Bad Mobo?

Well sir I'm working on this desktop. At first I thought it was a OS problem because it would not boot into windows ... it would get as far as the opening screen then reboot ... then I thought it was a hard drive problem.rolleyes

Got a new hhd ... installed the OS no problems ... began the process of installing the anti virus ... go to reboot ... get a boot disk failure error and to insert the os cd. When I did the cd started loading the windows files and started installing the os over again ... so I when along it the hopes it would do a repair. Told it not to change anything. Instead it started from scratch again copying files.Nothing about repairing the files. When it was done ... it rebooted and started setup all over again.:mad I stopped it. Shut it down ... checked the hhd to make sure it was properly connected, and let it setup again.

This time I formatted the drive again and started fresh. About 95% into copying files I get a message that it could not copy a dll file and to check the cd and try again.:eek I did and it finish copying the files. It closed out to reboot, and started the install process all over again when it booted back up.:crybaby Tried it again with the same results.uke So I'm wondering if the mobo isn't going bad?:banghead

 

It sounds more like a hard drive problem.

On the computer you're posting with, can you download MiniTool Partition Wizard Bootable CD (scroll down the page and choose Local Download on the right) and then burn the downloaded (48.34MB) ISO file to a CD?

If you can, once the CD is burned, use it to boot up the Pavilion a306x. Once MiniTool is open on the desktop, select the drive you're trying to re-install Windows on by clicking on it in the right pane (it will show as SDA0 or SDA1 because you're running Linux at this point), then select wipe (disk/partition) and click apply. A single pass with zeros will suffice. Leave the drive in it's unallocated, raw state.

Once the operation completes, pull the MiniTool CD, insert the XP CD restart the computer and go through re-installation including full formatting.

Which Antivirus are you using?

 

Yes I can download the program you suggested ... I will do so and see what happens ... I will post the results.:wave

 

:wave Downloaded and made a cd of the mini tool. Did as you suggested ... wiped the partition. I used a different connection cable to the hhd and mobo.:highfive I put in the xp cd and did an install doing a full format before installing. It installed windows got all the way through. So to test it I rebooted ... and got the "Disk Boot Failure, Insert System Disk and Press Enter" message again.:tas I know windows is now installed so the failure is the thing to work on I guess.:seeya

 

Go into bios, set "first boot device" to hard drive, set "boot other device" to disabled, in hard drive boot order make sure your os drive is selected first. They may be worded slightly differently.

Remove any usb drives or bootable media.

 

:wave Well sir .... I did as you suggested and unfortunately the results were the same.:eek I went into the bios and disabled all the other drives and made the hard drive the first boot. Same message about disk boot failure. Dang.:duck

 

Put the drive into a different computer see if it boots, easier said than done if you only have one computer but it would be my next step, the problem needs isolating.

You should run a bootable copy of memtest, remove all ram but one stick and test then switch to the other, check your cpu temps are good, hard drive corrupted on two drives the second being new is unlikely and if it is being caused by the mobo then in my experience there's a problem with the cpu or memory, in either case they need eliminating.

 

Could it be your XP CD? Maybe it's corrupted.
Have you tried another?

 

Along those lines, check the recording surface for scratches, gouges and dirt. If you have a CD cleaning kit, use it. Also, if you have a laser lens cleaner, use it on the CD drive. All it takes is a speck of dirt or dust to cause a problem.

 

Or you could try to install via usb (flashdrive)

 

Yes, he could. But, he'd need to create an ISO from his installation CD and then use something like ISO2Disk to create the bootable installation flash drive. I had to do that for Win 8.1 because the DVD I burned didn't work.

 

:wave I made an ISO and burned it. The OS installed no problem ... everything worked ... it even rebooted and when back into windows as it should after installing all the files. But when I asked it to reboot ... that's when I got the message.:cry

So what I am doing now is testing each memory stick separately with the memtest program. After that I will get a bootable disk to test the hard drive. After that ... I'm going to see if the MBR needs to be repaired. I'll see what happens and post the results.

 

Here are a few things to try... if you have the resources;

- disconnect all other devices, but physically unplugging them, to make sure it is not a power problem. Only leave vital components. Try rebooting.

