Does anyone know about FAT32 problems?

Are you having a problem? If so, please give some details.

I have an ACER laptop, using Windows XP. Every once in a while my laptop shuts off, when I restart it I get a message in DOS saying there is an error with FAT32, one off my disks needs to be checked for consistency. It automatically runs a disk check. I can't remember what it says when it is finished but I got some advise from a guy on here who said to run a
chedsk /r, which I did and it said "Windows has finished verifying and found no problems". Some people have told me it is a hard drive problem and I may need to have it replaced. Any ideas on how much that might cost?

I would also like to know if there is a way to restore my laptop without the restore disk as I cannot find it. A gentleman at a store I went to suggested trying alt + F10 and then said my laptop might be too old for that shortcut. I have already loaded my files onto a USB and would like to restore it back to what it was like when I first bought it about 4 years ago.

Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

If it says there is nothing wrong with it then forget about it. The automatic disk check is a convenience and good for if at any time your computer crashes sometimes you can't even start it. The diskcheck checks your disks and files for errors. I do that manually everytime I start a new session that way if the computers crashes the diskcheck corrects the errors and all the files are in order.

Of course, the FAT32 is really DOS and Windows 3 file system. It is too late to do anything about it as the person who partitioned your disk used FAT32. He should have used NT file system as Windows XP is really NT windows system.

Fat32 is a disk format. Back in the day it used to be the choice if you wanted to install more than one operating system on it. So the advice you got about it being a disk problem is correct. If it checks disk on start up it is probably because it wasn't shut down properly (which would happen if it suddenly shut off). I think you probably want to solve the "suddenly shuts off" problem.

Any suggestions about the 'suddenly shuts off' problem. So you don't think I have to be worried about files being erased or disappearing? Also, would this FAT32 problem cause my laptop to be extremely slow when it first starts? It's okay once it's going, but it seems to take forever to start. It also gets very hot, but I can hear the fan running.

What do you think something like replacing the FAT32 file with NT file would cost? Would I have to replace the hard drive to do it?

Don't do it. It is more problem than it's worth. There a program called 'fdisk' a DOS version that allows one to format your hard drive. Later versions allow you to format it to NT. But you must know what you are doing. Get an old computer and play around with this program or ask someone who knows it well.

If you right click on your computer screen you should get a small window with 'arrange icons by' at the top and 'properties' at the bottom. Select 'properties'. You will get another 'select window' and at the top row you will see 'screen saver'. Select that. You will see 'screen saver' that allows you to select whatever screen saver want turned on if you for some reason you leave your computer unattended for a while. The screen saver tries to save your monitor from developing 'ghosts' i.e. worn out parts the LCDs or phosphorescent cells on the glass of the monitor which stops changing colors thus leaving a consistent pattern or color or streaks.

Underneath 'screen saver' is 'wait' allowing you to prevent screen saver from turning on. In your case the screen saver is probably a blank screen and set to 10 to 15 minutes. You can change it to an hour (60 minutes or more). To get out of 'screen saver' mode you just need to tap a key. I think that is what is happening to your computer. This also puts your computer on idle to save energy.

Or, the idle time has been set too low thus putting your computer to sleep. You might have to get someone to check your BIOS setting. In the old computers when the computer is just starting you press 'Alt' and Delete' together and the BIOS would appear on the screen and you could scroll down and change the timing of the 'sleep'. I don't recommend you do it as inadvertently pressing the wrong key or clicking the wrong item would render your computer to inoperable . I am just describing the process in general so if someone does venture to change the bIOS for you at least you can follow what he is doing.

I'm no hardware expert so take anything I say with a grain of salt, but it sounds like a power supply or battery issue. Is it slow starting up after you shut it down normally, or only after it crashes? I ask because it would make sense that it would be slow starting up if it's checking disks, which it will do after a crash.

Depending on how old it is, it might just be time for a new one. If you've already got your files backed up, that might be your best bet.

