Strange, picky booter

[smoscar]

First of all, this is a very possibly hosed system. A smart guy at my
office "accidentally" kicked over his desktop. It is a Compaq EVO, 1.6
gb w/ 512 mb The hard drive was very toasted, and now I'm seeing if the
system can be salvaged.

1. When I hook up a known good 10 gb Maxtor with WinXP(different from
original) on primary IDE set as CS, the system POST's and immediately
goes to a blinking cursor in the upper left-hand corner of the screen.
It will never boot the OS and jsut sits there, and the HD does not
sound very active. It does the same if soley hooked to the secondary
IDE as well. Tried setting it to Master in both configs, still not
working.

2. The system will detect a bootable CD-Rom, and boot to it. Tried
this with an XP OS cd, was even able to run the recovery console.

3. Installed a PCI IDE controller, disabled onboard controller,
checked IRQ's.

4. When hooking up the 10gb HD, system POST's, controller detects HD,
automatically reboots. The same happens when hooked to either the
primary or secondary controller on the installed IDE controller.

5. Double checked that 10 gb hard drive still boots in another system.

6. All hope was lost, UNTIL I decided to hook up some other HD's,
System successfully boots to a 7.5 gb Quantum Fireball with Windows ME
(sorry), as well as a 6 gb Maxtor with Windows 95. EVERY TIME, on both
the installed and onboard IDE controllers.


I have never had a system be picky about the OS, does it sound like the
system is just hosed, or does anyone know an explanation of why the
system refuses to boot an HD with XP?

Thank you for your assistance!

-Geoff

 

[Fabien LE LEZ]

1. When I hook up a known good 10 gb Maxtor with WinXP(different from
original) on primary IDE set as CS, the system POST's and immediately
goes to a blinking cursor in the upper left-hand corner of the screen.

Ain't that just Windows XP that crashed? It can be rather difficult to
boot Windows XP on another PC than the one it was installed on.
OTOH, Windows 95/98/ME will boot without any problem (but may have
trouble with hardware later on).

or does anyone know an explanation of why the
system refuses to boot an HD with XP?

It might be XP that is at fault.
Did you try to put an empty hard drive, and make a fresh install of
Windows XP?

 

[smoscar]

Ain't that just Windows XP that crashed? It can be rather difficult to

boot Windows XP on another PC than the one it was installed on.
OTOH, Windows 95/98/ME will boot without any problem (but may have
trouble with hardware later on).

I thought I'd at least be able to get the XP Loader screen to come up.
I thought for sure I'd done this on different systems, but then again,
it would have been on identical systems.

It might be XP that is at fault.
Did you try to put an empty hard drive, and make a fresh install of
Windows XP?

I will try this next.

Thanks for your help, I will post again if any progress

-G

 

[Rod Speed]

First of all, this is a very possibly hosed system.

Unlikely, that only normally kills hard drives at most.

A smart guy at my office "accidentally" kicked over his desktop.
It is a Compaq EVO, 1.6 gb w/ 512 mb The hard drive was very
toasted, and now I'm seeing if the system can be salvaged.

Corse it can.

1. When I hook up a known good 10 gb Maxtor
with WinXP(different from original)

That last in brackets is your problem. You need to do a repair install.

on primary IDE set as CS, the system POST's and immediately
goes to a blinking cursor in the upper left-hand corner of the screen.
It will never boot the OS and jsut sits there, and the HD does not
sound very active. It does the same if soley hooked to the secondary
IDE as well. Tried setting it to Master in both configs, still not working.

You see that because the XP you are trying to boot has drivers
for a different motherboard, the one it was installed in.

A repair install of XP will fix that.

That is not the same thing as the repair option
you first see when you first boot the XP CD.

2. The system will detect a bootable CD-Rom, and boot to it. Tried
this with an XP OS cd, was even able to run the recovery console.

3. Installed a PCI IDE controller, disabled onboard controller,
checked IRQ's.

No point in that.

4. When hooking up the 10gb HD, system POST's, controller detects
HD, automatically reboots. The same happens when hooked to either
the primary or secondary controller on the installed IDE controller.

For the same reason.

5. Double checked that 10 gb hard drive still boots in another system.

6. All hope was lost, UNTIL I decided to hook up some other HD's,
System successfully boots to a 7.5 gb Quantum Fireball with Windows ME
(sorry), as well as a 6 gb Maxtor with Windows 95. EVERY TIME, on
both the installed and onboard IDE controllers.

Because ME does the chipset drivers differently to how XP does them.

I have never had a system be picky about the OS,

XP usually is if the chipset has changed.

does it sound like the system is just hosed,
Nope.

or does anyone know an explanation of why
the system refuses to boot an HD with XP?

Its using the wrong drivers for the motherboard chipset.