- Rewrite the MBR - could be a boot sector virus - rare, but it happens.

- Scan the hard hard for bad sectors - even new drives can be bad.

- Try installing the os on the same hard drive on a different PC, so as to determine if the problem is with the hard drive or other part of the pc.

- Run a linux live cd/usb and see how that os behaves on the pc compared to windows.

- Try install a linux operating system on the hard drive and see how that behaves and compares with a windows install. It could tell if it's hardware or software/virus related.
(Ubuntu is a simple linux os to start with, you can get it here or here.)


I highly doubt it is a memory problem. But you can do a memtest 86+ to be sure.

 

:wave Do you know of a good free MBR program that can do a fix?:confused

I am downloading the LinxLive CD and will try that tomorrow.

The OS did install on the hhd ... it just won't boot.

I used SeaTools boot cd and tested the hhd. It check out good. :cool

Won't the LinxLive CD be the same as installing it on the hhd? :hyper

I did the memory check on each stick and they checked out okay.:clap

I used a different P/S and the problem remained.:mad

 

The Windows XP CD has a repair option when it's done copying files and after Windows starts during the first part of installation.

You would choose Repair by typing R as told.

You should then be presented with a screen to choose the Windows installation to log into — typically this is 1. Enter the Administrative password at this point.

On the first C:\WINDOWS> prompt type fixboot and press Enter. Type Y and press Enter.

At the next C:\WINDOWS> prompt type fixmbr and press Enter. Type Y and press Enter.

At the next C:\WINDOWS> prompt type fixboot and press Enter. Type Y and press Enter. — this has to be done twice during the process so, it's repeated here. It's not a typo.

At the next C:\WINDOWS> prompt, pull the CD, type exit and press Enter.

The computer SHOULD boot into Windows XP normally.

I've had to do these exact steps numerous times to get back to XP only after dual-booting with numerous Linux distros and XP.

 

man you really like emojis don't you.

I have personally tested a laptop hdd, with 3 different highly reputed hard drive tool kits, I believe seatools from seagate was one of them; the hdd passed all tests, but was still bad. I know this, because by replacing the hdd, with another one, solved the issues.

No it won't.
Running the live cd, will help disprove your bad motherboard theory. Therefore if the problem is absent at this stage, all related components, can be absolved. If your problem persists, then you don't need to go on the the hdd install, you need to narrow down the problem from here.

When installed, the os will be on, and running from the hdd, which will bring its performance, reliability and stability into play. Hence 'proving out' the hdd.
If you're all good up to here, then the problem lies with your xp cd or some sort of virus that keeps infecting your pc when windows loads, you alone will have to determine how that is. Maybe it is already on your xp disc or you are using something else like usb or being re-infected across your network.

... so in short... different... not same.

You have to test parts and theories independent of each other to make sense of the results and find the root of your problem.

you used a different what now?
translator please.:confused

 

I use a different power supply and the problem remained. When I load up the xp disk I don't get a repair option. Can't understand that. It just wants to start all over from scratch.:confused I downloaded the linxlive and I'm going to burn a cd for it. I'll report what happens.:wave

 

Does different mean more juice/higher wattage? and rated 80 plus?

 

:wave Well sir ... I used a 300W P/S same manufacture, but the main plug to the mobo had more terminals, but it worked anyway. The original is a 250W.rolleyes

I tried to run the LinxLive CD but the only thing I got was a black screen and the mouse pointer ... which worked fine by the way. It booted up ... had a long off things going across the screen ... then enter the black screen with the mouse pointer.:zzz

I'm downloading a copy of Ubuntu in case I need it, but tell me what does this indicate by getting the black screen with a working mouse?:confused

 

Which version of linux live cd did you use? Ubuntu?

blank screen could mean graphics driver problem.

 

Actually, this sounds like a RAM issue to me.

When you get bad bits, you get corrupted data on the drive. Try running MemTest if it's not the program you used, and if you see ANY red that would be your problem.

Also, are the frequencies of the RAM sticks on this machine the same, or different? Two different speeds, could give you a major headache.

