Sorry - Windows bootup help needed.

[Nickygoat]

I know this is not a Boot Camp problem but I know there are a lot of technically savvy users on here, and I can't find an answer Googling around.
My girlfriends Win XP laptop refuses to boot up. It reaches the bootup screen (the one with the Press Esc, F2 and F12 commands) but after that it comes up with the error message "Thermal fan works abnormally - this computer will shut down in 8 seconds". It then shuts down.
Holding F8 to get into Safe Mode just freezes the whole thing, necessitating a hard reset.
She doesn't have the original discs (they're in Denmark) but I can probably get hold of an XP disc.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Killyp]

It's not XP that's the problem. It sounds like a BIOS error, or possibly a hardware (fan or motherboard) failure. I'd take the machine into a computer store, somewhere that really knows what they're talking about...

 

[Nickygoat]

It's not XP that's the problem. It sounds like a BIOS error, or possibly a hardware (fan or motherboard) failure. I'd take the machine into a computer store, somewhere that really knows what they're talking about...

I thought that might be the problem. Hoping it wasn't but......
Nearest place is PC World - don't think I'll be taking it there.
Thanks for the help.

 

[iCeQuBe]

I know this is not a Boot Camp problem but I know there are a lot of technically savvy users on here, and I can't find an answer Googling around.
My girlfriends Win XP laptop refuses to boot up. It reaches the bootup screen (the one with the Press Esc, F2 and F12 commands) but after that it comes up with the error message "Thermal fan works abnormally - this computer will shut down in 8 seconds". It then shuts down.
Holding F8 to get into Safe Mode just freezes the whole thing, necessitating a hard reset.
She doesn't have the original discs (they're in Denmark) but I can probably get hold of an XP disc.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.

You could go into the bios on bootup and disable that warning. It could just be a sensor that is bad the problem is if it is a fan that is bad you could end up frying a CPU or Northbridge chip. You best bet is to take it to an authorized repair center. Is it still under warranty by any chance?

 

[Nickygoat]

You could go into the bios on bootup and disable that warning. It could just be a sensor that is bad the problem is if it is a fan that is bad you could end up frying a CPU or Northbridge chip. You best bet is to take it to an authorized repair center. Is it still under warranty by any chance?

How do I get into BIOS if it freezes on startup? Any key combo makes it freeze.
I'm worried about frying the mobo but if it does at least I can get her to buy a MacBook
No - I don't it's under warranty any more. And if it is that would be in Denmark and she's not going back for a month.

 

[iCeQuBe]

How do I get into BIOS if it freezes on startup? Any key combo makes it freeze.
I'm worried about frying the mobo but if it does at least I can get her to buy a MacBook
No - I don't it's under warranty any more. And if it is that would be in Denmark and she's not going back for a month.

Well if hitting F2 or whatever the key is to get into the bios makes it freezer then I thin kyou are out of luck. I thought it froze just when you went into windows safe mode with F8. Sorry.

 

[madog]

You could go into the bios on bootup and disable that warning. It could just be a sensor that is bad the problem is if it is a fan that is bad you could end up frying a CPU or Northbridge chip. You best bet is to take it to an authorized repair center. Is it still under warranty by any chance?

It may be a real problem and your CPU might be getting so hot and worked up that it just stops working. Changing your BIOs might just be a temporary solution to a bigger problem.