A repair install will fix that. Operate as if you are doing a clean
install, tell it to install XP where its currently installed partition wise.
DONT FORMAT THAT PARTITION. The install will say that its
found an existing install of XP and offer to repair that. Accept that.

 

[Rod Speed]

I thought I'd at least be able to get the XP Loader screen to come up.
I thought for sure I'd done this on different systems, but then again,
it would have been on identical systems.

Thats the difference, same chipset in that case.

I will try this next.

A repair install is easier.

 

[Arno Wagner]

First of all, this is a very possibly hosed system. A smart guy at my
office "accidentally" kicked over his desktop. It is a Compaq EVO, 1.6
gb w/ 512 mb The hard drive was very toasted, and now I'm seeing if the
system can be salvaged. [...]

5. Double checked that 10 gb hard drive still boots in another system.

6. All hope was lost, UNTIL I decided to hook up some other HD's,
System successfully boots to a 7.5 gb Quantum Fireball with Windows ME
(sorry), as well as a 6 gb Maxtor with Windows 95. EVERY TIME, on both
the installed and onboard IDE controllers.

I have never had a system be picky about the OS, does it sound like
the system is just hosed, or does anyone know an explanation of why
the system refuses to boot an HD with XP?

Thank you for your assistance!

Might this be a very old box with an 8GB HDD size limit in the
BIOS?

Arno

 

[John Turco]

First of all, this is a very possibly hosed system. A smart guy at my
office "accidentally" kicked over his desktop. It is a Compaq EVO, 1.6
gb w/ 512 mb The hard drive was very toasted, and now I'm seeing if the
system can be salvaged. [...]

5. Double checked that 10 gb hard drive still boots in another system.

6. All hope was lost, UNTIL I decided to hook up some other HD's,
System successfully boots to a 7.5 gb Quantum Fireball with Windows ME
(sorry), as well as a 6 gb Maxtor with Windows 95. EVERY TIME, on both
the installed and onboard IDE controllers.

I have never had a system be picky about the OS, does it sound like
the system is just hosed, or does anyone know an explanation of why
the system refuses to boot an HD with XP?

Thank you for your assistance!

Might this be a very old box with an 8GB HDD size limit in the
BIOS?

Arno

Hello, Arno:

The original poster evidently meant to say, "1.6GHz" (processor), and
not, "1.6gb" (hard disk). Thus, any system capable of running such a
relatively fast CPU, would not suffer the rather ancient "8GB HDD size
limit" that you mentioned.

Think, man, think! Folkert Rienstra is just waiting for another excuse
to bash you, so don't make things easier for him. <g>


Cordially,
John Turco <[email protected]>

 

[Fabien LE LEZ]

Think, man, think! Folkert Rienstra is just waiting for another excuse
to bash you, so don't make things easier for him. <g>

OTOH, if Rienstra doesn't insult him, he'll get bored and start
insulting me ;-)

 

[Arno Wagner]

First of all, this is a very possibly hosed system. A smart guy at my
office "accidentally" kicked over his desktop. It is a Compaq EVO, 1.6
gb w/ 512 mb The hard drive was very toasted, and now I'm seeing if the
system can be salvaged. [...]

5. Double checked that 10 gb hard drive still boots in another system.

6. All hope was lost, UNTIL I decided to hook up some other HD's,
System successfully boots to a 7.5 gb Quantum Fireball with Windows ME
(sorry), as well as a 6 gb Maxtor with Windows 95. EVERY TIME, on both
the installed and onboard IDE controllers.

I have never had a system be picky about the OS, does it sound like
the system is just hosed, or does anyone know an explanation of why
the system refuses to boot an HD with XP?

Thank you for your assistance!

Might this be a very old box with an 8GB HDD size limit in the
BIOS?

Arno

Hello, Arno:

The original poster evidently meant to say, "1.6GHz" (processor), and
not, "1.6gb" (hard disk). Thus, any system capable of running such a
relatively fast CPU, would not suffer the rather ancient "8GB HDD size
limit" that you mentioned.

Well, a 7.5GB and a 6GB disk working, but a 10GB not is suspicious.
I did not check to see what the hardware was. But true, if it is
1.6GHz, then it is not a very old box. Hmmm. More fun with
Windows eXPerimental.... (Yes, "XP" comes from aircraft design and
is used as suffix for experimental aircrafts.)

With this info it looks like a broken boot-loader on the 10GB disk.
The other system it was tested in might just use another disk access
model.

Think, man, think! Folkert Rienstra is just waiting for another excuse
to bash you, so don't make things easier for him. <g>

Although your concern is touching, he will bash anyways. (Not
that I see much of it. Only when quoted or when he feels so
great a need to be heard by me that he opens yet another account.)

He seems to think he can fight me or something.

