Anyway so I was on my computer and I got an error message saying that some file had become corrupted and i needed to run chkdsk or chkdisk or whatever it is. It seemed a little odd to me so I decided to download/run malwarebytes just to be sure. I had some sort of incomplete install so I went about fixing it with some malwarebytes remover thing that was on their site. I ran it and it said I absolutely had to restart. I did and it failed to turn back on. I tried stating again and nothing. One more time and it worked but said it wanted to check C: . So I am letting it. It is verifying indexes right now and it says ..

CHKDSK is verifying indexes (stage 2 of 3)...
Deleted invalid filename STYL(somecharactericanttype)S~1.swf (112476) in directory 81188.Correcting minor file name errors in file 112476.
Deleted invalid filename 93A6(canttypecharacter)m01 (257463) in directory 255531. File (number) has been orphaned since all its filneames were invalid.

Yeah I'm not able to type all of it.

Should I be worried about something?

chkdsk should fix the problem. If that doesn't, boot up from a windows installation disc and have it fix your problem.

Btw computer started up. Still question remains. Is there something I should worry about?

Not anymore =D

Topic unlocked.

Now then, the problems have returned. First I had the exact same thing happen a second time, except the file was "nv4_disp" and it had said something about like video drivers (or something lol) going in an infinite loop. Then I restarted like 5 times and it worked again.

This time i got a BSOD saying something about the file "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL" messing up, and when I restarted my computer went to the whole shebang with Start Windows Normally, Safe mode, Safe mode with command prompt, Last known good configuration, etc.

It wont go past that when I select one, it just turns off and does it again. What do I do?

Edit: I restarted it a few times and it went to the CHKDSK thing checking my disks for consistency. What is causing these problems?

It doesn't help your situation, but it sure as hell is the problem.

Edit: Go to sevenforums.com Post the 'minidump' file that is created whenever a BSoD episode occurs. They will analyse it and tell you what's derped in the derp derp.

Edit 2: Unplug non-essential components one at a time from your computor. Until it lets you boot up properly.

Edit 3: Press F8 (dependent on motherboard) at startup to enter the Bios and attempt a system recovery.

Edit 4: Boot your compooter with the windows disk in it and attempt windows recovery.

Edit 5: Moar internets?

Assuming you are using Windows: Windows is known for having an expiration date. You may need to reinstall your system.

Also, did you try booting in Linux to see if everything works fine?

CHKDSK was successful and my computer turned on, but there has to be something at the root of these problems? Should I still follow what you said? Does it help if my firefox constantly crashes on the computer since this started happening (testing if it still is brb)

1) Scan for malware.

2) If you can't access the system, or if the first step didn't solve the problem, use windows repair console and see if it can fix the problem automatically. You can also do this via a windows installation disc as well.

3) Should the above fail, install a fresh copy of windows over your old installation. Make sure you have your key, it should be on your machine somewhere.

4) If that fails, try dumping all of the files you need into a flash drive using windows command prompt through a windows installation disc. Then reformat the whole drive and reinstall windows fresh.

5) If you continue to get errors, either your windows installation disc was corrupt or you have hardware problems.

What should I use to scan for malware? Malware bytes?

http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_pro

You don't have to pay for it. Just click download and get the free version.

Thanks, already got it set up. Been scanning for awhile, doing full scan. The last time I did a scan (after the last crash I listed in this topic) the only thing I got was crackers and keygens for various .. erm.. games

Did CHKDSK find new problems? (If not skip the rest of this paragraph) How old is your hard drive? Does it have bad sectors? Any S.M.A.R.T. warnings? Hard drive diagnostic tools can answer these questions.

If any of the above answers with yes then likely your hard drive is failing. In this case it is recommended to make backups and replace the hdd ASAP.

How do I find/use hard drive diagnostic tools?

Also computer is like 2-3 years old.

Type "[brand of the hdd] diagnostic tool" into a google search field. (e.g. "Samsung diagnostic tool") The hdd brand is listed in the device manager. And before you ask how to open that: Google "how do i open device manager", first hit.

Don't worry about the usage. Just run the tests it offers and post the results if you think something looks fishy (or gibberish).

Unless you're very unlucky or have bad heat management the hdds shouldn't fail after 2-3 years.

I still have HDDs from 10 years ago working fine, and I haven't exactly treated them well. I do doubt it's a HDD problem. Probably a Windows problem... But erratic errors suggest hardware.

HDDs can fail a lot more easily than you'd expect. Many of them are susceptible to the "infant mortality syndrome" of crapping out within the first month of purchase, even ones from reliable manufacturers.

A complete wipe then re installation of your OS usually fixes these strange problems that usually nobody has really heard of. Honestly I would suggest that first, but if you dont want to back up everything, find enough space on your drive, create a good sized partition (Probably 20gb for XP and 40gb for Vista or 7), and duel boot.

Takes two seconds to do really, since Windows is becoming so much more user friendly

Quote from NudeRaider

Type "[brand of the hdd] diagnostic tool" into a google search field. (e.g. "Samsung diagnostic tool") The hdd brand is listed in the device manager. And before you ask how to open that: Google "how do i open device manager", first hit.

Ah you almost got me.

How do I know what brand my HDD is?

Quote from TiKels

How do I know what brand my HDD is?

Quote from NudeRaider

The hdd brand is listed in the device manager