dragonlady
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Registered: 04-2003
Location: England
Posts: 111
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Computer problems
I've no idea what happened but Microsoft Word has stopped working on my laptop. This is annoying because that's the program I have everything on.
Not sure if it's that the computer is getting old (I got it summer 2002) or something I've done. Though I don't think I've done anything unusual to it.
It was making funny noises and refusing to open Word yesterday. Today it took half an hour to startup because it was scanning itself. There were a lot of bad clusters. Not sure exactly what those are but they sound (unsurprisingly) bad. My fiance said it might be fixing things or it might be breaking things. Obviously the internet works, but I think other stuff has gone.
Ah well sorting it out will give him something to do on Wednesday when we're waiting for his comics. I'm resorting to pen and paper at the moment. It's messier but works well in a different way to the computer.
---
"Why sometimes I've believed as many as 6 impossible things before breakfast" -- Red Queen, Lewis Carrol
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5/19/2008, 8:37 pm
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BaneBlade
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Re: Computer problems
A year or two ago Firle convinced me to switch to Open Office, as I was lamenting the fact that new computers don't come with Word, but with Works. While Works is fine for most simple typing tasks, it is severely limited in the file format's that it will open, save and convert to. So many publishers want manuscripts in different formats that this was really trying my patience. I don 't know why I hadn't tried it up to that point as I was already using a lot of open-source/freeware/shareware programs(and have been since the days when I was sitting in front of an IBM PCjr, programming in cursed BASIC, and saving to floppies that really were floppy or worse to cassette tapes.)
I made the switch and have never looked back.
If you still have to use Word for work that's understandable, and I hope you get your problems sorted out. If not I recommend you give OO a try.
http://www.openoffice.org/
Several MA members use it.
---
...waiting patiently for a few submissions to come back.
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5/19/2008, 11:20 pm
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Firlefanz
Lady of the Land
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Registered: 05-2003
Location: Germany
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Re: Computer problems
The scanning process probably was something called "Defragmentation". See, when a computer saves a file to the disk, it leaves a bit of space after a file that's already there, before writing the next one. However, if you pull up an old file, it may end up being split and written in two or more places.
The computer keeps track of where which file is in the boot sector. That's like an inventory of files. In the long run, however, many, many files end up being split up, and that makes a computer run more and more slowly, because it has to scan the whole disk for a file that's scattered all over it.
Defragmentation is a process where pieces of files are being copied to free areas of the disk, so they can be reunited with the other pieces of the same file. The computer does housecleaning, so to say. It's useful to run this defagmentation program every half a year or so.
Bad clusters are pieces of files that the computer can no longer access. That's pretty bad news, to be honest. It's possible your hard drive is so full that the computer can no longer find all pieces of all files.
I wish your fiance best of luck in getting everything back to working order. Just as BaneBlade says, if MS Word cannot be restored, you can easily switch to Open Office. It needs a lot less room on the hard drive, and does all a writer needs (basically everything that Word does, too).
*squeezes thumbs*
--- - Firlefanz
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5/20/2008, 5:44 am
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QS2
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Re: Computer problems
I think I should clarify, the scanning process that found bad clusters in the startup was not defragmentation, but a program searching for potential errors in your computer files. Usually such a program runs in windows, if windows couldn't close properly. Finding bad clusters is bad news, because it means there were errors in some files (And so have nothing to do with fragmentation), if you are lucky they are recoverable, if you are not, well then they aren't. Which can at times lead to for instance programs not working, or not being able to open something anymore.
As a note of warning, if you keep getting bad clusters over time, it might mean that your harddrive is failing. So hopefully this is just some temporary errors.
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5/20/2008, 7:48 am
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Reythia
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Re: Computer problems
quote:
QS2 wrote:
As a note of warning, if you keep getting bad clusters over time, it might mean that your harddrive is failing. So hopefully this is just some temporary errors.
I second this.
Dragonlady, whatever you do, make SURE you go and back up your entire hard drive RIGHT NOW.
---  -- YAR! |
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5/20/2008, 4:22 pm
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dragonlady
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Registered: 04-2003
Location: England
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Re: Computer problems
Thanks everyone!
I'm sure my fiance already knows about this stuff, he's the computer expert, but it's nice to hear it explained by other people. He has already said we may have to reinstall Word and possibly Windows.