 

:waveI don't know the version but I got it via bit torrent from here. I got plenty of text on the screen and a graphic of the logo before the black screen ... I would think I wouldn't see any of that if the graphic driver was bad wouldn't I?

I haven't used the Ubuntu yet but I downloaded the Ubuntu 13.10 64bit.

 

Knoppix is a form of Debian Linux (which Ubuntu comes from as well). It takes quite a while for the working desktop to appear because it's running from CD rather than the hard drive. During your wait for the desktop, it's performing tasks in the background like setting up your network card, sound, display, etc.

The Ubuntu live CD may take a while as well.

 

When you boot from the CD, after the files load and Windows starts you don't get this screen?

That IS, indeed, strange. :confused

 

Nope ... I am not given the option to repair ... only to install ...really weird. It just lets me format the drive then it goes right to installing from scratch.

How long does it take to load ... I think I waited for about 20-30 minutes ... I will try again though.:wave

 

7.2.0 is the version of the LinxLive I am using ... saw it on the screen ... running it again to see if anything happens. I ask it to workaround hardware problems.:wave

 

I did get some fire graphics at the bottom on the screen ... it was moving, but when I tried clicking on it with the mouse .... the fire stop moving ... oh oh .... rolleyes ... I'll let it sit for a while and see what happens. I did ask it to work around any hardware issues ... should I have used the regular program?:confused

 

:waveOkay I am getting something now. It has gone into the OS and I open a game ... It seems to be working ok ... so I guess this means the mobo is functioning properly correct?:confused

 

Yes, your mobo and RAM seem to be OK. I don't know what's going on with the Windows XP install though. You said you believe that it successfully installed but your not getting the repair option has me stumped.

The mekanic says it sounds like a RAM issue to him but if the RAM was bad, I don't think either version of live Linux you tried would have loaded.

It seems that SOMETHING is slowing down your computer. It shouldn't have taken 20 — 30 minutes for either Linux distro to get to the desktop. But what???:confused

 

:wave I was wrong about the loading time ... about 10 minutes for the linxlive to load. I downloaded the xp recovery bootable disk ISO burn it booted the computer and that gave me the repair option.:-D

It took me into dos mode and I gave it the fixmbr command, stated it was successful, took out the disk restarted and got the boot disk failure message. I use the recovery disk again.

Typed in R for repair it took me to dos and I gave it the fixboot command. Left in the recovery disk, rebooted ... it when into windows. Took out the recovery disk booted again ... back to the failure message.

Put the recovery disk back in rebooted didn't press any key to boot from the cd and it goes into windows. So what's up with that? It will only boot into window with the recovery cd:confused It booted up and didn't show the press any key to boot from cd ... and I got the boot failure message.:crybaby

As long as I get the press any key message and not press any key it will go into windows.:hyper Since I can get into windows now is there something I can do to make it boot properly without the recovery cd?rolleyes What should I do now?LOL

 

There were a couple flags like the .dll issues that led me in that direction. Just like to cover all bases. Also I hope ALL the RAM sticks are the same frequency. It will wreck your day if they aren't the same speed.

What did just cross my mind is when you formatted the disk, did you let Windows do it or did you wipe the disk with a program like DBAN? If I recall correctly Windows doesn't wipe the MBR in the data sector when formatting the HDD, it only wipes the partition. You could try totally wiping the drive with DBAN considering the boot issue.

The other silly question I have is did you scan this torrent for malware with a program like AVG, or MalwareBytes? Has the image possibly been tampered with, or is it possibly a "cracked" version?

EDIT: Also, let's remember we're dealing with a 10 year old PC...

 

Other query:

Are you using the XP Media Center Edition this PC should have shipped with?

 

You may be right ... the cd with xp could be bad. I got it from the microsoft site. I am redownloading it, after that I will check it for virus, then burn it. I will use that mini tool partition to wipe the drive ... have windows format the drive again and try another install. It must be a software problem with windows loading with the recovery disk. I will post the results when I get it all done.:wave

 

Wipe the drive with DBAN. Windows will not delete the MBR, and I have no idea what that mini tool erases.

Darik's Boot and Nuke:

http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/dariks_boot_and_nuke.html

 

According to the specs for this model, it came with XP Home. Media Center wasn't listed as an option.

