Not Booting, Not POSTing, Not good!

[eat411]

Thanks for your help!


I have a 3 year old computer with
Intel D845EBG2
Visiontek Xtasy GeForce4 Ti4200 128MB
512 MB DDR
A Western Digital HDD
CDRW
DVD
Logitech Mx500 desktop (Bluetooth keyboard and mouse)
XP professional SP2 with all the security updates
I daily update and run AVG and Ad Aware


About a month ago I had a reoccurring problem with the computer, in
which it would not start correctly. The computer would boot, run to
the windows loading screen, and continue into a desktop environment.
Sometimes while loading (perhaps in a loaded desktop environment) the
computer would spontaneously shut the screen down (HDD indicator light
remained lit). After a few tries (>10 sometimes) the computer would
remain on, and usable.


Sometimes after continuing to use it the computer would blank the
screen and remain lit on the HDD light.


I assumed I had a driver problem, or a virus or something of the sort,
so after troubleshooting without a fix I wiped my partition, and
installed XP again, drivers all fresh, and installed my antivirus and
XP updates, the problem didn't go away, and no has become more
severe:


The computer wont turn on, no post, no fans no blue smoke. I replaced
the PSU with a new one without any change.


(note that the ram light lit up whenver the PSU was on and connected)


I also tried the video card and HDD in another computer. The video
card worked. I also tried a PCI video card in the dead machine, which
didn't work.


Putting the HDD in the other machine booted to the XP 'you didn't
successfully boot' screen however when booting in safe mode, the
computer would not load past the agp440 driver.


So is this a motherboard problem, or a CPU problem.


If it's a motherboard problem, any suggestions on a new one? If I
replace the motherboard I'd like to reuse my components as much as
possible, unless the cost/benefit of upgrading is sufficiently
substantial.


Thanks again!

 

[badgolferman]

(e-mail address removed), 6/22/2005, 3:01:10 PM,

Thanks for your help!


I have a 3 year old computer with
Intel D845EBG2
Visiontek Xtasy GeForce4 Ti4200 128MB
512 MB DDR
A Western Digital HDD
CDRW
DVD
Logitech Mx500 desktop (Bluetooth keyboard and mouse)
XP professional SP2 with all the security updates
I daily update and run AVG and Ad Aware


About a month ago I had a reoccurring problem with the computer, in
which it would not start correctly. The computer would boot, run to
the windows loading screen, and continue into a desktop environment.
Sometimes while loading (perhaps in a loaded desktop environment) the
computer would spontaneously shut the screen down (HDD indicator light
remained lit). After a few tries (>10 sometimes) the computer would
remain on, and usable.


Sometimes after continuing to use it the computer would blank the
screen and remain lit on the HDD light.


I assumed I had a driver problem, or a virus or something of the sort,
so after troubleshooting without a fix I wiped my partition, and
installed XP again, drivers all fresh, and installed my antivirus and
XP updates, the problem didn't go away, and no has become more
severe:


The computer wont turn on, no post, no fans no blue smoke. I replaced
the PSU with a new one without any change.


(note that the ram light lit up whenver the PSU was on and connected)


I also tried the video card and HDD in another computer. The video
card worked. I also tried a PCI video card in the dead machine, which
didn't work.


Putting the HDD in the other machine booted to the XP 'you didn't
successfully boot' screen however when booting in safe mode, the
computer would not load past the agp440 driver.


So is this a motherboard problem, or a CPU problem.


If it's a motherboard problem, any suggestions on a new one? If I
replace the motherboard I'd like to reuse my components as much as
possible, unless the cost/benefit of upgrading is sufficiently
substantial.


Thanks again!

If the CPU was bad I suspect you would be getting a beep code from the
motherboard, same with the RAM. I don't know what a RAM light is; I
suspect you mean the little green light on the motherbard that shows
power connection.

 

[badgolferman]

badgolferman, 6/22/2005, 3:29:02 PM,

(e-mail address removed), 6/22/2005, 3:01:10 PM,


If the CPU was bad I suspect you would be getting a beep code from the
motherboard, same with the RAM. I don't know what a RAM light is; I
suspect you mean the little green light on the motherbard that shows
power connection.

