Check the things in my previous post and let's see if you can get the floppy drive working. Without being able to run any tests at all it's going to be nearly impossible to diagnose this problem.
I'm beginning to lean toward it being a PSU problem, but I really don't want to advise you to spend a lot of money on a new one since:
1) It is proprietary and will likely be expensive.
2) It may not be the answer.
3) Because it is proprietary you won't be able to just stick it in another computer and get your money's worth out of it.
How do I check if my BIOS is set correctly...Should I go to the setup and load optimized settings or fail safe settings? I checked my cable wire and power cord and they are set correctly. Should I try to copy the hard drive test to a floppy disk and run it from there? I actually never thought to do that, always figured that a CD was the best option...I'm pretty bad with this stuff so bare with me if you could! Thanks!
In the BIOS you (hopefully) will be able to modify individual settings for the floppy drive. Write down what they are before making any changes, then see if the configuration for Drive A: and Drive B: works for you.
Different computers have different types of BIOS pages, so yours might look different:
The hard drive test is too large to put on a floppy...The specs were the same on myfloppy as yours. The mem-test fit on a floppy, but when i went to start my computer, it just kept on restarting again. Also, i should have mentioned before that just before the computer restarts when I have the CDs/floppies in, it flashes a blue screen that appaered to have white writing on it. Either way, floppy or CD, the comp. restarts without doing a test or anyting else.
Can you borrow a PSU to test the system with? I know it won't fit in the case; just run the wires in from the outside with the side off.
Since none of your drives want to operate properly, it's most likely the PSU (or perhaps the motherboard.) The odds of every drive in your computer going whacko all at once are quite low, assuming you haven't had a power surge.
My dad actually had an extra PSU laying around (what are the odds), but it didn't fit...and by didn't fit, I mean the wires didn't fit in the sockets on my computer...they were too big on the new PSU. I'll try to see if he'll let me take apart his computer and let me try his PSU (worth a shot!).
Don't try and force anything. If one of the PSUs has the main power connector to the motherboard come in two pieces which sit side by side, it means that it is an old AT style and will NOT work with a modern computer.
So I guess my next move is to get a PSU and hope that works . I'll try to see if the one in my dads comp. fits first. I'll post results if I can get his real soon, otherwise, it may be a couple weeks before I can get a new PSU from the store.
So I guess my next move is to get a PSU and hope that works . I'll try to see if the one in my dads comp. fits first. I'll post results if I can get his real soon, otherwise, it may be a couple weeks before I can get a new PSU from the store.
So I just read this entire post after searching around on the internet...I finally got to the bottom and there was no resolution! I'm just dying to know if it turned out to be the PSU. I'm having the same problem where the computer shows the Dell bootup screen, it tells me it can't find the primary 1, slave 0, or slave 1 (but it does find the primary 0 which is the master drive). Then it says to hit f1 to continue, which I do, and it reboots. I've messed with the BIOS settings to no avail. I never thought it could be a problem with the PSU. Was that your problem?
Comments
I'm beginning to lean toward it being a PSU problem, but I really don't want to advise you to spend a lot of money on a new one since:
1) It is proprietary and will likely be expensive.
2) It may not be the answer.
3) Because it is proprietary you won't be able to just stick it in another computer and get your money's worth out of it.
Different computers have different types of BIOS pages, so yours might look different:
Since none of your drives want to operate properly, it's most likely the PSU (or perhaps the motherboard.) The odds of every drive in your computer going whacko all at once are quite low, assuming you haven't had a power surge.
So I just read this entire post after searching around on the internet...I finally got to the bottom and there was no resolution!