Ok, here's the deal. My husbands laptop (Acer Aspire 3000) is messed up. When you boot it up, it goes to a blue screen where it says:

"Checking file system on C:
The type of the file system is FAT32.

One of your disks needs to be checked for consistency. You may cancel the disk... bla bla bla."

I'm sure you know the rest. Anyhoo, it just sits there. Sometimes it will go from 0% done, to 47% done. Sometimes it will act like it's verifying files. But it has been doing this for DAYS!!! This evening I tried to wipe the C drive and start over again with a clean slate. I follow the directions and insert the CD's that it asks for. Then it says it is done and will reboot and load the files it needs.

Once it reboots, it goes right back to that blue screen again.

What am I doing wrong??? Can anyone help me before it becomes a very expensive doorstop?

:helpme:

First off when you tried to reload XP via the CD were you given an option for a File System type?

XP should be using NTFS and not FAT32.

Can you start the machine in Safe Mode?

To do this restart and tap the F8 key repeatedly between the computer logo screen and prior to Windows trying to start.

Just to mention in a worse case scenario this indicates that the hard drive may need to be replaced but not the entire computer.

Just tried booting up in safe mode. I get a black screen with:

mulit(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)/WINDOWS/system32/DRIVERS/WMILIB.SYS
mulit(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)/WINDOWS/system32/DRIVERS/pci.sys

etc... etc... etc.... all down the screen. And it sits there.

:roll:

Safe Mode loads like that. It usually take 2 or 3 minutes to come up.

Anyway the next step would be to try and reinstall.

I am not familiar with the Acer options but you should be going for a Clean Install or Factory Reset. All data will be lost.

During the process if you have the option to choose a File System choose NTFS.

This process should take like 45 minutes if done properly.

Yeah! That's what I want! A total factory reset. My darling hubby (sarcasm inserted there) has resigned himself to losing everything.

"I follow the directions and insert the CD's that it asks for. Then it says it is done and will reboot and load the files it needs. "

Where are you getting these directions?

Are you offered various options when you boot that CD?

Did the CD ever boot?

Is your BIOS set to boot the CD prior to the HDD?

"Where are you getting these directions?"

From the screen when I was using the System Cd.

Heres what happens with that:

-I boot the computer w/ the cd in it.
-load... load... load...
-Then it will load up the Recovery screen, have me pick a language, and give two options: "Hard Disk Fully Recovered" or "Exit"

I just follow the directions it gives me then and insert the other recovery cds that it needs.

I just want to wipe the whole darn thing and have it done with. This is soo irritating.

Acer has a very limited support site. They do not list an Aspire model above 2000 nor do they have reinstall guides.

http://www.acersupport.com/notebook/

If you are following all the CD steps and continue to get errors I'd suggest contacting Acer:

They have an e-mail service here:

http://www.acersupport.com/html/new_email.cfm

This is a process that is particular to Acer so unfortunately I have little else to suggest. The fact that they are using a FAT32 file system for XP is really absurd. Beyond that the error could be a faulty hard drive. Hard to tell from a distance.