I was curious as to whether spirittoo was trying to install XP on a SATA drive without first installing the Intel Matrix Storage Controller so, I checked the product specs.

If he uses DBAN to wipe the drive, he may need to locate version 1.07 because the version MGs is a mirror for may not run on a machine built in 2003. I had to get version 1.07 of DBAN in order to use it on my Dell Precision M70 built in 2005. BTW, it takes 19 hours and 43 minutes to wipe an 80GB drive such as spirittoo has in that a306x and I had in my Dell (I've gone to Vista on a.120GB drive — the 80GB is now in an external USB enclosure).

 

That's actually odd, because it comes with a TV tuner onboard. Even has the driver listed for it.

I can always be wrong, but if you get the right HP OEM discs it might not be a problem if you're correct. The auto activate is written in with the mobo on machines like this. Since it has a tuner card, it just may work if it was downgraded from the factory. There was an MCE in 2002.

And you don't have to use autonuke. Probably should have mentioned that.

 

I forgot to mention that the 19:43 was for Single Pass because I was only re-installing Windows. I didn't use the default 3 passes.

The computer only came with 256MB of DDR PC 1600 or PC 2100 RAM but can support up to 2GB. If spirittoo is trying to install WIN XP SP3 won't the lack of RAM be the source of the issue?

 

:wave The mini tool has the same function but I think that is a mute point now. I forgot that the ram was upgraded to 2G.LOL Anyway I wanted to clear the hard drive issue so I used a 500GB IDE hard drive:strong I knew to be good and I got the same results.:hammer "Boot Disk Failure".:duck The mobo doesn't seem to be communicating with the hard drive. I don't hear any spinning at all.:heli Even though linxlive was able to run it sound like the mobo isn't doing as it should.:fart

 

Did you try a different ribbon cable? An eighty conductor cable, perhaps?

If it's not that, then it's possible we're looking at fatigue in the solder but I doubt it's worth it to get this mobo baked.

 

On this page, scroll down to figure 1 and the photo just below it.Are you connecting the hard drive to the primary IDE connection on the mobo instead of the secondary one?

Boy, I wish I could have found this kind of information for the Dells I've owned.

 

:wave Used a cable type data cable with no change and it is most definitely in the primary IDE connector on the mobo ... it hard not to because it's blue.:-D Yeah the guy who owns this rig really needs to upgrade.rolleyes I think I could get suitable parts for $130 if his budget is tight. Get him another tower 400W p/s included with new mobo dual core cpu 2G memory, hard drive and IDE adapter. Use the disk drives he already has. Then he'd have a faster computer that works.:hyper

 

Just remember that XP is not native AHCI/SATA. Make sure that you can switch to IDE in the BIOS if you are using XP or the install will BSOD unless you make or have a copy with the right driver packages slipstreamed in. Or you could just use a Linux distro permanently plugged in on a flash drive, and use that drive for storage.

Microsoft has it's rules about keys tied to boards, but it's pretty much 99.99% shot it will activate. Considering XP is pretty much abandonware at this point, why should anyone care...

 

If you suspect it is a solder issue with the IDE port, you could try the other/secondary IDE channel. It is not ideal, but it should still work.

 

Unfortunately there is no secondary IDE port ... just two ... one for the hhd and one for the disk drive.

 

The one for the disk drive IS the secondary IDE port.

 

The HDD will not work with the floppy port on this one. Not enough pins.

That being said, it would be unusual not to have an IDE port for the hard drive (primary), and the CD-ROM drive(s) (secondary). But, I have seen it on uATX boards.

This poor antique has most likely seen healthier days...

 

:wave Well fellow posters it looks like the mobo is bad with the old girl. My solution is to build the owner another computer as economically as possible.

Look for me in the near future, I always need some kind of help with new builds. :-o

I would like to thank each of you for posting. I appreciate it greatly.:clap

 

:waveOh oh ...:eek wrong was I ... it wasn't the motherboard at all ... it was the stupid bridge on the hard drive for the master ... slave settings:foolish. It was the only drive so I removed the bridge and it was able to boot into windows. How embarrassing. :-o

 

Glad you got it sorted out.