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belle
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Posted -
21/08/2010
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11:23
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Hi all of you experts on here, can anyone help me sort out our main PC and laptop. Since coming back from our hols both are stuck unable to open with the continual "we apologise for the inconveinience..." message. Have tried starting them in "Last known configuration" have tried starting them in Safe mode, have tried pressing F8 and choosing last known configuration from the advanced menu...all the online advice says we need to run a disk.. which i can't find... any advice, please? thanks!
Edited by - belle on 21/08/2010 11:25:16 AM
Life is what you make it
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Tizer
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Posted - 21/08/2010 : 12:37
"both are stuck unable to open with the continual "we apologise for the inconveinience..." message."
Is this a message that Windows generates, Belle? It's so long sice I had Windows that I wouldn't know what message it shows. Do the PCs go through their black screen bit as usual before booting into Windows? Or are the PCs booting up but you are talking about conecting to broadband?
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belle
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Posted - 21/08/2010 : 12:42
Yes it's a windows generated message..connection to broadband seems fine
Life is what you make it |
Tizer
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Posted - 21/08/2010 : 12:50
By "main PC and laptop" are you taking about two separate computers? If two, it's odd if both failed at the same time. Did you do a Windows update just before you went away, or install new software?
Looking on the Web, the consensus seems to be "you need to boot up from your windows installation disk and run the repair option". Presumably that's the disk that's gone missing.
Did you back up all your files before you went away? If not, it would be wise to copy them. I think you can do that in the present situation by using a `Live CD' such as a Knoppix or Ubuntu CD. Pluggy would know what to do and would have such CDs. Good luck with sorting it!
Edited by - Tizer on 21/08/2010 12:59:58
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thomo
Barlick Born Old Salt
2021 Posts
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Posted - 21/08/2010 : 13:54
Hi Belle, which version of windows is it, if its XP try this, restart and as soon as a logo or anything appears press the F11 key, keep it pressed till you hear a clicking sound and then release, this could get you the recovery programme with two options, destructive and non destructive, try the latter first and if it fails to solve the problem then start again with the former but you will lose all saved stuff on your computer. Good Luck, Thomo.
thomo |
Tizer
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Posted - 21/08/2010 : 14:33
Belle, if you don't have files backed up and you need to recover your data from the hard disk here is a web page describing how to do it with an Ubuntu Live C, assuming you have another computer with a working connection to the Internet. You would need have your problem computer set up for booting from a CD. If necessary you can do that by going into the BIOS and changing the setting.
"Use Ubuntu Live CD to Backup Files from Your Dead Windows Compute"
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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 21/08/2010 : 17:05
Belle, before you do anything too aggressive, first switch the computer off and disconnect it at the plug. Give it a minute or two to dicharge any static then open your floppy drive if you have one and look to see if there is a disk left in ot. Do the same for your CD drive as well, you can open it dead by inserting something like a piece of stiff wire through the small hole in the front. Then plug it in and start again as usual, It's quite amazing what this can cure.
If no joy ask your neighbours if there has been any thunder while you were away. If there has you may have had a spike that has caused some damage. The disk it is asking you for is most likely the Windows installation disk which will give you the option to repair an installation. Beyond that I can't say. (Just realised that if it is both computers not likely to be a disk in the drive, were they both left plugged in?)
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
pluggy
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Posted - 22/08/2010 : 09:47
The message "we apologise for the inconvenience" sounds like the Firefox startup panic message. Usually with several tabs left open when it either has lost its internet connection or one of the tabs is pointing at some unavailable content. If two computers are giving the same problem its very likely you've lost the internet connection one way or another. Restarting the router is the first course of action in that case.
If it is a Firefox problem, its highly unlikely any of the Windows recovery suggestions will have any effect . You could try Internet explorer to see what happens.
Need computer work ? "http://www.stsr.co.uk"
Pluggy's Household Monitor |
Tizer
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Posted - 22/08/2010 : 10:59
Belle says above that "both computers are stuck unable to open" which I take to mean they won't boot into Windows. If she was in Windows and getting the Firefox message then she would have access to other applications such as the file manager and word processor presumably. (I think the Firefox message is typically more informal than Microsoft's warnings - it's begins something like "Oh dear, how embarrassing....".)
I put the phrase "we apologise for the inconvenience" into google with `windows' and got lots of results for the phrase appearing when windows fails to load.
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Bradders
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Posted - 22/08/2010 : 11:24
Belle, there is a function in windows called "System Restore"...It allows you to re-set the computer to it's status on a given prior date (it's called a "System restore point ")....you usually get a choice of dates .....You can sometimes access this by searching in the "Help and Support "section of your START menu (which you can probably see if start in "Safe" mode) ..
It's a bit like "Last known configuration" but better, as you get to choose the date....
Edited by - Bradders on 22/08/2010 11:26:18 AM
BRADDERS BLUESINGER |
Big Kev
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Posted - 22/08/2010 : 13:36
I'm with Pluggy on this one. I presume you are using Firefox.
Big Kev
It doesn't matter who you vote for, you always end up with the government. |
belle
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Posted - 22/08/2010 : 18:02
No, not firefox..i should perhaps explain that the lap top went down some time before the main PC it was ony when our oungest saw the message on the main PC she identified it as being the same one, so i knew then that it was the same prob on both. i am all too familiar with system restore.. an old and well used friend, but I can't get into windows to do anything like that. So far i have tried using the third suggestion from the first answer when you type " we apologise..etc" into google as it comes up with several ways to sort it. I chose the third option pressing F8 then choosing the last configuration choice, as it did not require a disc. I am using this lap top on our router so I don't see that's where the prob is. guess it's the disc i need. we know someone who is good at fixing PCs but haven't got the dosh for it at the mo.
Life is what you make it |
marilyn
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Posted - 23/08/2010 : 02:56
Try throwing the laptop at the other computer. Maybe it will free something that is stuck. Have you tried pressing Control, Alt and Delete all at the same time?
get your people to phone my people and we will do lunch...MAZ |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 23/08/2010 : 05:18
Alternatively you could download Ubuntu on the laptop, burn it to a disk and get adventurous. You would never regret it, plenty of help on the site.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 23/08/2010 : 05:19
PS, it is free! as are the programmes that go with it.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 28/08/2010 : 08:37
Belle, did you find a solution?
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |