Need MAJOR help - I have FUBARd my PC
OK Yesterday I turned on my PC and waited for it to start - 4 secs later screen went blank.
When i turned it on the button had "stuck" in and so had turned the pc off again.
No problem I thought! - Boy was i wrong.
Turned it on and got am immediate error that the CPU was overclocked and was now turning off.
Turned on and entered BIOS, error message saying that due to power shutdown the BIOS had reset to factory defaults and the CPU should be adjusted, went to the screen and reset the settings for my cpu, saved and exited.
Now booted past Bios - found my 2 sata drives and asked for choices on starting windows. - I have tried all choices - last known good config;, safe mode; normal restart; sfae with command prompt;
the results are always the same - PC hangs with no error message just sits and waits for - something?
When i choose safe mode it "sometimes" stops at the line
"windows\system32\config\system"
and sometimes it goes straight past and hangs at a blank screen.
Tried to boot with the windows disc in cd drive, usually hangs intalling drivers and gets no further. I am trying to get to a repair or reinstal windows screen.
Now my question is this - WTF has happenned?
Is it Windows - as it gets past BIOS ok?
Is it Hardware? if so which piece?
Please help - I dont want to reformat - there is a file on there I desperately need.
thanks guys
When i turned it on the button had "stuck" in and so had turned the pc off again.
No problem I thought! - Boy was i wrong.
Turned it on and got am immediate error that the CPU was overclocked and was now turning off.
Turned on and entered BIOS, error message saying that due to power shutdown the BIOS had reset to factory defaults and the CPU should be adjusted, went to the screen and reset the settings for my cpu, saved and exited.
Now booted past Bios - found my 2 sata drives and asked for choices on starting windows. - I have tried all choices - last known good config;, safe mode; normal restart; sfae with command prompt;
the results are always the same - PC hangs with no error message just sits and waits for - something?
When i choose safe mode it "sometimes" stops at the line
"windows\system32\config\system"
and sometimes it goes straight past and hangs at a blank screen.
Tried to boot with the windows disc in cd drive, usually hangs intalling drivers and gets no further. I am trying to get to a repair or reinstal windows screen.
Now my question is this - WTF has happenned?
Is it Windows - as it gets past BIOS ok?
Is it Hardware? if so which piece?
Please help - I dont want to reformat - there is a file on there I desperately need.
thanks guys
0
Comments
Moherboard, memory (how many cards), CPU, HD set-up, PSU, video, OS (Pro-Home)?
Do you get any error messages during POST at all?
You might try and see if you can run Memtest-
Get it Here
Make a bootable disk, set your PC to boot from it (if you can) and run it a couple of hours (it does everything automatically from boot). Let us know how it goes. If there is a failure, test one memory card at a time until you nail the failing board and replace it.
You might also see if there is a power supply of equal or larger rating you could try.
Hope this helps,
Get back to us with some info if it doesn't- and you might want to get out your mobo user's manual if you got one.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307545
I reset the Bios and let it load as normal instead of adjusting the time to be correct. well it POSTed and loaded and windows came up and I was able to save my work.
BUT
If I go into Bios and adjust the time to todays date and time It does nothing! no POST, or anything!
What is going on!
Should I flash the BIOS?
A guess-
If it can't hold settings you might need to replace the battery on your system board.
Do I need a new MB?
You may be right and your mobo is done- but 100mHz is the default reset value for your mobo- (which I found out by another means is an A7N8X Deluxe- which I also own). I think your mobo is not getting enough power to hold up your settings properly and is resetting. A new mobo battery is worth a try.
Of course, getting a new mobo is your option- but a CR2032 battery is pretty common and can be had at Walmart or its Australian equivalent for $3-4US.
OK it doesnt seem to be the battery - 2 new batterries - same result
BUT here is the funny thing - if I change ANYTHING in the BIOS not just the CPU then it will no longer POST.
EVEN if I go into the BIOS and DONT change anything - it will no longer POST?
WTF is going on - I have never seen this before, or heard of it before????
as an aside, how do i find out exactly what cpu i have? I have tried CPUID from amd and it tells me I have an Athlon XP and the speed it is now running at, but not what it is exactly and what speed it SHOULD be running at?
Do you know how much cache you have and what your CPU freq multiplier and bus speed are (get them from BIOS), I can figure it pretty good.
Barton core A2
L2 cache 512
L1 cache 64
Latency 3
Tech 0.13u
Model A
Stepping 0
Multipliers in BIOS at present are 100 and 12.5 (Default)
Of course, Family 7 Model 10(A) Step 0 can also be for the AMD2600+, but that default CPU multiplier is 11.5.
Also- What board Rev Deluxe mobo do you have, BIOS are you using and do you have the original Deluxe or one of the hybrids (E, etc)?
I thought I had put a 2800 in there but was unsure,
I have no idea how to get it working at its best speed - as I cant get into the BIOS and still get to windows???
MB is Asus A7N8X Deluxe Rev 2.00
BIOS flashed to 1008-D
WTF haappenned???
Have a look here (SM thread - showing items for sale)
Might be worth an email to see? otherwise search ebay!
I think Memtest (mentioned in post #4) would have found it. It could probably isolate which board (if you have more than one) if you test them one at a time.
Well, glad you're back up again-