I'm having a meltdown because of my computer

[L_Holmes]

It won't start. I can't get to the setup menu or the Startup menu by pressing the keys because Linux is installed as a dual boot and keeps taking me directly to the Linux boot loader. But the boot loader is frozen, it won't let me choose an option to start and won't start by itself. Even bootable disks and USBs won't start because stupid freaking Linux thinks it has priority over everything and no matter what I do it always goes to that stupid frozen load menu. I hate it so much, it's totally broken now, and I don't even know what the heck caused this. I AM SOOOOOOO FRUSTRATED

 

[Kari Suttle]

Sorry to hear it. Wish i could help. =( Surely someone on here is a techy computer geek and can help you out. I lost count of all the times my laptop has thrown me into a meltdown. I usually end up hitting it either with my fists or whatever i have on hand that won't outright break it. Its not a pretty sight.

 

[L_Holmes]

Sorry to hear it. Wish i could help. =( Surely someone on here is a techy computer geek and can help you out. I lost count of all the times my laptop has thrown me into a meltdown. I usually end up hitting it either with my fists or whatever i have on hand that won't outright break it. Its not a pretty sight.

I almost threw it at the wall. And I was banging on the keyboard. And my throat hurts from screaming at nothing for the last thirty minutes

 

[DarkAscent]

I'd lost count of the amount of meltdowns that I had in my GCSE IT (computing) class by the time I finished the course. Come to the end of the GCSE, my love for working with computers had fizzled out.

Have you tried contacting a computer store for advice or searched online for solutions for the problems? I don't know what else to say since I've never worked with Linux before.

Perhaps you could also come back to it once you've calmed down? My advice to you is that you could distract yourself with something that you enjoy and eventually calm down and come out of the meltdown. This usually works for me.

 

[L_Holmes]

I'd lost count of the amount of meltdowns that I had in my GCSE IT (computing) class by the time I finished the course. Come to the end of the GCSE, my love for working with computers had fizzled out.

Have you tried contacting a computer store for advice or searched online for solutions for the problems? I don't know what else to say since I've never worked with Linux before.

Perhaps you could also come back to it once you've calmed down? My advice to you is that you could distract yourself with something that you enjoy and eventually calm down and come out of the meltdown. This usually works for me.

I decided to watch a movie, I feel ok now. I still have no way of fixing it though, so I will probably have to take it somewhere and pay to get it fixed The way I fixed it before is by going into the boot menu and booting to a recovery drive, but now it won't let me. I don't really have the resources or knowledge to fix it if I can't even access that.

 

[Spinning Compass]

I have a magnet on my cubicle at work that says, "Windows is not able to find the file. Would you like some wine instead? Yes (circled)/No." That says it all.

When in doubt, pour a glass of wine and watch a movie. I can't tell you how many times I've sworn at my computer and I'm afraid it is having issues yet again.

 

[DogwoodTree]

Can you get to BIOS at all? Requires hitting a particular function key, which varies by computer model (Google it), right after you turn it on. In BIOS you can tell the computer where to boot from.

 

[Judge]

Have you considered removing and reinstalling the CMOS battery to force the BIOS (and boot order) to reset to default?

Then trying to re-access the BIOS so you can amend the boot order...unless it's something like a corrupt master boot record.

 

[L_Holmes]

Can you get to BIOS at all? Requires hitting a particular function key, which varies by computer model (Google it), right after you turn it on. In BIOS you can tell the computer where to boot from.

I can't. Linux is on my external hard drive, so if it isn't plugged in it can't find the boot partition and takes me to a grub command line (also frozen). And it always goes directly to that screen, or the grub boot loader if it's plugged in, but it's always frozen. I know which keys should take me to BIOS but they will not work. I tried holding Fn too just in case they were not in special function mode, but that wasn't it. It just does not respond.

Judge, I don't know if that would work. If it just resets the boot order, that probably wouldn't help. It is set to boot from my hard drive first and my USB port last, yet it still looks for the external hard dive in the USB port first, even when I have a bootable disk inserted. It shouldn't be doing that.

I have been confused about it for a while. I made sure to download Linux only to the external hard drive and told it not to use any other partitions for anything. I made a completely separate boot partition on the external hard drive so it wouldn't overwrite the Windows one. I wanted it to automatically start Windows like normal, and then if I wanted I could go to the boot menu and select USB for Linux. Somehow the grub loader still put something on the internal drive though, even though I told it "Do not use this drive." My Windows boot partition is perfectly fine, I just can't get to it. It's like Linux somehow messed with my BIOS.

 

[L_Holmes]

Have you considered removing and reinstalling the CMOS battery to force the BIOS (and boot order) to reset to default?

Then trying to re-access the BIOS so you can amend the boot order...unless it's something like a corrupt master boot record.

THANK YOU, IT WORKED

I didn't know if it would but I tried it just in case, it told me something about the battery being low and then took me to the system menu. So that's a relief.

 

[Judge]

THANK YOU, IT WORKED

I didn't know if it would but I tried it just in case, it told me something about the battery being low and then took me to the system menu. So that's a relief.

Just be sure to replace the CMOS battery, reset your boot order one more time and then you should be good to go.