Dead Computer

Hi All,
Now I really have doozy of a computer problem! Yesterday I was in hurry,and because I could'nt shut down the computer the regular way with my Mouse etc..I just cut the power off.Now I've done this once before without any ill effects.This morning when I pressed the power button,the computer seemed to be booting normally,but within seconds,the Screen remained black,and some kind of short gibirish message that I can't make out started repeating itself over and over!
I proceeded to check connections and Sound Card seating properly etc..I disconnected the Hard Drive,but I still got thar eary message.Of course if I unplug the Speaker wire to the Sound Card it stops.I'm wondering whether the Mainboard is screwed up or whatever else?
Can anyone help me out with this problem? Thank you .
The installed Computer OS is,Windows XP Pro.

 

Thanks Halo,
I'll give your suggestions a try and report back soon.

 

Hi Halo,
Quote:With PC off, pop out the motherboard battery for a few minutes then replace it and boot up, just trying to see if a BIOS reset may help.
Tried this for about 20 seconds & rebooted,same problem!You suggest taking out the battery for''a few minutes'',won't that affect the Memory? If not,and if I did'nt leave it out long enough,would leaving it out 1 minute be sufficient?
I pressed F8 while rebooting,and it had no effect.I still got a black screen and that incomprehensible verbal message kept on repeating itself.What else would you suggest?Thanks for all your help.

 

Hi, you want to leave it out for at least a minute to 5 minutes. It will clear the Bios memory and ask to go to defaults which could be helpful.

Back to Halo...

 

Hi,
Left it out for about 2 minutes,and same result.Maybe I should try the full 5 minutes as you suggest!
thanks

 

If you have your motherboard manual or can find it online, then you may have some pins next to or near the battery where you can change a jumper(need tweezers) and be sure BIOS has been cleared, follow the instructions to the t!

 

We forgot to say unplug the computer before taking the battery out.

 

Hi,
I have the P4P800 Deluxe manual,and looking at the MB pictures,I'm not clear,as to what pins you refer to,near the battery!I'm enclosing a partial screenshot of that area on the MB for your information and further advice.
You say above....you can change a jumper(need tweezers) and be sure BIOS has been cleared.Would like to try this as soon as I know what pins you mean!If clearing the BIOS means taking out the battery,I have already done this before,for at least 5 minutes!
Pls note,that this MB has built in Audio! Thanks for your help.

 

It's just above the battery called CLRTC1, these are instructions from my ASUS board but are the same as my other two ASUS boards.

 

Hi Halo,
Sorry I did'nt get back to you sooner on this problem,As you can see in other Post,i've been trying other possible fixes.
As you can see I can't get into the Bios or Safe Mode.
Now,I'd like to try your Option #1...slave the HD from this PC into another to see if indeed its the HD faulting.
Hope I can do this on the Windows 98 computer I'm writing all this stuff on?
If so,do I disconnect the power to the Win 98 HD so it does'nt Bootup?
Or,slave my XP HD to the Win 98 puter?What i'm getting at is,would the 98 machine Boot up with my XP HD?Thanks for all your help.

 

HDD DOA Bug

 

Thanks plodr,
Good point,I think your absolutely correct.The XP HD I wanted to test is 80 GB.

 

Hi,
What does DOA stand for?Thanks.

 

DOA=Dead On Arrival meaning your HDD is dead.

 

1) Just to make sure on accessing the BIOS--You unplugged the computer and removed the battery for 5 minutes. When you plugged it back in and put the battery back--it still did not take you to a BIOS screen--Correct? You opted not to clear/reset BIOS.

My guess is you may have to go the clear/reset Bios route if you originally got the same error message with the HD both connected and also disconnected.

You could also try removing the RAM and trying to start to see if you get the same message.

**********

2) To test the HD, the manufacturer Western Digital or Seagate/Maxtor should have a program to make a bootable DOS CD that will contain a utility to test your HD on the 98 computer. You would write the bootable CD and boot from it on the 98 computer. [First having disconected the 98HD and connecting the questionable HD as master--easiest way so you won't have to mess with jumpers] It will load a self-contained OS that can read the HD and test for errors.

 

Hi again,
I sent you a ''Thank You'' response to your well detailed Post,because I did'nt have time to respond properly.
Your #1 query:Just to make sure on accessing the BIOS--You unplugged the computer and removed the battery for 5 minutes. When you plugged it back in and put the battery back--it still did not take you to a BIOS screen--Correct? You opted not to clear/reset BIOS.
That is correct.And as usual I could'nt Opt to clear/reset Bios.

#2:You could also try removing the RAM and trying to start to see if you get the same message.
Have'nt done this yet.Have 3 sticks of MEM in there!

