I've got the reboot, reboot, reboot blues!

Hey, everyone,

Anyone got any suggestions for this one. Have been all excited about having a new Medion MD 8383 PC, I can now finally do some good video capturing. (please find specs at bottom of this post)

Just followed all the directions, that are given in many forums, and video guides, which is to wipe your computer, (total format, and removal of all partitions, using partition magic version 8.0). Fresh install of Win XP. And just install the one program you use for Video Capture. In my case it is Sony Vegas 6 with Boris Graffiti Pro for Titling.

All that out of the way. I now switch on my Medion MD 8383 Desktop. I get the normal dos command flash, then the windows XP Splash, and then, all hell breaks loose.

Just as Windows is about to show the desktop, I get half a second of a blue screen, (blue screen of death), I hear a loud click from the CPU, like someone tapping the bottom of a water boiling kettle with a spoon, then the fan goes up to full throddle, and the reboot starts again from scratch. (pentium 4 Logo keeps popping up)

This just keeps happening and happening, and there is nothing I can do.

I have placed the computer right next to a balcony door which is open most of the time. I thought it may of been heat building up.

I have done a number of system checks, when I boot from the CD ROM, but once I get into windows, just at that particular point again, the system shows a blue screen for half a second, and the system again, just reboots with that clicking sound. I actually noticed the dos system checks freezing up to.

I don't know, but it sounds serious. Is this just a windows problem, because I've wiped the D-Recovery drive, or is it a physical part like the processor, or hard-drives overheating.

I can't imagine it being the D-Recovery, because even with that deleted, I managed to do a fresh install of windows without any problems, and Sony Vegas.

The computer is only one week old, fresh from the factory.

SYSTEM SPECS

Windows XP
Pentium 3.40
Memory 512 Meg Ram
Hard-disk - 1 (one) 248 Gig drive
Pioneer DVR-108
6 USB 2.0 Ports
Medion Video Capture Card

I'm capturing the video with analog cords that have the red, white and yellow tips at the end. These are pluged into the "out-put" of my vcr.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Mark

The sunnier side of Sydney

Australia

 

Open up the case and check your heatsink/fan. Something may be loose or hitting the fan causing the PC to overheat.

 

Yep, I suspected that, i'm vision impaired and wouldn't be able to see what i'm doing, so I have to get my computer "techy" friend to check it out. Thanks.

 

Go into the BIOS configuration settings at startup. There will be a section with temperature readouts. Pentiums don't usually run at high temperatures, so I might think that a temp around 45*C or over may be unusal.

Try removing the video capture card or any other PCI cards and see if Windows will install then. If it does, return the cards, but put them in different PCI slots.

Matt

 

While your techy friend is working on the system and assuming he can get it to boot and load windows for you, there is a setting that determines what the system does after a crash.

The default is to reboot which isn't always such a good idea. If it is changed (removing a check from a box) the system will crash and display a blue screen with some detailed information about the crash. Makes diagnosing things lots easier.

You get to the pictured screens with a right-click on the My Computer icon then a left-click on the Advanced tab.

 

I will just write possibilities only.

I could be just plain wrong or I may be just wild guessing but,

If the machine is a pre-built ( OEM ) machine (this says it is "The computer is only one week old, fresh from the factory. ") that may have been the worst thing you could have done.

This most likely did not help either. Very llikely that was where all the special drivers etc. were.

BillyBob

 

I would be willing to bet that This post And this one will sort of compliment each other.

I read it as saying both computers are the same make.

BillyBob

 

yeah, biilybob, that is a big possibility. After installing windows, I was going to reinstall the drivers from the CD. This was the point were the reboot loop nightmare started.

I thought it was possible to wipe the computer, and install all windows, drivers and etc from the recovery discs.

Spending many hours, going through the operation manual, it says on page 126 that wiping the D:/recovery is not recommended, as it will not be possible to recover my computer.

I guess that's why my computer keeps rebooting. Not very good design on the computer companies behalf. I gotta take the rotten cheese, as I should've read the manual first. Looks like I'll be paying a few hundred dollars for the factory to do a fresh install. Bad luck to all the medion computer owners out there, if you get a virus, and make the same mistake as I do.

Hypothetically speaking: what if I'm cruising the internet, checking my mail, and then get infected with a virus. The virus infects the files in the recovery section. What is the user suppose to do.

Also tried Mattman's suggestion on checking the temp through the bios, but I can't even get to that, as by the time I'm in the bios menu, the thing flicks, and then starts another reboot.



A little bit of constructive criticism for Medium. Next time make a better recovery disc set! Having a partition in the middle of a hard-drive is the worst thing you can do, for a computer that is suppose to be designed for video capture. The video capture program needs as much consistent, uninterrupted disk space as possible.

 

Having a partition in the middle of a hard-drive is the worst thing you can do

I have to respectfully disagree with that. I have three PCs and they have no less that 6 partition ( C:-H: ) each. The C: drive on each has nothing but the OS on it. The D: drive on all have the Windows setup files on it.

But please note that I have always built my own machines. The first one was back in the days of DOS-Win3.1. That machine now has 98SE on it. And only formated before I put 95b on it. It now has 98SE on it.

The H: drive ( on all ) has NOTHING other than Downloaded stuff and is used for backups/storage for various program. ( plus I have backups on CDs ) There are no programs that run from it. When I download things they automaticly ( unless I messup ) go to a TEMP folder on H:. I then move them to another folder. Usually a folder named that refects that program.

The other partitions ( D:- G: ) have different things on them.

I have had some people say that I was going WAY, WAY over board. But by doing it the way I do if lose the C: drive or another drive does go South on me I DO NOT loose everything and I have pretty much everything I need to help get it back in shape.

I had a program on E: that went bad the other day. I THINK I accidently\stupidly\carelessly deleted a file for it. So, H: drive here I come and in 5 minutes or less I was back in full swing with it.

I do understand that. But at the same time where do you keep backups for it ? For instance where do you keep the various created files backed up ? On the same drive is NOT GOOD.

CRDWs are great for backups also. But I find them not to be a dependable as a HD.

BillyBob