Jetheat
asked on
Bootup and possible Overclock problem
I have a Desktop with a P4 3.0 Ghz Processor and a Asus P4c800-e Deluxe Motherboard.
A few days ago, I installed McAfee Suite but I don't think that has anything to do with this hardware/bios problem.
2 day ago, after booting up, the screen froze on the Asus Mobo logo screen (where you can press Del to enter setup or press Tab to continue past the Bios Post message). I restarted the computer a couple of times but to no avail.
After a while, I managed to get into Setup by pressing F1 at the new prompt screen.
Before entering setup, I think quick message appeared saying that Overclocking failed.
I didn't attempt any such thing and the computer has been running fine for over a year now.
Today, I am frozen again and after leaving it on the Post Screen for a while, it continues to loadup and says things like "CMOS settings wrong" and "No drive attached to Fasttrak cotroller. The bios is not installed" etc... and other unusual things. I pressed F1 to enter setup again and when I looked at the settings, I found nothing to indicate anything about overclocking. When I load up default values +- necessary changes, it still freezes on Post for a long time before offering 2 options for loading setup again.
Even when I load the default values, it still freezes on startup.
Everytime I start the computer and go into setup via F1, It doesn't detect certain hardware. Sometimes my C drive is missing and sometimes my C and D physical drives are missing.
What can I do?
A few days ago, I installed McAfee Suite but I don't think that has anything to do with this hardware/bios problem.
2 day ago, after booting up, the screen froze on the Asus Mobo logo screen (where you can press Del to enter setup or press Tab to continue past the Bios Post message). I restarted the computer a couple of times but to no avail.
After a while, I managed to get into Setup by pressing F1 at the new prompt screen.
Before entering setup, I think quick message appeared saying that Overclocking failed.
I didn't attempt any such thing and the computer has been running fine for over a year now.
Today, I am frozen again and after leaving it on the Post Screen for a while, it continues to loadup and says things like "CMOS settings wrong" and "No drive attached to Fasttrak cotroller. The bios is not installed" etc... and other unusual things. I pressed F1 to enter setup again and when I looked at the settings, I found nothing to indicate anything about overclocking. When I load up default values +- necessary changes, it still freezes on Post for a long time before offering 2 options for loading setup again.
Even when I load the default values, it still freezes on startup.
Everytime I start the computer and go into setup via F1, It doesn't detect certain hardware. Sometimes my C drive is missing and sometimes my C and D physical drives are missing.
What can I do?
ASKER
Can that really be the problem? I did take the battery out and put it in again earlier.
I have now managed to get into Windows just by chance. I don't know how it did it but I guess its got a mind of its own.
Does this now indicate that its not a battery problem?
I have now managed to get into Windows just by chance. I don't know how it did it but I guess its got a mind of its own.
Does this now indicate that its not a battery problem?
ASKER
Although I can get into Windows now, the computer waits a much longer time than usual at the post screen.
How do I fix this?
How do I fix this?
Those batteries keep all the system settings, such as hard drive geometry. When they die, the settings have to be autodetected every time you cold boot. Put in a new battery, not the old one again.
ASKER
OK, I'll give it a shot but to me it seems like a HDD failure as it seems to start driving teh HDD and I here many clicks. Suddenly I get a Kernal Data Inpage Error with the BSOD.
If the battery doesn't solve your problem (it's cheap), run a disk diagnostic on your hard drive:
Maxtor/Quantum http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/products/index.htm
Fujitsu http://www.fcpa.fujitsu.com/download/hard-drives/#diagnostic
Samsung http://www.samsungelectronics.com/hdd/support/utilities/utilities_index.html
Seagate http://www.seagate.com/support/seatools/index.html
Western Digital http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp?cxml=n&swid=1
IBM and Hitachi http://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#DFT
Maxtor/Quantum http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/products/index.htm
Fujitsu http://www.fcpa.fujitsu.com/download/hard-drives/#diagnostic
Samsung http://www.samsungelectronics.com/hdd/support/utilities/utilities_index.html
Seagate http://www.seagate.com/support/seatools/index.html
Western Digital http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp?cxml=n&swid=1
IBM and Hitachi http://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#DFT
ASKER
Callandor, thanks for that.
I download the WD version and it did show a bad sector which it repaired.
I'll have to give it some time to make sure that was the problem.
JH
I download the WD version and it did show a bad sector which it repaired.
I'll have to give it some time to make sure that was the problem.
JH
Have you canhged the battery? If BIOS miss-auto-configured your HD parameters, could lead to HD failure
Salu2
Salu2
ASKER
Haven't got round to it yet but I will.
It seems increasingly likely that the problem is related to the SATA cable to my C drive. When I replace the Base unit cover, it touches the sata cable and the drive starts clicking and spinning.
I'll change the cable and the battery later and let you know what it was.
Thanks
JH
It seems increasingly likely that the problem is related to the SATA cable to my C drive. When I replace the Base unit cover, it touches the sata cable and the drive starts clicking and spinning.
I'll change the cable and the battery later and let you know what it was.
Thanks
JH
ASKER
OK, I changed the battery and the cable.
The Post screen still waits a long time before continuing to Windows.
Even if I press TAB or DEL, it still waits till it's finished waiting and then continues to whatever I pressed.
Any ideas on why its doing this and how I can cure it?
The Post screen still waits a long time before continuing to Windows.
Even if I press TAB or DEL, it still waits till it's finished waiting and then continues to whatever I pressed.
Any ideas on why its doing this and how I can cure it?
There's a possibility the SATA controller has a problem. Is this a separate card? Take it out of the system and install it with a drive in another system (if you can). If the problem moves with the card, it's likely the card is the problem.
ASKER
Unfortunately, the SATA is built into the mobo. Asus P4c800-e Deluxe.
Can I do anything about that?
I figured out that it wasn't the SATA cable that was the problem. Instead it was the SATA drive power which had the problem associated with it as it started whirring when I touched that.
So I changed the power wire from a SATA power connector to a molex one and it doesn't have that particular problem now.
But it still freezes for a while on bootup.
JH
Can I do anything about that?
I figured out that it wasn't the SATA cable that was the problem. Instead it was the SATA drive power which had the problem associated with it as it started whirring when I touched that.
So I changed the power wire from a SATA power connector to a molex one and it doesn't have that particular problem now.
But it still freezes for a while on bootup.
JH
You can't do anything about the onboard SATA, except replace it with a PCI card if you determine that it's the problem. Freezes on bootup: how long does it freeze? This can happen if there is a network card that's faulty or doing a search on the network. If you have one, disconnect it and remove the card, if you have one.
ASKER
I just disabled some legacy usb line in the bios and seems to have solved it. I didn't touch any cards or anything else.
Thanks for your help,
JH
Thanks for your help,
JH
ASKER
Hi Callandor, I've requested that you receive some points for your efforts and the rest can be refunded.
Take 40 and refund the rest, is that ok?
JH
Take 40 and refund the rest, is that ok?
JH
Jetheat,
You can post a new question as RomMod suggests with a title "Points for Callandor" and include a link to this question. Then you can get a full refund for this question.
You can post a new question as RomMod suggests with a title "Points for Callandor" and include a link to this question. Then you can get a full refund for this question.
ASKER
done
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Salu2