3#To test the HD, the manufacturer Western Digital or Seagate/Maxtor should have a program to make a bootable DOS CD that will contain a utility to test your HD on the 98 computer. You would write the bootable CD and boot from it on the 98 computer. [First having disconected the 98HD and connecting the questionable HD as master--easiest way so you won't have to mess with jumpers] It will load a self-contained OS that can read the HD and test for errors.
I've been to Seagate Downloads,looking for a program to make a Bootable DOS CD,and I was presented with over 1800 choices,and at this point i'm uterly confused as to what ''Utility to test my XP HD on the 98 computer''Now I know this asking a lot,but could I impose upon you to Pin Point which utility i'll need to try your above suggestion?
Thanks so much,I really appreciate the help you provided to solve this.

 

Sure,

Go Here scroll to SeaTools for DOS glance at the tutorial so you'll see what you will be getting. Then click the Download Now Link accept the user agreement and on next page type in your email address and it will take you to a choice of versions. Choose floppy or CD (your 98 comp might have a floppy drive--if you have a blank floppy it is simpler to write than a bootable CD) and download. Under the CD heading there is a link for free software to write the bootable CD if you don't have Nero or such.

I would run both the short and long tests. Short because I'm impatient, and long to be certain since I have the software handy.

********
Going back to the original problem if you start your comp with the speakers disconnected you get no message? Just a blank screen from the time you hit the power button?

 

Thanks for the new suggestions.I should be able to do this easily.The Win 98 puter has a Floppy Drive and Nero.I,ll be back soon.
re:Going back to the original problem if you start your comp with the speakers disconnected you get no message? Just a blank screen from the time you hit the power button?
Yes,that is what happens

 

Can you please describe the "eeire" message? I'm assuming it's from the PC speaker on your tower case?

I beleive you have an ASUS MB, and I remember that the "AI" series had a female voice talk to you upon bootup. That being said, disconnecting all peripherals except video card ( HD's, Sound card, etc) and try booting up. If it *doesn't* perform a POST and you still see a black screen, try removing the RAM and see if there is any change to the error message.

I'm thinking it might be a RAM issue as the MB still seems responsive, but let me know the results of the above.

 

Hi Olestros,
That eary quickly repeating voice message looks to be about 6 words,and it's coming from my separate Speakers,When I unplug them,I don't get it! Yes it is a female voice.
Can't really disconnect the Video card,as it is built in the MB! Same thing for the Sound card.
I'm going to remove the Ram sticks as you and Halo suggested,as soon as I check the XP HD on our Win 98 Computer.Thanks for your help.

 

Olestros,
Sorry my mistake I have an''ATI All In Wonder 9000 Pro'' Graphic card.
Just took out the 3 Ram sticks,and it made no difference.Thanks

 

Don't remove the video card. You'll always need that for a video feed to your monitor so you can see what's going on.

If you do not see ANY power on self test (POST) diagnostics, and it's remains a constant black screen with no changes with OR without RAM, then it's most likely your motherboard or your power supply unit (PSU) is damaged and not supplying enough voltage to boot.

It's not the HD, as you'd still see some information upon boot up like mobo vendor and ram size etc.

When you turned it off, did you use the power switch in the back of the pc on your power supply? Did you hard power off ( pressing the main power button on the front for 5 sec) or did you unplug the computer or turn off the power bar?

Also, what's the make of your power supply? Is there an ozone smell coming from anywhere around your computer? Do you have a surge protector or UPS connected to your computer?

 

I had not understood that the message was audio not printed on the screen. What happens if you hit the <del> key immediately after turning the unit on?

Looking at the manual there are about a dozen audio messages available in section 3.2. Can you rule out any of them or possibly catch a particular key word?

Also section 2.7 gives a pretty clear graphic of what the jumpers look like. Clearing the CMOS is just moving the jumper from the two pins on the left to the two pins on the right for 10 seconds.

 

Sach2 Hi,
If I hit DEL key on starting the unit I get the same voice message.
I looked at section 3.2,and listened to the message carefully,and to my surprise,I made out what it said!It keeps repeating ''System Failed CPU Test'' and the Manual suggest ''Check the CPU if properly installed''.Of course the computer always worked ok before,so I assume it was properly installed!
I did the CMOS test twice,with the problem results!I even put in a new battery.
I guess it's looking more & more like the MB is screwed up!
Should I do the HD test you suggested previously anyway? Thanks for your help,we came close to solving this darn thing!

 

I know very little about hardware. It might be wise to repost a shorter synopsis of this post in hardware forum to see what those more familiar would suggest. Something like:

********
I think you might of missed olestros post:

He has some ideas that might be pertinent. I agree you can skip the HD test for now. If your motherboard isn't recognizing your CPU it isn't even looking for the HD yet.

As a non hardware guy, moving the jumpers on the CMOS is as deep as my motherboard experience goes.