Arno

 

[Arno Wagner]

On 10 Aug 2006 01:53:57 EDT, John Turco <[email protected]>:

OTOH, if Rienstra doesn't insult him, he'll get bored and start
insulting me ;-)

Fine by me either way. I will try to keep feeding the troll ;-)

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

First of all, this is a very possibly hosed system. A smart guy at my
office "accidentally" kicked over his desktop. It is a Compaq EVO, 1.6
gb w/ 512 mb The hard drive was very toasted, and now I'm seeing if the
system can be salvaged. [...]

5. Double checked that 10 gb hard drive still boots in another system.

6. All hope was lost, UNTIL I decided to hook up some other HD's,
System successfully boots to a 7.5 gb Quantum Fireball with Windows ME
(sorry), as well as a 6 gb Maxtor with Windows 95. EVERY TIME, on both
the installed and onboard IDE controllers.

I have never had a system be picky about the OS, does it sound like
the system is just hosed, or does anyone know an explanation of why
the system refuses to boot an HD with XP?

Thank you for your assistance!

Might this be a very old box with an 8GB HDD size limit in the BIOS?

Arno

Hello, Arno:

The original poster evidently meant to say, "1.6GHz" (processor), and
not, "1.6gb" (hard disk). Thus, any system capable of running such a
relatively fast CPU, would not suffer the rather ancient "8GB HDD size
limit" that you mentioned.

Think, man, think!

Oh, don't be so cruel John, you know full well that that hurts his head.

Folkert Rienstra is just waiting for another excuse to bash you,

so don't make things easier for him. <g>

Actually that is what I suspect him of recently.
He is now just misusing (ie abusing) other peoples questions
for trolling by deliberately giving utmost stupid answers.

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

What, Arnie insulting you? What has the world come to.

Fine by me either way. I will try to keep feeding the troll ;-)

Thanks, suspicion of abusing helpless posters for trolling purposes now confirmed.

And what's that about trying, babblebot, it comes totally natural to you.
Avoiding it for once, now that would be trying.

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

Previously (e-mail address removed) wrote:
First of all, this is a very possibly hosed system. A smart guy at my
office "accidentally" kicked over his desktop. It is a Compaq EVO, 1.6
gb w/ 512 mb The hard drive was very toasted, and now I'm seeing if the
system can be salvaged.
[...]

5. Double checked that 10 gb hard drive still boots in another system.

6. All hope was lost, UNTIL I decided to hook up some other HD's,
System successfully boots to a 7.5 gb Quantum Fireball with Windows ME
(sorry), as well as a 6 gb Maxtor with Windows 95. EVERY TIME, on both
the installed and onboard IDE controllers.

I have never had a system be picky about the OS, does it sound like
the system is just hosed, or does anyone know an explanation of why
the system refuses to boot an HD with XP?

Thank you for your assistance!

Might this be a very old box with an 8GB HDD size limit in the BIOS?

Arno

Hello, Arno:

The original poster evidently meant to say, "1.6GHz" (processor), and
not, "1.6gb" (hard disk). Thus, any system capable of running such a
relatively fast CPU, would not suffer the rather ancient "8GB HDD size
limit" that you mentioned.

Well, a 7.5GB and a 6GB disk working, but a 10GB not is suspicious.
I did not check to see what the hardware was. But true, if it is
1.6GHz, then it is not a very old box. Hmmm. More fun with
Windows eXPerimental....

(Yes, "XP" comes from aircraft design

Utterly clueless, as always.

and is used as suffix for experimental aircrafts.)

With this info

A new opportunity to babble more.

it looks like a broken boot-loader on the 10GB disk.
The other system it was tested in might just use another disk access
model.


Although your concern is touching, he will bash anyways.

(Not that I see much of it.

For your own preservation, obviously. You'd become a trembling wreck
if you did. Can't have that, eh Arnie. Can't babble when you tremble.

Only when quoted or when he feels so great a need to be heard by me

that he opens yet another account.)

Utterly clueless, as always.

He seems to think he can fight me

or something.

Or something.

 

[John Turco]

OTOH, if Rienstra doesn't insult him, he'll get bored and start
insulting me ;-)

Hello, Fabien:

There's only one thing I want to know: Is "Fabien Le Lez" your real
name?


Cordially,
John Turco <[email protected]>

 

[Fabien LE LEZ]

There's only one thing I want to know: Is "Fabien Le Lez" your real
name?

Yes. Why?

 

[Arno Wagner]

On 11 Aug 2006 02:08:38 EDT, John Turco <[email protected]>:

Yes. Why?

I think it sounds cool.

Arno

 

[John Turco]

Yes. Why?

Hello, Fabien:

Nothing, I just thought it was too funny-sounding to be genuine. <g>

For a Frenchman (or for >anybody<, actually), your command of English is
excellent. Among non-native speakers of the language, your main rivals,
here in <are Folkert "Dutch"
Rienstra and Arno "Swiss" Wagner. :-J


Cordially,
John Turco <[email protected]>