My computer takes 20 minutes to boot up and also has a black screen

Hi everyone, I own a Dell Dimension 9200 and recently every time I start my computer or reboot it, it takes 20 minutes to get to the desktop and also has a black screen. This problem has only happened recently and I am not sure what is causing it and so any tips would be gratefully received. Other strange things include all my System Restore points have disappeared and so I cannot return the computer`s operating system to an earlier date when it was working properly. And when I did a test on the hard drive one of the internal hard drives had a result of "Fail - Return Code 7". I am not sure if this has been caused by a virus or is a result of mechanical failure within the hard drive itself. Many thanks,.

Gordonuk

That error message indicates the hard drive has failed and you need to replace it ASAP.

You do not say, if the failed HD is the primary C :/, or the secondary drive, or is part of an array [[RAID].

Bev.

Hi Bev,

I believe there are two 300 GB hard drives and one appears to be okay as it passed the test and the other one is the one which has failed the test and has the error code Fail - Return Code 7.

Would having this issue with one of the hard drives cause start up problems? And would it cause the black screen? And would it also effect how long the computer takes to reach the desktop which is about 20 minutes?

I read somewhere else on the internet that a virus can cause this error code "Return Code 7". Are you saying categorically that this error code only occurs because the hard drive itself is failing and not because of any type of virus?

Many thanks.

Gordonuk

Please answer "You do not say, if the failed HD is the primary C :/, or the secondary drive, or is part of an array [[RAID]".

It's not a virus, the drive has failed and needs to be replaced.   Yes, a failed/failing hard drive can cause all those issues, especially if it's the primary [boot] C: / drive or is part of an array.

Bev.

Hi Bev,

I do not know if the HD is the primary C drive or the secondary drive or is part of an array (RAID). I am a newbie as far as computers are concerned and all I can give you is the details I have which are that this Dell Dimension 9200 computer appears to have two internal hard drives of 300 GB each. One appears to be failing/failed and the other one seems to functioning properly.

Is there a way I can check the information you are requesting? Could you give me step-by-step instructions?

Is there anyway I can configure the computer to boot from the good drive? I would assume that would sort out all the start up problems and the black screen I am currently having? Or is this a difficult thing to do?

Many thanks.

Gordonuk

Diagnostics usually give the serial number of the hard drive that has issues.

You could download the free utility 'Speccy' from here:

https://www.piriform.com/speccy

You can also, open the case and physically check the HD's for the serial numbers

It should give you the hard drives serial numbers, plus the drive letters, together with other useful info.

C: / is the drive letter of the primary [Boot] HD, the secondary HD can have various drive letters.

Bev.

Hi Bev,

Sorry for the late reply the computer problems meant that I have been offline for a few months.

I ran the Speccy software it read: "Raid Type - None" so I do not think my two hard drives are a part of a RAID system. It also states the SATA type is Unknown.

Storage
Hard drives
ARRAY
Heads 0
Cylinders 77,826
Tracks 19,845,630
Sectors 1,250,274,690
SATA type Unknown
Device type Fixed
Firmware Version Number ÀCã܄ìã‘
Interface SATA
Capacity 596 GB
Real size 640,140,967,936 bytes
RAID Type None
S.M.A.R.T
S.M.A.R.T not supported
Partition 0
Partition ID Disk #0, Partition #0
Size 78.4 MB
Partition 1
Partition ID Disk #0, Partition #1
Disk Letter D:
File System NTFS
Volume Serial Number 6C1C8521
Size 10 GB
Used Space 4.84 GB (48%)
Free Space 5.16 GB (52%)

Partition 2
Partition ID Disk #0, Partition #2
Disk Letter C:
File System NTFS
Volume Serial Number D21F0099
Size 582 GB
Used Space 301 GB (51%)
Free Space 280 GB (49%)

What I would like to know is it possible to remove the faulty internal hard drive and then re-install the operating system on the good hard drive? And how easy is this to do?

Many thanks.

Gordonuk

Please post the version of windows you are using in the Dimension 9200.

Bev.

Hi Bev,

I am using Windows Vista 32 Bit.

Many thanks,

Gordon.

Gordonuk

If you are certain that you have two 300gb HD's installed and there is 582gb showing, and not two separate 300gb HD's, then it is possible that you have a RAID 0 array, where two HD's are shown as one, with double the capacity of both installed HD.

Yes, you can remove the HD with issues and use the other HD as the primary, but make certain it is connected to the motherboard SATA0 connector.

You will need to perform a clean reinstall of Vista.

First, disconnect all the peripherals from the system, except the keyboard, mouse and monitor.

You can use the Dell's Guide for a Manual Reinstallation of Vista Here:

http://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/19/SLN130023

And maybe the interactive guide can help Here:

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_install_03.asp

While installing, remember to delete all existing partitions when you are prompted, then recreate the partitions and format the hard drive, following by installing Vista.

After installing Vista, you need to install the drivers and applications in the correct order, see Dell's guide for this

A hint: After installing each driver, restart the system.

Followed by installing the Anti Virus utility, updating the definitions, then all the critical Microsoft updates.

Bev.

Thanks so much for this Bev,

You are a real life saver! I have had this problem for months and fixing something like this completely out of my comfort zone.

The reason why I think that I have two separate hard drives is because when the computer boots up it lists two hard drives each with their own unique serial number and of course one is listed as having an error while one is listed as being ok.

Is it a simple question of unplugging the faulty hard drive from the motherboard to remove it? Or is it more complicated than that?

Many thanks.

Gordon.

Gordonuk

Regards to:

"Is it a simple question of unplugging the faulty hard drive from the motherboard to remove it? Or is it more complicated than that?"

Yes, disconnect both the data and power cables from the failed HD and remove it from the chassis.

Maybe you have a friend with some computer knowledge that can help, as you say, this is outside your comfort zone.

Bev.

I own a Dell Dimension 9200 and recently every time I start my computer or reboot it, it takes 20 minutes to get to the desktop and also has a black screen. This problem has only happened recently and I am not sure what is causing it and so any tips would be gratefully received.

Vista (and later versions of Windows) have this problem because they are much more sensitive to hardware problems than XP was.

Fortunately, new hard drives are relatively cheap, and you can buy a single 1tb to replace both your old drives. I suggest this Western Digital Blue ($53 with free shipping).

Thanks again Bev,

I am feeling particularly brave this week so I think I will try and do it myself when I have some free time as it sounds simple enough. Hopefully it will all go to plan and it will resolve my computer issues once and for all.

Thanks Rdunnill,

My computer appears to have two internal hard drives so I just intend to remove the faulty one and reformat the one that is still working properly. If I have to buy one in the future then the Western Digital Blue sounds like an excellent choice.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.