Here are a few threads googling "Asus failed CPU test", The error message is well known on your board and rarely is due to a bad CPU. How old is your PC? I think you can ignore the heatsink issue because you didn't recently build your own PC, those posts tend to be much older. The power supply, clearing the CMOS or removing the graphics card seem to be most of the "fixes"/resolutions. One post about first, letting it repeat the message for a minute or two then restarting several times (each time, by pressing the power button just long enough to get a restart immediately after the message) might help diagnose. If after several attempts you can get it to POST then you can rule out the CPU and lean towards the power supply. The hardware forum will definitely get you more experience than I can offer.

http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/18608/
http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/8069/

 

Hi Olestros,
Sorry I could'nt get back sooner to reply to your suggestions!
Probably your right about the MB,but I'm not so sure about the PSU,because when I try to Bootup both my D & E recording drives they both lite up normally,and then bang,that voice error message and black screen comes on!
When I turned off the puter,I clicked the button on my Power bar,and that's when the problem began thereafter.
The Power Supply is an Enermax SFC Whisper,ATX 12 v Version 1.2 Model EG 365P-VE.I don't know what an ''Ozone smell'' would be like,but no, evrything smells normal as always. Yes I have a good APC Surge Protector.Does all this help you to figure out,if there are any other steps we could take,to fix this?
I'm also preparing to follow up on Sach2's suggestions,if we at a dead end here!
Thanks very much for all your help.

 

Never herad of an Enermax browning out so I doubt it's the PSU especially if you have an APC surge protector connected to it.

At this point, I believe it's your mobo or CPU. When you turn on the computer, look to see if the CPU fan is running or not. If it's not running, then that might have damaged your cpu.

You can also try unseating the CPU and look for any burn melted parts, especially in the areas where there's no thermal grease.

If there is any evidence of heat scoring then your chip is gone and will need to be replaced.

 

Here's how i would have tackled this issue.
Working without any knowledge what the code Error is. or any details .

I would start bu trying to make the computer post.
Only connect the memory and (Cpu+Fans)and power supply to the motherboard. make sure nothing else is connected only your Ram in (# O-BAY) the closest to the cpu is 0-BAY. and connect your CPU fan Ofcourse you might have to double check that the CPU is seated proberly and that the whole assembley is secure there's only one why to place a cpu double check that it's in there smoothly and connect your power supply 20 or 24 pin atx that's ofcourse assuming that the power supply is ok and been tested.
then you look for the Power on switch jumper and you'll have to short it remeber nothing at all should be connect to the MOB except memory cpu psu.
If the computer does not post change your rams to BAy 1 if still doesnt work replace the ram totally if still no luck then replace the cpu and use the old ram chip if no luck then change the cpu and use new ram if no luck it's most likely to be your board and the only way to make sure would be by using the ram and or cpu with another system. at least then you'll salvage your loss. you can sell your old parts for cash or on ebay.

If the computer post's and you see video of bios then proceed adding on hardware item at a time some times hardware may cause problems ? compatibility wise! but that doesnt bertain to you since your system was working fine any way.


I hope that i gave you enough details.

and wish it's just a psu cos then it will be a cheap fix but if it's the motherboard unless you can afford to buy the same exact one or the closest in the specs it's not going to work .

Good luck
ncskytech

 

Thanks Olestros,
Glad to hear that the PSU is probably not at fault!I will check the CPU and come back soon.

 

ncskytech,
Thanks for the suggestions.That's a lot for me to digest,but at this point I,m willing to try anything.I'll come back soon.

 

Olesros,
Here's what i've done.
In fact the CPU fan is running fine when I boot up.
I tried unseating the CPU,and stopped before I broke something.I released both Retention Locks ok,but then I'm baffled as to how to release the 4 hooks of the Retention mechanism from each corner of the Module base?
Very frustrating indeed.What should I be doing now? Thanks.

 

Evanhoe,

If you've not done this before you'll need to be very careful as you can potentially damage your mobo if you're not.

What i usually use is a thin long flat head screw driver. If you look at the cpu/heat sink clamp, you'll see that at each hook, there is a slot large enough for a screw driver to fit in. What I usually do is I insert the flat head screw driver into that slot and "push" against the heat sink to leverage the hook off. Once you've done one, now you have to do the other one on the same side.

Once two are done the rest should be able to come off easily without the need of a screw driver.

If you're not comfortable, maybe you can google search to see if there are any guides with pictures.

 

Thanks Olestros,
I kinda thought that this was probably the only way to do this.However,I could'nt see myself inserting 4 flat head screwdrivers in each hook!I think I can handle what your suggesting now!
I have done another test that was suggested.....that is to remove the Graphics card,and reboot to see if that would make a difference.that made no difference either.Thanks again.

 

Hi All,
This is to let you know,that finally my problem appears to be solved! It was not my Motherboard that was the cause of all this,it was the CPU.After some doing I managed to get a used Intel P4 2.66 GHz socket 478 identical to to my original one (This was no longer available from Intel because too old I guess),and I installed it this morning and to my great relief,my XP Computer works again.Thank you very much to all of you that tried to help with this problem.I'll try hard not to get into this kind of a pickle in the future.

 

Hi Evanhoe, thanks for posting back with the solution!
If my motherboard ever starts telling me my CPU failed test, I guess I'll listen!

Reading back I guess I didn't want to believe it was so easy to damage a CPU by unplugging a machine.

Glad you got it sorted.