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RogerPotie
3 Posts
0
9246
August 10th, 2003 09:00
Cannot start the PC
I think I have a hardware problem.
When I start the PC (a new Dell 8300 two weeks old) I receive the following message:
Windows - Delayed write failed
-----------------------------------------------
Windows was unable to save all the data for the file c:\Program Files\Norton Antivirus\AVVirus.log
The data has been lost. This error may be caused bu a failure or your hardware or network connection. Please try to save this file elswhere.
The message reappears for very long time with different file names in place of the Norton Antivirus such as c:\$Mft or c:\Windows\System 32 and many others
No way to go further than the XP Welcome Page.
The Turn off computer Icon appears at the bottom left of the screen. It can or cannot be activated after clicking it. The symptoms differ at each start of the PC.
Often but not every time the PC is checked at start up like after a no scheduled shut down.
The first time this happened is after some changes I wanted to do to the system performance.
This is what I EXACTLY did before the first failure (I noted it down just in case something like this happens):
10/8/2003 Control panel, System, Advance: Performance settings, Visual Effects: uncheck Let Windows Choose What..., then check Adjust For Best Performance then click the Advanced tab go to memory usage and check System Cache
BTW this PC from which I write also has the system cache checked but not Adjust for best performance.
So without ruling out I made an error in the performance settings I really believe that there is a hardware problem. It is just the coincidence of the problem and performance settings that makes me doubt.
I am sending this same message to the DELL technical support but did anyone have the same or very sililar problem?
Roger- From the micorosoft knowledge base:
CAUSE: This issue may be caused if any of the following conditions exist:
The "Enable write caching on the disk" feature for your disk is turned on"
From your post I cannot tell if you enabled write caching on your disk or not but the information you provided indicates you enabled it.
You can find the instructions to change it (it that is truly the problem) here.
RogerPotie
3 Posts
304
0
Posted August 10th, 2003 13:00
Ralph,
I think I sent my reply to the wrong person. SO I post again my reply but this time to you.
Roger
Ralph,
I checked the doc you pointed to me.
I just have one problem: I cannot logon to the PC. I cannot go further than the XP greeting page. Therefore I cannot access any Desktop Icon or other XP setting.
I took my chances and made the same modification on my old PC as I did on the new one and EVERYTHING works perfectly. And I am sure of what I did as I document immediately whatever change I did and in which order.
I can probably still can reach the BIOS settings but I am not touching those things nor do I change any Registry without proper guidance. And I did not touch the registry except maybe through the SYSTEM panel in the Control Panel as stated in my initial message.
Thank you for your suggestion. I already sent a message to the technical support and I will call DELL first thing Monday morning.
RogerPotie
3 Posts
304
0
Posted August 10th, 2003 13:00
Ralph,
I checked the doc you pointed to me.
I just have one problem: I cannot logon to the PC. I cannot go further than the XP greeting page. Therefore I cannot access any Desktop Icon or other XP setting.
I took my chances and made the same modification on my old PC as I did on the new one and EVERYTHING works perfectly. And I am sure of what I did as I document immediately whatever change I did and in which order.
I can probably still can reach the BIOS settings but I am not touching those things nor do I change any Registry without proper guidance. And I did not touch the registry except maybe through the SYSTEM panel in the Control Panel as stated in my initial message.
Thank you for your suggestion. I already sent a message to the technical support and I will call DELL first thing Monday morning.
cyber_surfer
551 Posts
304
0
Posted August 10th, 2003 12:00
creating a checkpoint before any procedure that has the potential to mess up your registry,etc is always a good idea.
Many applications themselves create checkpoints before an install takes place. Microsoft creates checkpoints before many updates are installed on your machine.
You may have a checkpoint that you can restore at this point that will clear up your current problem.
If your restore fails to work try doing it again in safe mode. Or if windows won't start, safe mode would be required.
best of luck with your problem.