Help - PC lockup after POST due to refresh rate (I think) -I am stumped ! :-(

  • Thread starter Thread starter mj
  • Start date Start date
M

mj

This problem is doing my head in.

I installed a new HD into my brothers PC last week. Set it up using my KVM
switch and had no problems at all.
My monitor is a CTX flatscreen CRT, running at 1024#768 85hz.

Took the PC over to his and pluged it in - nada. Gets to POST, then hangs
just after it detects the HD /Raid array - just before the WHite bar / XP
Pro logo. Tried as I might I couldn't get it into safe mode. Brought it
back, plugged it in to my setup and voila it worked. Set the refresh to 70hz
and 800#600 and turned it off. Took it back today and it happened again :-(

Couldn't get into safe mode AND couldn't get the XP setup CD to start - it
jammed at "detecting hardware". Brought it back and it worked first pop
again on mine. SHould add that I checked the power from all the outlets at
his house (And next door). Tried the neighbours monitor too and it was the
same ?????????

All I can think is that my setup through the KVM has "forced" some settings
in XP with regards to refresh rate and it is remembering them at boot. I am
totally stumped. Can anyone advise ? Is there a registry key to delete saved
monitor settings ?

ANy advise welcome.

TIA
Mark


Outgoing mail scanned by Symantec NAV2005.
 
mj said:
This problem is doing my head in.

I installed a new HD into my brothers PC last week. Set it up using my KVM
switch and had no problems at all.
My monitor is a CTX flatscreen CRT, running at 1024#768 85hz.

Took the PC over to his and pluged it in - nada. Gets to POST, then hangs
just after it detects the HD /Raid array - just before the WHite bar / XP
Pro logo. Tried as I might I couldn't get it into safe mode. Brought it
back, plugged it in to my setup and voila it worked. Set the refresh to
70hz and 800#600 and turned it off. Took it back today and it happened
again :-(

Couldn't get into safe mode AND couldn't get the XP setup CD to start - it
jammed at "detecting hardware". Brought it back and it worked first pop
again on mine. SHould add that I checked the power from all the outlets at
his house (And next door). Tried the neighbours monitor too and it was the
same ?????????

All I can think is that my setup through the KVM has "forced" some
settings in XP with regards to refresh rate and it is remembering them at
boot. I am totally stumped. Can anyone advise ? Is there a registry key to
delete saved monitor settings ?

ANy advise welcome.

TIA
Mark


Outgoing mail scanned by Symantec NAV2005.
Click to expand...
Doesn't seem likely it's a monitor issue - more likely a K or M aspect of
the KVM, *assuming* the monitors are known good. Typically refresh rate
shouldn't cause a hang - usually the system will be fully operative, but the
display will be blanked if the refresh or scan rate is not within the
displays
range. The fact that you had *some* info displayed at start-up should verify
the displays are OK - anything unusual about the VGA card?

Is it possible to set it up at your location without the KVM??? If you
set it
for 8 by 6 at 60 Hz on your system, it should be starting up that way in the
other location...
KVM may not be passing monitor PnP details anyway, so maybe it is
defaulting to the inf details of his monitor - yes, there are registry
keys - but
not for the faint of heart.... Try looking at system properties before
resorting
to the registry.

NGA
 
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Outgoing mail scanned by Symantec NAV2005.
Not Gimpy Anymore said:
Doesn't seem likely it's a monitor issue - more likely a K or M aspect
of
the KVM, *assuming* the monitors are known good. Typically refresh rate
shouldn't cause a hang - usually the system will be fully operative, but
the
display will be blanked if the refresh or scan rate is not within the
displays
range. The fact that you had *some* info displayed at start-up should
verify
the displays are OK - anything unusual about the VGA card?

Is it possible to set it up at your location without the KVM??? If you
set it
for 8 by 6 at 60 Hz on your system, it should be starting up that way in
the
other location...
KVM may not be passing monitor PnP details anyway, so maybe it is
defaulting to the inf details of his monitor - yes, there are registry
keys - but
not for the faint of heart.... Try looking at system properties before
resorting
to the registry.

NGA
Click to expand...

NGA, thanks for the reply.

I am going over tomorrow with my mouse and keyboard , along with an old 15"
monitor that I hooked up to it (independently) the other day at my house.

The more I think about it the more I think you are right about it being
something else. I have had 1 similar problem in the past and the PC booted
fine, but all I got on the screen was rainbows - into safe ode and changed
it and it was fine. With this one something else is amiss - the maddening
thing is that it worked fine last week at his house - all I did was take it
away, installed a new IDE card, ghosted his drive to a new 160gb disk,
installed a dvd rom and a new burner (previously he had 2 writers) and then
installed a GeforceMX400 AGP card (I uninstalled the previous S3 card
first). While doing this I had not one problem at all on my setup.

The only obvious difference I can think off is that his KB is a usb into PS2
adaptor - but as I said above, it worked fine last week.

I still think I have an issue with my KVM, as it seems to drive the monitor
a the refresh rate of the first PC booted - even though I change the setting
in the Monitor tab of the screen settings. From now on when I'm working on
other people PCs I will reboot my own PC to 800*600 at either 60 or 70hz.

I will get to the bottom of it.................eventually :-D

Thanks again
Mark
 
mj said:
--
Outgoing mail scanned by Symantec NAV2005.


NGA, thanks for the reply.

I am going over tomorrow with my mouse and keyboard , along with an old
15" monitor that I hooked up to it (independently) the other day at my
house.

The more I think about it the more I think you are right about it being
something else. I have had 1 similar problem in the past and the PC booted
fine, but all I got on the screen was rainbows - into safe ode and changed
it and it was fine. With this one something else is amiss - the maddening
thing is that it worked fine last week at his house - all I did was take
it away, installed a new IDE card, ghosted his drive to a new 160gb disk,
installed a dvd rom and a new burner (previously he had 2 writers) and
then installed a GeforceMX400 AGP card (I uninstalled the previous S3 card
first). While doing this I had not one problem at all on my setup.

The only obvious difference I can think off is that his KB is a usb into
PS2 adaptor - but as I said above, it worked fine last week.

I still think I have an issue with my KVM, as it seems to drive the
monitor a the refresh rate of the first PC booted - even though I change
the setting in the Monitor tab of the screen settings. From now on when
I'm working on other people PCs I will reboot my own PC to 800*600 at
either 60 or 70hz.

I will get to the bottom of it.................eventually :-D

Thanks again
Mark
Click to expand...
You could try going to System Properties (R clk on My Computer) hardware
tab, device manager & remove all suspect devices, then let them be detected
on
reboot.
With KVM you may get generics for all 3 - definitely suspect you will get
generic for the monitor. XPpro seems to handle USB boot devices OK.
If you flush the devices, the OS has to try & sense new ones - if you
don't
it usually falls back onto a previously detected one. We learned this early
on
when testing monitor PnP on new units.

HTH,
NGA
 
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