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I/O operation not completed

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by titeo

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Hello. I got this problem when starting Windows XP: "The specified I/O operation on \Device\Harddisk1\DR4 was not completed before the time out period expired" and when I press either "Cancel", "Try Again" or "Continue" windows just hangs for about 10 minutes and that message came out again. I reboot the computer and start again, the same problem happened and I can never got passed that startup screen. Any one knows how to fix this problem. Please help. Thanks a lot.

8 replies

by techexec2

This is very likely to be a hard drive failure. If you don't have a current backup, do your best to copy data off your drive immediately.

by titeo

Thanks for your advice but it might be too late because right now my computer cannot pass the start up screen, the screen where the message runs "Windows is starting up". Do you know any method to back up hard drive without going to Windows. Thanks in advance.

by techexec2

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Not being able to fully startup Windows suggests that some programs and/or files are damaged or missing. This suggests a partial HDD failure or malware. The "I/O not completed" is usually caused by some kind of hardware failure.

You could try starting in "safe mode" and try to repair your system, but that is not what I would do. I would acquire a new HDD and install Windows onto it. Then, add your old HDD as a second drive on the system and see if you can copy data from it. If it appears your HDD is in good condition (run scandisk, unlikely as this appears to be hardware failure), scan it for malware.

Good luck!

by titeo

Thanks a bunch for your advice. I would buy a new HD and do as you told me. By the way, this happened after I add another memory module to my computer. At first Windows was very slow to start but it could still start up but now it all hang up. So is the memory upgrade anything to do with this problem?

by techexec2

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[b][i]"...So is the memory upgrade anything to do with this problem?..."[/i][/b]

Yes! Remove the new memory module, reboot, and see if the problem goes away. Flakey memory can cause all sorts of odd behavior. Your HDD doesn't have to be going bad in this case. Even if the problems goes away, you should still run scandisk to find and repair any data problems on your HDD that might have been introduced by the flakey memory and system crash.

First rule they teach in medical school: If what you're doing is making the patient sicker, STOP DOING IT! :^0

by titeo

Yes it's the module which causes the problem, I removed it and everything back to normal. I just wonder why this module is bad because I bought it brand new from ebay but it does not have a brand. Thanks for your tip.

by techexec2

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Memory can be bad just like any other component. That it does not have a known brand (e.g. Crucial, Kingston, etc) is not necessarily a problem. The memory chips are made in a professional factory somewhere, probably the same factory as a major brand. The stick is assembled professionally by someone. But, when you acquire memory directly from one of the major vendors, you know that its quality is guaranteed and you know you can return it to them if it ends up being bad.

Hopefully your eBay seller will exchange your bad memory module for a good one.

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A word about eBay: Be careful when buying on eBay. There are honest sellers and good deals. But, there are also frauds and crooks, lots of 'em. Any deal on eBay that is too good to be true, is not true. Walk away from those. If Best Buy cheated or disappointed 1 out of every 50 customers buying big ticket items (2%), they would have a bad reputation and most people would shop somewhere else (and there would likely be lots of visible civil and criminal legal action, the BBB would get involved, etc.). But, a 98% positive rating is considered "good" on eBay. That's all you need to know about eBay. When compared with reputable retail stores that we all shop at, eBay is a den of thieves (no matter what CEO Meg Whitman says). You have to operate that way going in.

by still_iyoh21

hey.. i've just encountered the same error on my external HD. i always click on the continue button then it runs the 'autoplay' window. it runs for a while then when i go to windows explorer, i see the two partitions of my external HD on the list of drives available. but when i tried to click on one of them, it says "drive is unaccessible". then i try clicking the other partition, and my laptop hangs. any help on this? btw, i accidentally dropped the HD a few days ago, and this error came up afterwards. i've asked around and they told me that my HD is most likely corrupted. i hope not as i have all of my files there (i just backed up my laptop to that HD as i need to have the laptop's display checked at the shop).

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