It's funny you mention the battery, because ever since I bought it, the battery never lasted as long as the manual said. But it shuts off when I have it plugged in as well. And I tend to have it plugged in a lot because I never trust the battery. About 1 year after I bought it I had the battery replaced. And the new one did the same thing. The manual said 4 hours. I would say I got a good 2 hours at first and then just over an hour.
I'm starting to think I just bought a lemon to begin with. But it's not very old, about 4 years.
Yes it is slow after shutting down normally, and I am the type of person who does not like short cuts. I use them once in a while but as a habit I always open and close things step by step. For example; to shut down I close every window, go to start, click on log off, wait...and then click shut off. I always open things through Start never desktop icons, my kids yell at me sometimes, "Mom you don't have to do all that you know!" Ha Ha Ha. Just under three years after I bought it, I remember because I got it fixed just before the warranty ran out, I had about a 1 and 1/2 inch solid black line running vertically, about mid way through the screen. I had the screen replaced, so the whole thing about the screen saver from the other kind person on here I'm not sure about. I have a screen saver and a background. And the wait is set at 60 min.
It also gets very hot and always has. I can hear the fan running, but yet still it gets hot.
So if I understand correctly, it's not shutting off because of FAT32. FAT32 is getting the error because it crashes. So I need to figure out what is making it crash. If it's getting so hot maybe it's over heating? But I turn it back on right away and it could stay on for another couple of hours without a problem.
It's an ACER by the way. Ever heard of them?

I have an ACER as well. It sounds to me like your computer is overheating. Mine had the same problem and the same FAT32 error.

If you look at the bottom of the laptop, you'll likely see several vents. If you sit with the laptop directly on your lap, not that much of a big deal; but put it on a pillow, or blanket, and mine heats up super-quick and reboots. I would also recommend getting a can of compressed air and using it to clean out your fans, they are likely quite dusty; make sure your computer is OFF BEFORE DOING THIS!!! Could hurt the fans if they are running and you blast 'em the wrong direction.

My battery life has also plummeted, that isn't unique to Acers, it seems almost all laptop batteries do this. I now follow some 'wear-in' procedures with my new ones.

Also, I hate to say it, but 4 years is not exactly new in laptop terms these days. It's on the older side of functionality. Probably ought to think about a new one, and you could probably get one for 2/3rds or even 1/2 what you paid 4 years ago, which is just as powerful, if not much more so.

Cycloptichorn

I have a screen saver set at 60 minutes, and just replaced the screen about a year ago. I think it's a lemon, lol. Any other ideas? Would overheating cause it to crash even if it turns on right after and stays on for a couple of hours with no problems?

Thank you, thank you, thank you thank you lmao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm ssooooo happy. I had and idea that must be what it was but because I don't know anything about hard drives and DOS and operating systems, lol I was soo worried. You should have seen my face when I read your post. LMAO
thank you thank you thank you thank

Good point about overheating. There's a free program called SpeedFan that will access temperature sensors and that is useful to tell if overheating is the problem.

No problem - let us know if that works, and if not, we can try other stuff.

Cycloptichorn

Hey stranger,
So I got the compressed air and cleaned it out a bit. It still takes a long time to start up but, it hasn't shut off as much.
I have another question for you though, if you don't mind. I am a Lab Monitor at a college in an Introduction to Computers and Applications. In order to mark papers from the students I need Microsoft Office 2007. I had a trial and will be getting my daughters disc in the mail soon, but until then I was wondering if you knew of an application that is compatible. I downloaded something called OpenOffice.org which I found to be almost identical to Microsoft Office 2003, but not 2007.
Thanks for any assistance

OpenOffice would have been the one I recommended. Did you encounter difficulty opening Word 2007 files, or do you just prefer the new version stylistically?

As for the long start-up time, Dunno. Could be a lot of different things. What operating system are you running, and how much memory do you have?

Cheers
Cycloptichorn