Laptop question

[geneseib]

I have a Dell Latitude D600. I have found three locations where it will not boot up. When windows starts, it goes to blue screen and starts over. Two of these locations are in airport terminals. The third was a hotel. In that case I took the computer a few blocks away where it booted up fine. Took it back to the hotel, went up the elevator, and started down the hallway to my room and it crashed. Anyone ever experience this? Any ideas? Strong RF field? Radar?

 

[Cap'n Jack]

I tend to think loose connection someplace- memory or hard drive rather than electric fields. This problem can be a real pain to track down and can act like other issues.

Others with more knowledge will be along shortly...

 

[Areeda]

Gene,

I would first suspect a corrupted wireless network driver. The places you mentioned are likely to have public WiFi.

Try going to the device manage and uninstall it, it should reinstall itself.

Joe

 

[geneseib]

I tend to think loose connection someplace- memory or hard drive rather than electric fields. This problem can be a real pain to track down and can act like other issues.

Others with more knowledge will be along shortly...

Thanks. It really seems location specific. Has only happened in those three locations. Returned to one location a year later and had same results.

 

[geneseib]

I tend to think loose connection someplace- memory or hard drive rather than electric fields. This problem can be a real pain to track down and can act like other issues.

Others with more knowledge will be along shortly...

Gene,

I would first suspect a corrupted wireless network driver. The places you mentioned are likely to have public WiFi.

Try going to the device manage and uninstall it, it should reinstall itself.

Joe

Even if windows never gets loaded?

 

[RJM62]

Even if windows never gets loaded?

Yes, it's possible. If you're getting a blue screen, then Windows has started loading. The drivers start loading well before you get to the Windows GUI.

If a driver is corrupt, it could cause a BSOD before explorer loads.

-Rich

 

[Areeda]

Even if windows never gets loaded?

Well booting Windows is a process, loading multiple pieces of software and ending with the user interface being active.

My theory is that when the wireless driver tries to connect to a WiFi network it crashes. If you're in the presence of a WiFi when you boot it could happen before booting completes. The idea that taking the computer away from a hotel booting and carrying it back in causes it to crash is the best evidence I have.

I am guessing from afar. Also worth mentioning that when you "uninstall" a driver from the device manager it is not deleted from the computer, it's just not in the "devices to be activated" list.

Joe

 

[RJM62]

This might be a case where msconfig comes in handy. If the previous advice yields no joy, then you can use Selective Startup to disable suspect processes and services, and start re-enabling them until you reproduce the problem.

-Rich

 

[cfiiguy]

might just try turning off the wireless b/4 you go back to a known "crash" site so it doesn't try to connect.

 

[silver-eagle]

Well booting Windows is a process, loading multiple pieces of software and ending with the user interface being active.

My theory is that when the wireless driver tries to connect to a WiFi network it crashes. If you're in the presence of a WiFi when you boot it could happen before booting completes. The idea that taking the computer away from a hotel booting and carrying it back in causes it to crash is the best evidence I have.

I am guessing from afar. Also worth mentioning that when you "uninstall" a driver from the device manager it is not deleted from the computer, it's just not in the "devices to be activated" list.

Joe

This happens on my company notebook IN THE OFFICE when some chucklehead turns on he wireless router (a banded piece of equipment but doesn't seem to stop him). To get my PC back, I have to disable the wireless (negative affect at home since I can't seem to remember to enable it again).
It would be nice if windows "cleaned up" after itself or gave you that option.