Can't Boot At All

[5150]

All of a sudden I am unable to boot up. I am running Windows XP Home Edition and for some reason I can not understand why it just stopped working properly. No new hardware or software has been installed so I am really puzzled.

When I power on my PC it takes FOREVER to boot up. When it finally does it will load up just the blue background and it freezes. Sometimes it will not boot up at all and just loop. When I try to boot from a Windows PE disc it locks up about 45 seconds after the boot process is started. The same exact behavior happens if I try to boot into safe mode or from a floppy drive. I took the drive out and put it in another machine....hard drive works fine. I installed a new drive and the same thing happens.

Have any of you ever heard of this before?

 

[oisnds]

I would guess CMOS battery or failed component like memory or network card.
To check the battery - Check the CMOS settings, make a small change, reboot and check to see if it stayed.
If more than one stick of memory try removing one then the other rebooting in between.
Anything else, remove all cards, etc. that are not needed and readd them one at a time until it fails.

 

[ski]

A bad power supply can also cause your problem.

 

[5150]

I am thinking that it might be the power supply....do you know what wattage I need to have for a P4 2+ gig?

 

[ski]

Did you check the existing one?
This link shows how to do it:

http://www.ochardware.com/articles/psuvolt/psuvolt2.html

You can also have it shop tested, or install a borrowed unit.

If the PS is definitely bad, then get one rated for at least 400 watts.
But get a high quality unit, like Antec or Enermax.
The cheaper units do not have the same punch as these better ones.

 

[5150]

Well the power supply was changed and it did not make a difference......the same problem exists. I switched the RAM and that also did not make a difference. The CMOS battery is fine....I was going to update the BIOS but because it locks up so quickly I am unable to. The hard drive is also not the issue because that has been tested in another machine. I am now thinking that it is either the processor or the motherboard.....any thoughts?

THANKS!!!!!!

 

[ski]

Remove all drives except the boot HD, and all cards except the video card, and make sure all connections are secure.
If it boots up, then replace each drive and card one at a time until the problem resurfaces. The last component installed is the cause.

If no luck, then reseat the video card making sure it's fully seated. Sometimes they need a good push to properly seat.

If it still does not boot up, then swap out the video card, MB, and CPU, or have them tested at a shop.

 

[G0AOZ]

Try resetting the BIOS to basic SETUP DEFAULTS, and also check the CPU temperature if your BIOS has a hardware monitor.

As previously mentioned, check the CPU is seated correctly with a new, thin smear of good quality heatsink compound on it. CPU fan turning ok? Not bunged up with fluff and dirt?

Any unusual beeps from the system speaker?

Again, as previously suggested, remove all cards except video, disconnect ribbon cables for ALL drives, (HDD, CD and FDD etc.). Ok so it won't boot to operating system, but will get through POST and ask for BOOT DISK. If it still sponateously reboots at this point, you'll have eliminated everything except video card, motherboard and CPU. Try a different video card. This is unlikely, but check you have no stray bolts or metal support pillars etc., accidentally lodged under the motherboard.

Failing that, you'll need the CPU and motherboard checked out at the shop.

Good luck.


ROGER.

 

[Enfurno]

95% chance you just need a new mobo, I have been building pc's for a long time and your instance is notorious for a shotty mobo. Test your chip in someone else's box. Good luck, and buy a good mobo. =)

 

[eespup]

i guess its the mobo, i have similar problems like that a few months ago.

 

[tunaep]

I would have guessed a driver conflict myself but I may well be wrong.The last thing I would have said it was would be the motherboard.
If you want to spend some time trying to salvage this take a look in your device manager and check everything is ok with no missing drivers or exclamation marks.
Look in system tools and check to see what problem devices there are.
Borrow/buy a copy of First Aid on CD and install it see if it can fix any problems. Don't give up too easily you could learn a lot.