Need advice!

[Dude]

My laptop is broken. It starts, but will only boot Windows in Safe Mode. It's Windows Vista. I've tried System Restore, no change.

I'm wondering what this might be. I'm debating between full System Recovery or taking it to the Geek Squad.

Anybody have any advice? Could it be the hard drive, even getting to Safe Mode?

Thanks for anything.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Let's start with the basics:

Did you install anything new in the last few days?
Or visited any new strange websites?
When was the last time you ran an anti-virus scan? Spyware scan? (Beware that any spyware will live on in System Restore.)

 

[Dude]

Let's start with the basics:

Did you install anything new in the last few days?

No.

Or visited any new strange websites?

I haven't. My daughter and wife use the computer more than I do, possible they ran up on something. But they are usually pretty low key with those things.

When was the last time you ran an anti-virus scan? Spyware scan? (Beware that any spyware will live on in System Restore.)

It's set to run once a day. I have Windows Live OneCare and my main PC OneCare says that it last "had contact" with the laptop last Monday evening. The OneCare won't start in SafeMode, so I suspect it hasn't been running.

Thanks for the help, btw.

 

[Dude]

FYI, my diagnostic tests at startup are 100% for the hard disk and memory. I'm guessing a boot virus? Anyway to test for that or take it out without doing a complete System Recovery? My Antivirus program won't run in Safe Mode.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I can't help you, but you might also want to Post this in Science and Tech; that's where the Geekiest of the Computer Geeks hang out.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Doesn't sound like a hardware problem to me.