You should also check the switches from the front that attach to the
motherboard header. Short out the POWER ON pins momentarily to
eliminate the switch.

 

[kony]

Thanks for your help!


I have a 3 year old computer with
Intel D845EBG2
Visiontek Xtasy GeForce4 Ti4200 128MB
512 MB DDR
A Western Digital HDD
CDRW
DVD
Logitech Mx500 desktop (Bluetooth keyboard and mouse)
XP professional SP2 with all the security updates
I daily update and run AVG and Ad Aware


About a month ago I had a reoccurring problem with the computer, in
which it would not start correctly. The computer would boot, run to
the windows loading screen, and continue into a desktop environment.
Sometimes while loading (perhaps in a loaded desktop environment) the
computer would spontaneously shut the screen down (HDD indicator light
remained lit). After a few tries (>10 sometimes) the computer would
remain on, and usable.

Examine the motherboard for failed capacitors.

Sometimes after continuing to use it the computer would blank the
screen and remain lit on the HDD light.

Try another drive cable for the hard drive.

I assumed I had a driver problem, or a virus or something of the sort,
so after troubleshooting without a fix I wiped my partition, and
installed XP again, drivers all fresh, and installed my antivirus and
XP updates, the problem didn't go away, and no has become more
severe:


The computer wont turn on, no post, no fans no blue smoke. I replaced
the PSU with a new one without any change.

Was the new one, known decent, adequate for the system or a
questionable generic?

(note that the ram light lit up whenver the PSU was on and connected)

Also try clearing the CMOS (via jumper or pull the battery
for 10 minutes) while the AC cord is removed.

I also tried the video card and HDD in another computer. The video
card worked. I also tried a PCI video card in the dead machine, which
didn't work.


Putting the HDD in the other machine booted to the XP 'you didn't
successfully boot' screen however when booting in safe mode, the
computer would not load past the agp440 driver.

So the HDD outwardly seems fine- it is expected to do (what
it did) when you try to move XP to another system. You
could run the HDD manufacturer's diagnostics on it while
it's in that other system, but beyond that, ignore the drive
because your system should be able to POST (turn on to the
bios screen & continue on till it can't find a drive to boot
from) without any drive connected.

Likewise, any devices besides the CPU, heatsink/fan, and 1
memory module can be removed from the system so it can be
retried in a barebone configuration.

So is this a motherboard problem, or a CPU problem.

Unless your heatsink fell off or the fan had failed, odds
are against it being the CPU.

If it's a motherboard problem, any suggestions on a new one? If I
replace the motherboard I'd like to reuse my components as much as
possible, unless the cost/benefit of upgrading is sufficiently
substantial.

Given that you want to reuse the CPU and memory, and further
than you already had a working XP installation, I'd suggest
checking around at your favorite vendors (or use pricing
services like pricewatch.com or Froogle) to see what kind of
deals you can find on exact same board. That is, unless you
find the capacitors have failed, in which case it would seem
prudent to find another board, Perhaps someone will chime
in if they've heard of any significantly high failure rates
for those boards but I haven't- see no reason to believe
it's not a good board to get again, which will also allow
reuse of same WinXP installation.

 

[Robert Heiling]

So the HDD outwardly seems fine- it is expected to do (what
it did) when you try to move XP to another system.

I had wondered about that. This system came with a much too small 40GB
drive. After creating the Compaq "recovery CD's", I installed XP on my
100GB drive. It ran for some time (can't recall how many days) and then
simply stopped booting one day. That's when I went to Win2K for my main OS.
Then when I added a 250GB drive to the setup, I first made it Primary
Master and "recovered" XP onto it and condensed the 2 XP partitions down
to one. I then put my Win2K 100GB drive back as Master and set the 250 as
Slave. XP was booting fine from it from the Bios menu until I set it up in
the Win2K boot.ini file menu (may be coincidence?). It died then and
wouldn't even boot from bios anymore. It wouldn't go far enough to go into
safe mode and has just been sitting there dead for a few months.

i.e. XP is on the same system, but on a different HD. Is that why it's dead
per what you said above? Is there a fix? HP sent me a "Recovery Console"
CD on the previous goaround, but it's a cruel joke as it won't support the
large drive that XP is on!<lol> I do have access to all the files via my
Win2K though.

