posted
My computer won't boot. Well, it will, just not far at all. It locks on
quote: Main Processor : AMD Athalon(TM) 1000MHz(100x10.0)
DRAM CLK : 133MHz
I can't go into setup cuz it locks before my keyboard starts, and I have no idea what to do... I let it cool down for about a half hour and still no change... any thoughts? Or do I get a whole new processor, or motherboard, even?
Thanks, in advance...
P.S.-It's the computer across the room from me, now.
posted
No new hardware... it is the computer I am usually on... And I yanked the power cord while I let it rest for a while earlier, no change...
Posts: 677 | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
There are actually only a few things that could be causing an error that early. Unfortunately, these are hard things to troubleshoot because most people simply don't have spares of the equipment you'd need to swap out to test 'em.
One easy thing you can try, if you have two or more sticks of non-parity RAM, is to remove one stick and then the other and see if you can boot.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
I took out one of the 512 sticks and rebooted, repeated with the other one. Added a 64 stick with them. Tried the 64 with either. No change. Now with just the 64 stick in, it reads
DRAM CLK : 100MHz
That is the only change I have seen so far... I know I've got RAM lying around all over the place, and it is only a matter of me actually finding it, but judging by this, do you think different RAM would do me any good, even?
Posts: 677 | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
DRAM is changing because your (presumably older) stick of 64MB has to run at a lower bus speed.
But, assuming all of your RAM isn't fried, which is unlikely, it appears your RAM is not the issue.
Is there any way to get to the BIOS?
Tom, do you think replacing his system clock battery (or removing and resetting it) could help?
Do you have an on(mother)board video card, or is it a completely separate component? If it's on-board, maybe your video card (and by extension motherboard) may be toast.
posted
I had an ATI Rage 128 in there, and just swapped it out for an nVidia 32, no change... fried motherboard?
Posts: 677 | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
This isn't _my_ computer. This one's my stepdad's. Mine's over there *points* ...dead.
I did, however, make a cutout speech bubble for it that says "Shoot Me!"... if that's, ya know...any better.
Posts: 677 | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
I don't think his system battery's affecting him, here, but it's worth a shot. Before having him purchase anything, though, I'd have him start pulling peripherals at this point. If he's getting a bad charge from any card or drive, that could be affecting the system.
So what I'd do, here, is yank out every card in your system (except the video card, if you need it to drive your monitor). Disconnect every drive, even your hard drive -- and disconnect not just the data cables but the power connectors.
Then turn your machine back on. If you get something like "Operating system not found," you know the problem is a peripheral -- and can then experiment with adding cards until the system won't boot again.
If you STILL can't get anything after disconnecting everything extraneous, you're going to start looking at paying money. At best, you may need a new CMOS battery, which is just a few dollars; at worst, your motherboard, video card, CPU, or power supply is toast.
posted
Well, it isn't my CMOS battery or video card, as I have just tried a few different ones of each, to no avail. *le sigh* I'm sure it isn't the power supply, either, but I will check that next...
Nor is it the powersupply...
I'll see if I can slap together a motherboard/processor combo real quick, if not, I'll have to dig through my equipment later
posted
If it freezes at the POST like that, and you have tried swapping various memory modules to no avail, then I would diagnose it as a problem with your CPU overheating. Take off the heatsink, make sure the CPU is properly seated, and make sure to reseat the heatsink again very tightly, making sure to use liberal amounts of thermal compound before putting the heatsink on. If you have no compound and you have been using the tape that comes pre-attached to the Athlon heatsink, then use Comet abrasive scrub to clean the tape off the heatsink (and preferably the CPU), go to your local computer store or Radio Shack, and get a decent tube of compound to use instead (usually between $2-6 US).
Before you do any of this, however, make sure you flash your BIOS first, to make absolutely sure you cannot boot from default settings (even if you have changed nothing). Sometimes the BIOS itself can hang on a POST if it has an error that it can't resolve.
Posts: 72 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
Not upgrade the BIOS, which would require booting. I mean use the little jumper to clear the ROM that contains the BIOS settings.
Posts: 72 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
I have no instructions manuals, these machines were all built from body parts of other computer corpses... =\
Posts: 677 | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
You'll probably want to download a user's guide for your motherboard. Somewhere on your board, most likely near your CMOS battery, is a little jumper that, when you start the computer with it "off," resets the motherboard's settings to their factory defaults.
However, usually removing the CMOS battery has this effect anyway, so I'm not sure it'll really matter to you.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
I both removed and replaced the CMOS battery earlier, with no change, but I will certainly hunt for that jumper in the morning. Thanks, all for your help. I'm probably just going to try to get my hands on a new motherboard. *shrugs* We'll see... in any case, one more reason for work to hurry up and gimme a laptop, hehe. ^_^
Posts: 677 | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
As Alai said, it sounds to me like it *might* be an overheating problem. Make sure your heat sink is not covered with a insulating blanket of dust and that your fans are working. You might also try leaving the side of your box open and directing a fan in there.
You've already switched out your CMOS battery which effectively reset your BIOS to default, so it can't be any settings there (not an issue anyway if you can't pass POST).
You've switched out everything else there is to switch out and checked your power supply, sooo if its not a heat issue.... your mobo and/or your processor has crapped out.
On the plus side, you could probably salvage your other parts and just spring for a new board and processor.
Posts: 262 | Registered: May 2004
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quote:making sure to use liberal amounts of thermal compound before putting the heatsink on.
No. Even the best thermal compounds are relatively poor conductors of heat (since they must be dielectric). You want a minimal glaze that just barely fills in microscopic flaws in the metal surfaces.
Also, heat won't crash it that quickly from a cold boot, unless the heatsink is improperly installed (not touching the CPU at all).
Posts: 1839 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
Arctic Silver Instructions No, do NOT put on liberal amounts, note how much is recommended for AS.
quote: Only a very small amount of Arctic Silver is needed on small CPU cores like Intel P3s and AMDs. Transfer about 1/2 the size of an uncooked grain of short-grain white rice or 1/4 of a BB for small core CPUs.
quote: Stock processors and/or heatsinks with normal surface irregularities will require a layer 0.003" to 0.005 thick as shown below to fill the resultant gaps. (Equal to the thickness of about 1 sheet of standard weight paper.) Properly lapped heatsinks with mirror finishes will only require a translucent haze.
[ June 04, 2004, 03:44 PM: Message edited by: Liquor and Fireworks ]
Posts: 331 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Could you gimme some instruction, please?
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