What does this mean!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Maggsmcg
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Maggsmcg

Couple of times now when I have turned on my PC I have this message come up.

Go->Setup F11 Boot Menu
Auto detecting Pri Master - Not detected
Auto detecting Pri Slave - Press <F4> to abort.

Then nothing, just a blank screen.

If I turn the PC off and wait a while and turn on again it seems to be OK.

I haven't installed anything new, I have checked for viruses(?) and other
intruders and I haven't downloaded anything new either. What does it mean!
 
Maggsmcg said:
Couple of times now when I have turned on my PC I have this message
come up.

Go->Setup F11 Boot Menu
Auto detecting Pri Master - Not detected
Auto detecting Pri Slave - Press <F4> to abort.

Then nothing, just a blank screen.

If I turn the PC off and wait a while and turn on again it seems to be
OK.

I haven't installed anything new, I have checked for viruses(?) and
other
intruders and I haven't downloaded anything new either. What does it
mean!
Click to expand...

It means that you have failing hardware. It could be your drive, your
motherboard, your power supply unit, etc. I'd start troubleshooting the
hard drive first, then maybe the psu. I'll give you some general
hardware troubleshooting steps, but if the computer is still under
warranty just call the mftr.'s tech support ASAP.

1) Open the computer and run it open, cleaning out all dust bunnies and
observing all fans (overheating will cause system freezing). Obviously
you can't do this with a laptop, but you can hear if the fan is running
and feel if the laptop is getting too hot.

2) Test the RAM - I like Memtest86+ from www.memtest.org. Obviously, you
have to get the program from a working machine. You will either
download the precompiled Windows binary to make a bootable floppy or
the .iso to make a bootable cd. If you want to use the latter, you'll
need to have third-party burning software on the machine where you
download the file - XP's built-in burning capability won't do the job.
In either case, boot with the media you made. The test will run
immediately. Let the test run for an hour or two - unless errors are
seen immediately. If you get any errors, replace the RAM.

3) Test the hard drive with a diagnostic utility from the mftr. Download
the file and make a bootable floppy or cd with it. Boot with the media
and do a thorough test. If the drive has physical errors, replace it.

4) The power supply may be going bad or be inadequate for the devices
you have in the system. The adequacy issue doesn't really apply to a
laptop, although of course the power supply can be faulty.

5) Test the motherboard with something like TuffTest from
www.tufftest.com. Sometimes this is useful, and sometimes it isn't.

Testing hardware failures often involves swapping out suspected parts
with known-good parts. If you can't do the testing yourself and/or are
uncomfortable opening your computer, take the machine to a professional
computer repair shop (not your local equivalent of BigStoreUSA).

Malke
 
In addition to what Malke has said, check all of the plugs going to the hard
drives - both ends. Unplug them and then replug them. Your problem could be
as simple as a cable connection that has become oxidized.

Also, sometimes a hard drive may not spin up fast enough, causing the drive
to be undetected. This could be due to a low voltage condition from an
inadaquate power supply or due to failing/sticky bearings in the drive
(unusual, but occurrs).

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
Maggsmcg said:
Couple of times now when I have turned on my PC I have this message come up.

Go->Setup F11 Boot Menu
Auto detecting Pri Master - Not detected
Auto detecting Pri Slave - Press <F4> to abort.

Then nothing, just a blank screen.

If I turn the PC off and wait a while and turn on again it seems to be OK.

I haven't installed anything new, I have checked for viruses(?) and other
intruders and I haven't downloaded anything new either. What does it mean!
Click to expand...


It means that you have a hardware problem. Your motherboard is not
recognizing the presence of your hard drive(s) and/or optical drive.
This could be caused by a loose cable connections, but it's most likely
to be a defective solder joint on the motherboard.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH
 
A loose solder connection would be the very last thing I would worry about.
I have replaced a few hundred drives and cables combined and have never
found a cold solder connection to be the cause of a drive detection problem.

Now, that's not saying it "couldn't" happen - just unlikely considering the
cool temps within the computer case. Back when Color T.V.'s had 35 tubes,
and internal temperatures of 160 deg F after being on for a few hours, the
problem was much more prevelent. Many of my service calls then were spent
doing nothing but retouching cold solder connections. (-:

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
Richard said:
In addition to what Malke has said, check all of the plugs going to the hard
drives - both ends. Unplug them and then replug them. Your problem could be
as simple as a cable connection that has become oxidized.

Also, sometimes a hard drive may not spin up fast enough, causing the drive
to be undetected. This could be due to a low voltage condition from an
inadaquate power supply or due to failing/sticky bearings in the drive
(unusual, but occurrs).
Click to expand...
How about adding a Hard Disk pre-delay startup - normally found in the
bios - gives the Hard disk a chnce to spin up b4 the pc tries to boot
from it
 
I suspected that and pushed all the leads in a bit, I also removed my USB
hub coz I remembered I had had trouble with that at some point a while ago.
That seems to have worked for now. I have a suspicion either my
grandchildren or my cat may well have been under the desk for some reason
and have accidentally pulled one of the leads loose. At least I hope so -
don't really have the expertise to open the thing up and can't afford
expensive repairs at the moment. Also the PC is almost five years old and
even though I've kept it updated quite a bit it's probably getting too old
to be repaired.

Anyway, Thanks all for all your help.
 
If children and/or cats are getting inside the computer, I'd suggest that
you put the case back on before you have other issues to deal with. Those
spinning fans could be dangerous for little fingers or tails.
 
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