Bob

 

[Shep©]

Thanks for your help!


I have a 3 year old computer with
Intel D845EBG2
Visiontek Xtasy GeForce4 Ti4200 128MB
512 MB DDR
A Western Digital HDD
CDRW
DVD
Logitech Mx500 desktop (Bluetooth keyboard and mouse)
XP professional SP2 with all the security updates
I daily update and run AVG and Ad Aware


About a month ago I had a reoccurring problem with the computer, in
which it would not start correctly. The computer would boot, run to
the windows loading screen, and continue into a desktop environment.
Sometimes while loading (perhaps in a loaded desktop environment) the
computer would spontaneously shut the screen down (HDD indicator light
remained lit). After a few tries (>10 sometimes) the computer would
remain on, and usable.

Buy a can of,"Isopropanol" based Switch Cleaner,
In the UK,
http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=4153&doy=search&QV=Y

In the USA,"Radio-Shack" will have a brand.

With power off at the supply but with the cable to the PC still in if
possible(This will keep the system grounded).
Remove ALL RAM sticks/PCI/AGP cards and spray edge connectors with the
above and wipe clean with some tissue(plain white toilet roll will do
or white Kleenex).
Re-inser carefully so that all PCI card seat tight and AGP video
card,"Clicks" into place or correctly looks into place as per board
design and same with RAM sticks.

Once done pull each device cable one plug at a time and spray with
above and re-insert.

HTH

 

[Hans Wankle]

Let me try to understand this. You want to dual boot Windows 98SE and
WindowsXP. First you have to set the first boot device in the BIOS to boot
from the A: drive. With a Windows98 startup disk in the A: drive, boot the
system. At the first option when it boots the startup screen, choose to load
the CD-rom drivers. At this point, the machine will load all the necessary
drivers. At some point the A:\ prompt will appear. At the A:\ prompt, type
the drive letter of your CD-Rom drive. The prompt will change and display
that drive. (as in D: or E When the drive letter appears, type the word
"setup" and Windows98SE will begin to install. Follow all the instructions
during the install and remember to remove the floppy before it reboots.
After Windows98SE is installed, then reboot and go back into the BIOS and
change the first boot device to the CD-Rom drive. Make sure the Windows XP
cd is in the drive, save the BIOS changes and reboot. The system should then
boot to the WindowsXP cd. Follow the instructions as they appear and install
it on the other Partition or drive. Windows XP will recognize the Windows
98SE install and will install accordingly. When it finally installs and you
boot the system, a page will appear that gives you the option of which OS
system to boot. This is really very easy to do but anything that you already
know how to do is easy. I hope this helps.

 

[kony]

I had wondered about that. This system came with a much too small 40GB
drive. After creating the Compaq "recovery CD's", I installed XP on my
100GB drive. It ran for some time (can't recall how many days) and then
simply stopped booting one day.

At that point you would need consider what had changed, just
prior to that "one day".

That's when I went to Win2K for my main OS.
Then when I added a 250GB drive to the setup, I first made it Primary
Master and "recovered" XP onto it and condensed the 2 XP partitions down
to one. I then put my Win2K 100GB drive back as Master and set the 250 as
Slave. XP was booting fine from it from the Bios menu until I set it up in
the Win2K boot.ini file menu (may be coincidence?).

Maybe, it's better to only make one change at a time then
restest after each, then the cause is more obvious. Perhaps
you simply set the boot.ini parameters wrong, search MS's
website for articles about (boot.ini setup).

It died then and
wouldn't even boot from bios anymore. It wouldn't go far enough to go into
safe mode and has just been sitting there dead for a few months.

If you can't find out where it went wrong, just set it up in
the final config you want and then install the OS again.
Working with Recovery CDs is generally more trouble than
it's worth, you might consider trying to find someone with
an OEM OS disc that is same version, since your OS license
is valid for that too, as confirmed by if/when your
installation key works. When in doubt, make restorable
backups first.

i.e. XP is on the same system, but on a different HD. Is that why it's dead
per what you said above? Is there a fix? HP sent me a "Recovery Console"
CD on the previous goaround, but it's a cruel joke as it won't support the
large drive that XP is on!<lol> I do have access to all the files via my
Win2K though.

