Laptop Help

My laptop has stopped behaving. When I boot up I get a system error message and a lot of disk read errors.

The system error is "a data integrity checksum error occured. Data in the file stream is corrupt. The system cannot read from the specified device".

Two other popup messages:
explorer.exe - Corrupt Disk
svchost.exe - Corrupt Disk

This sounds to me like the hard drive is corrupted and of no use any more.

Acer laptop:
Aspire V3-571G-9828
Intel Core i7-3610QM 2.3GHz
8 GB DDR3 Memory
1000 GB HDD
HDD Toshiba MQ01ABD100

Any ideas or advice would be gratefully accepted.

This sounds like a major problem. The only thing I can think of is to use the Windows disk or a repair disk to try and boot with and try to access the repair features on these disks.I wouldnt get my hopes up though.

And of course, it's probably right out of warranty, right? I hope Jenny or Inland can help you out here!

Thanks Geo and Draclvr. Thought it might be bad. Is it hard drive failure or a virus?
I bought the laptop on Nov. 23. Not sure if the warranty is over yet. My next step will be to call Acer to hear what they have to say.

Sounds like a harddisk failure to me,so I think your idea to call Acer is a good one.Did you drop the computer? Although trying to get into a harddrive is like trying to get into fort knox,it is my understanding that the insides are fairly fragile and can be damaged by a sharp blow.

It could also very well be a virus. Good luck with the call to Acer and let us know how you fare.

I've never seen the specific error, but I'd have to agree - it sounds like a hard drive problem.

If you can get it up and running at all, make sure you backup all your data files.

Have you run CHKDSK?

Hi all, Good news--i am typing this from my laptop

1. ran full system virus scan and found 3 trojans named Artemis!--quarantined them
2. restarted pressing F8 to get into system repair/Safe Mode
3. tried System Restore--the last point was a Java update at the time my laptop shut down so I went back 2 weeks on the restore
4. restarted the laptop in Safe Mode and the restore point was accepted
5. ran full system scan and all is clear

My next thought is: for some reason I tried McAfee this year as my antivirus program which was a mistake as it allowed this Trojan into my laptop.

In the past I have used AVG and Avast free editions and had no complaint. Which is the better program?

Thanks everyone

How did you get to the point where you could run a virus scan? I thought you couldnt boot up?

While trojans are not a good thing, at least it's better than a failed hard drive!

First off, get rid of Java totally. Either disable it in your browser or preferably uninstall it.

Another Day, Another Java Security Failure

I prefer Avast over AVG as AVG seems to be more intrusive and bloated. AVG may have improved that since I last uninstalled it. I use Microsoft Security Essentials along with Malwarebytes Pro. I'd highly recommend adding Malwarebytes Pro - it has stopped trojans in their track on my mother's computer and on the computers of two friends. It's $25 for a one-time license or you can watch for someplace like Newegg to put it on sale. I grab several copies whenever they do. They had it for $12 last week and I got three of them.

EDIT: Oh, wow. Check this out... There is stuff all over our there about Artemis and McAfee. Not a warm and fuzzy feeling...

Artemis and McAfee

Sorry Geo, I was able to access the Task Bar at the bottom of the screen where it still had McAfee.

Thanks for the advice Draclvr. I will do as you suggest

Check out my edit, manxman.

That's good news! My "current" favorite A/V product is still Norton, it seems to catch all the nasties.

Thanks Draclvr. Not sure about what McAfee is trying to do with this Artemis.

I have removed McAfee and Java and added Avast and Microsoft Security Essentials. Will look for Malwarebytes Pro next.

Will McAfee and Java be completely removed from my laptop (using uninstall in Control Panel) or is there something else I need to do also?

You can't use two anti-virus programs at once! You must uninstall either Avast or Microsoft Security Essentials. Anti-Virus programs do not play well together. Malwarebytes operates differently and can work along-side an antivirus program. So, pick either Avast or Microsoft Security Essentials and uninstall the other one.

Yes for Java and probably not for McAfee. Get their removal tool here:

McAfee Removal Tool

Thanks for the removal tool Drclvr. Also for the advice on Virus programs, I removed MSE and kept Avast. Now just need to find a deal on the Malwarebytes Pro

Good deal, manxman! I'll keep an eye out too.