I need some help please

Basic system info:-
EI System
Intel Celeron 3.33ghz cpu
512 Ram
FOXCONN N15235 Mobo
Windows Vista Basic

Heres the problem, everytime the computer starts up it runs checkdisk, then starts up. I planned to back the PC up onto an external Harddrive before I started to try and fix it, to save all his documents etc.. Its an element external Hd which is "plug and play" so no install cds etc.. but it wouldnt install properly, said it couldnt find the driver.
So then I tried to install my wireless adaptor that uses a cd to install it. I put the cd in the drive but it wouldnt recognise it, turns out that the cd drive isnt recognised either.. I tried it a second time and it said Any ideas on this??

I also tried a 512mb flash usb drive which also didnt work... any ideas on this? I was going to update all the drivers etc but can if i can connect it to the internet and cant use any flash drives etc..

Im sure this is nothing, but it wouldnt be the fact that the hard drive and the cd drive are connected via the same IDE cable would it? If so what would the jumpers need to be on? master and slave or CA?


Problem 2 (although it is probably related)
I did a system check thing and it came up that the hard drive is "dirty" and to run chkdsk. I ran check disk, it completed stage one but half way stage two it stopped, and restarted. I watched it again, and this time on stage two on file 82217 it stopped and just started up vista as normal..

Problem 3 (the main one he wanted me too look at in the 1st place)
The computer wont shutdown properly, I click shut down, its logs off, says shutting down, then the screen goes dark and the harddrive clicks off, but the power is still on and the fans are still wirring.. any ideas??

Your help is much appriciated as im really stumped!!

Hello and welcome to PC Help Forum.

This seems very much a driver issue.

Please could I have make and model of your computer to help you get the driver download.

You can download drivers and save on another PC/Laptop then put to disk/floppy or USB drive or even an exteranl drive.Then connect this CD/Floppy or USB pen drive etc to machine that needs the drivers,however I do recommend a disk or floppy.

I would put the hard drive on its own IDE cable and CD/DVD rom on another IDE cable.

Were one hard drive is fitted it should be set as single master,were one CD/DVD rom is fitted it should be set as master.

thanks for the welcome! the problem there is no floppy drive and the PC doesnt recognise the cd drive OR usb devices/harddrives so there is no way i can get the drivers on there, thats the problem! I confident I can find the drivers, its getting them on thats the problem

If you put hard drive on its won IDE cable and CD/DVD rom drive on another IDE cable as in diffrent ones for each hardware item then you would not get this conflict of BIOS unable to read your hardware.


I am sorry page refreshed and posted loads of stupid one word posts,I have this problem some times.Why I do not know.

wow that was a bit silly..

The computer has always had both connect via one ide cable, thats how it came from the shop and it always used to work. its only recently it hasnt worked, thats why I left the reply i did above. Ill see if i can find a spare cable and give it a go..

Soooo sorry about that,this is the forth time this has happened but not were I have to delete nearly 30 posts.OMG.I wish it would not happen.

Could you also check in BIOS that cd rom is set to auto detect and hard drive is set to first boot.

Make sure things like USB etc are enabled in BIOS.