I would not mess with the recovery CDs, just set it up again
as you want it and install XP fresh, then download the
modern drivers from the respective chipset manufacturers,
avoiding the old stuff HP had available at the time of their
Restore CD image creation.

 

[Bennett Price]

If the PC won't POST, disconnect everything (HD, floppy, video,
ethernet, usb cards, most memory, etc. and see what happens. A shorted
out floppy, e.g., can cause this problem.

 

[Robert Heiling]

At that point you would need consider what had changed, just
prior to that "one day".

That was ~6 months ago, but I would have been on the lookout for that sort of
thing and there was nothing worthy of note that had happened. I'm wondering if
this XP simply didn't like being on a different HD along the lines of the sort
of thing you were talking about there. My question only comes up because I saw
the other discussion and thought there might be something *very familiar* with
my symptoms. If not, then it's not really worth pursuing as I can do without XP.

Maybe, it's better to only make one change at a time then
restest after each, then the cause is more obvious.

Yes, that was the mode. It was a fresh install and booting fine from Bios.

Perhaps
you simply set the boot.ini parameters wrong, search MS's
website for articles about (boot.ini setup).

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home"
/fastdetect
didn't boot it and it stopped booting from the Bios after that point. I spent
hours back then on MS's & other sites.

If you can't find out where it went wrong, just set it up in
the final config you want and then install the OS again.
Working with Recovery CDs is generally more trouble than
it's worth,

and not even an option since these Recovery CDs will wipe out the partition
table on the target drive and I have good data in the other partitions. It could
be done, but it's not worth the hassle.

you might consider trying to find someone with
an OEM OS disc that is same version, since your OS license
is valid for that too, as confirmed by if/when your
installation key works. When in doubt, make restorable
backups first.

That's not really an option as there isn't anywhere that I could borrow a CD
and, even if it were, I'd forever be responsible for anything that happened to

I would not mess with the recovery CDs, just set it up again
as you want it and install XP fresh, then download the
modern drivers from the respective chipset manufacturers,
avoiding the old stuff HP had available at the time of their
Restore CD image creation.

Thanks, but let's not worry about it. I had thought that perhaps there was some
XP copy-security being involved here. You had indicated that XP caught the case
of the HD being moved to a different system. I thought that perhaps it also
didn't like being moved to a different physical HD on the same system. But what
would happen if someone had to replace the motherboard and/or the cpu. Then XP
wouldn't run? There must be a workaround for that situation - or maybe not? I'm
not too lazy to ask HP, but thought you might know the answer.

Thanks,

Bob

 

[kony]

On Thu, 23 Jun 2005 08:43:01 -0700, Robert Heiling

I had thought that perhaps there was some
XP copy-security being involved here.

There is the issue of reactivation, which wouldn't prevent
the system from booting in and of itself.

The larger issue is the XP (and 2K for that matter) drivers
which are not longer correct. In such cases, the typical
solution is to do a repair installation, though not possible
with the recovery CD alone, unless it has copied the XP
installation files to the HDD and you can boot to the setup
program (meaning if you had NTFS filesystem, an environement
that supports it such as the XP CD does when the system
boots it.

You had indicated that XP caught the case
of the HD being moved to a different system. I thought that perhaps it also
didn't like being moved to a different physical HD on the same system.

It can be moved, but the OS still expects the same drive to
have the OS on it, so you'd disconnect the original OS
drive. There are several issues here, for a comprehensive
overview you should Google search this.

But what
would happen if someone had to replace the motherboard and/or the cpu. Then XP
wouldn't run? There must be a workaround for that situation - or maybe not? I'm
not too lazy to ask HP, but thought you might know the answer.

I'm sure that according to HP, you can buy an identical
motherboard from them, or will have to buy XP again even if
your license isn't technically tied to the motherboard as
being the defining system component (which is possible-
consult your EULA). To use another board, you would need do
a repair install of windows, or if you had another way to
set up XP on the new board, you could potentially copy the
enumerated hardware registry entries and driver files from
the new board installation to the old, and then move the
drive. These types of issues are a good example of why it's
generally a bad idea to buy a system that doesn't include
the *regular* OS installation disc rather than only a
restoration disc or hidden HDD partiton, etc.