It normally runs scan disc before start up when Windows hasn't closed down properly. Being a laptop with a faulty battery this can happen when the cable gets tugged. Although it does freeze up sometimes too. But as I said this was half an hour which is unusually long.
As I was looking at the bad cluster messages the only recognisable files were uni work and some music files. All are unessential/replaceable. However there were quite a few Windows files which is bad news.
I'm pretty good at regularly backing up current work (especially writing) on an external drive. There may be a few small files that need to be saved. I'll put everything on my USB stick again now.
---
"Why sometimes I've believed as many as 6 impossible things before breakfast" -- Red Queen, Lewis Carrol
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5/20/2008, 8:14 pm
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thepinksuicidallemming
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Registered: 12-2005
Location: Australia
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Re: Computer problems
Confronted with this problem I would back up anything I deemed important to at least two of: email account, USB drive, and CD. Don't forget things to backup, for example if you're a gamer don't forget save files, if you've got photos back them up, you should know the drill.
I would then find my OS CDs and format and reinstall Windows.
If you're going to format and reinstall Windows I would also recommending looking into partitioning your drive before hand. What this does is essentially make your computer treat different parts of your hard-drive as separate drives. For example my hard-drive is partitioned to a 5 gigabyte C drive where my Windows install resides (I am also including system important software like the software that came with my printer scanner etc...), and a 55 gigabyte D drive where everything else is installed or saved. This way when I need to reinstall Windows I only need to format the C drive and reinstall Windows (and manually delete installed programs from D drive), and everything is still on my computer. This saves a lot of hassle if the problem is merely with your Windows install, and not some physical flaw with your hard drive.
---
Sentio aliquos togatos contra me conspirare.
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5/20/2008, 11:59 pm
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dragonlady
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Re: Computer problems
Thanks for the advice pink lemming.
When I bought it there was a partition on the hard drive, I think because it was a display model in the shop. I didn't realise for a while and it caused a slight problem when a friend of my father was trying to clear the computer of spyware.
I wouldn't be too surprised if it was a hard drive problem. The computer's pretty old and has developed other quirks. Though obviously I hope that it's fixable.
At the moment it seems to be Office programs that I can't access. I probably should install OO, we have free copies at work. I'm just so used to Word and kinda lazy.
---
"Why sometimes I've believed as many as 6 impossible things before breakfast" -- Red Queen, Lewis Carrol
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5/21/2008, 5:52 pm
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Firlefanz
Lady of the Land
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Registered: 05-2003
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Re: Computer problems
Most commands in OO are just as they are in Word, even the buttons are similar. I'd expect you to make the shift easily.
Best of luck! Hopefully, a new hard drive will solve all problems.
--- - Firlefanz
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5/21/2008, 7:42 pm
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dragonlady
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Re: Computer problems
Just an update.
The internet still works fine, I don't think that ever had problem.
My fiance tried to repair my Office programs with his disc. This didn't seem to go very well so he decided to uninstall and reinstall from his disc. However it's an old and not very good disc. It took hours and hours finding files. I had to stay with the computer and tell it to retry every few times.
He then opened up file sharing between our computers and tried to patch the problematic files. But this seemed to be difficult and not quick and it was the evening and we were hungry so he gave up.
I'm thinking I might try and find the Open Office CD or possibly see if there are any copies at work stiil.
---
"Why sometimes I've believed as many as 6 impossible things before breakfast" -- Red Queen, Lewis Carrol
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5/27/2008, 8:15 pm
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BaneBlade
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Re: Computer problems
quote:
dragonlady wrote:
I'm thinking I might try and find the Open Office CD or possibly see if there are any copies at work stiil.
There is a free download available at the link I gave above. I don't recall it taking a long time.
Good luck!
---
...waiting patiently for a few submissions to come back.
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5/27/2008, 9:01 pm
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tryingtowrite
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Registered: 03-2007
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Re: Computer problems
What a mess! Hope you can get it fixed soon.
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I'm not just staring out the window...I'm working!
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5/27/2008, 11:07 pm
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thepinksuicidallemming
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Registered: 12-2005
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Re: Computer problems
quote:
BaneBlade wrote:
I don't recall it taking a long time.
The file is 130mb, so worst case scenario is dial-up which would take approximately 7 hours by my reckoning.
---
Sentio aliquos togatos contra me conspirare.
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5/28/2008, 12:28 am
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