Odd problem, CMOS and Boot. 2

[Sirius776]

Well, here is an interesting one...

I just got a new motherboard (NFII), memory (PMI 3200), SATA HDD (Segate 120GB) and put it in my computer. When I booted up my computer, it hung at the point where the Windows logo comes up. The bar kept moving, but after 20 minutes I finally just turned it off and started over... I put my WindowsPE boot disk (really nice!) in and did some drive checks. I was loading some PowerQuest program and it said that the geometry on my HDD (the old IDE one, working fine before MB replacement) was bad and that I had to reformat/partition. So I said there is now way for that route, trying to save all data that I could.

After countless re-installs of Windows on either HDD (took for ever for me to finally get the SATA one to boot, the old one wanted to boot all of the time, loaded the correct SCSI/RAID drivers at the first windows install screen, and finally got it installed it hung again. I tweaked some settings in CMOS and it went through the last proccesses of instillation. Only to hang on the next restart. Then It dawned on me. It would work only on the times that I changed something in CMOS... I have never heard of this happening... But I restarted, changed 1 setting in CMOS then changed it back, and voila... It booted.

I have all the correct settings in CMOS, everything is installed correctly. But it will only boot each time I change something in CMOS and save it... I cant find, or didn't look hard enough for a tech support on DFI's main page. But I was wondering if a BIOS update would help in this case.

I wanted to see if any of you out there have had this problem before and were able to fix it. I am certainly confused.

~Thanks

MB: DFI Ultra Infinity
CPU: Barton 2500+
MEM: PMI Platinum PC3200
HDD: Samsung IDE 80GB
SATA Segate 120GB
VID: 9600XT

 

[micker377]

Is the "CMOS reset" jumper in the right position? Have you checked/changed the battery? New batteries can be bad (or contacts corroded). It sounds like the CMOS is reverting back to no settings, when you go into setup "change one thing", the computer is recognizing a lot of things and boots OK when you "save". If the CMOS isn't holding, I'd suspect a defective bios chip and see about a mobo replacement.

 

[Sirius776]

The CMOS keeps the settings because it shows up the same way each time. POST displays the CPU as either the 2500 or 3200 which ever way I have it.

 

[franklin97355]

Try resetting the CMOS completely.

 

[Sirius776]

That was one of the first things I did.

 

[Sirius776]

I am leaning towards it either being one of the following. Most likly being at the top.

1. Memory Instibility
2. BIOS/CMOS errors ( after POST )
3. IDE/SATA HDD controller
4. Partially Dead MB

 

[edfair]

Think your memory choice as #1 is a wise. Have beat my head bloody with memory problems.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[Sirius776]

I was checking the power supply levels. My +3.3V line is running a little bit low. ~.3-.4V low. Would this cause many problems? I have tried unpluging the other HDD, but it seems it didn't relieve it at all. I have a 300W PS in there, I wonder if it is just getting tierd.

I tried moving my memory around, from DDR slot 1-3, to 1-2. That didn't help. But it did get rid of Dual channel I will have to put it back.

The computer keeps hanging, it is saying that the SATA thing on the HDD failed/timed out when it was writing a pageing file. Don't know what thats about. Thanks for your help so far... I will need more though! I am only A+ certified, so I do not know everything. I have never heard of computers doing this...