the Windows Recovery Command Prompt run:

chkdsk c: /f /r
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /rebuildbcd

These fix file-system errors and common boot problems. If Startup Repair runs, let it complete, then reboot.

Test the drive and decide next steps. Run the hard drive manufacturer diagnostic (do not run destructive zero-fill tools until files are backed up). If SMART or vendor tests show failure, replace the drive and reinstall the OS. If diagnostics are clean but repairs fail, a corrupt OS install may require reinstalling Vista or restoring the factory image — note that Acer eRecovery (often Alt+F10) will wipe user data, so only use it after backups.

If the laptop is still under warranty, consider contacting Acer for repair. Thread was moved by to the troubleshooting board for broader visibility.

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Member Avatar for jbennet

Hello!

Moved to "troubleshootimg dead machines" board. may get more replies there

Member Avatar for clair42210

Hello!

Moved to "troubleshootimg dead machines" board. may get more replies there

Thanks :0

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