really unusual problem 3

[ruler1]

hi
i have a computer with a very unusual problem and i cant figure it out
i will try to explain the problem and then explain the hardware i have...
i have xp installed on a 40gb hard disk but when booting to XP i come to the countdown screen where it offers to boot to the last known good configuration or safe mode etc... ok if i click last known good configuration the screen goes blank and freezes forever. ive tried all the safe mode options but when extracting all the tools on the loadup screen it seems to freeze on the same file everytime and never recovers.
ive also tried using the XP cd to repair the installation but it loads up all the tools perfectly until it says at the bottom of the blue screen 'Starting Windows' it again freezes. ive tried several other genuine copies of XP and does the same thing in the same place.
ok i a AM37 motherboard made by FIC and ive tried different power supplies, removing all the IDE devices eccept the windows HDD ive even tried other hard disks and still the same thing. i just cant figure it out and i would really appreciate anyones advice. thanks

 

[stduc]

I suspect graphics - I have three suggestions.

Disable on-board graphics & try a known good video card.

Change the amount of RAM devoted to the on-board graphics.

Disable BIOS shadowing and caching.

Finally - you may have a bad CPU. But why & how I haven't a clue.

[navy]When I married "Miss Right" I didn't realise her first name was 'always'. LOL[/navy]

 

[ruler1]

ok ive tried swopping the IDE cables around and tried other leads and i have also tried using a graphics card instead of the inbuilt one and also tried disabling the onboard gfx but still no luck. i know its either the CPU or motherboard that has a problem but determining which is not going to be easy as i have no other parts to use. i would have thought that the diagnostic check would have detected a CPU or Motherboard fault but it passed all tests with flying colours.
if i scratch my head anymore i will have no hair left lol

 

[G0AOZ]

You said earlier, "ive even tried other CPUs but still the same problem.". So as you have eliminated all other devices, that now has to point to a motherboard issue...

ROGER - G0AOZ.

 

[mainegeek]

ruler1,
I would suspect memory or hard drive.

 

[stduc]

If you've tried my BIOS suggestions & everyone else's ideas then it rather has to either a mobo issue or the BIOS has somehow been corrupted.

I think as you have little to lose now I would try flashing the BIOS, if you can download an update from the manufacturers website & do that via a bootable floppy (following the manufacturers instructions).

If that fails (either by refusing to flash update - or simply makes no difference) I would get a new mobo and take it from there.

[navy]When I married "Miss Right" I didn't realise her first name was 'always'. LOL[/navy]

 

[ruler1]

i went onto Compaq website and downloaded the BIOS update but it can only be run from windows so i am in a dilema.
i do know that before this problem occured the computer did start running slow but after a fresh install of XP it seemed ok and then i updated everything but i cant remember if i updated the BIOS. i have a feeling i did and i didnt get all the updates from the right site that much i do know. after the problem was descovered i found all the drivers on the proper site.
the BIOS update is in a exe format but caonly be run from windows. i cant find any other way to get the BIOS flashed. the motherboard is a AM37 made by FIC.

 

[stduc]

Have you tried the 'chat' option?
What is the model number (& any other details)?

[navy]When I married "Miss Right" I didn't realise her first name was 'always'. LOL[/navy]

 

[ruler1]

model number?

 

[stduc]

PC model number i.e perssarion 1400 or whatever

[navy]When I married "Miss Right" I didn't realise her first name was 'always'. LOL[/navy]

 

[ruler1]

Compaq S3150UK is the computer model number
everything is still box standard

 

[stduc]

Does this link help? It looks like it leads to the creation of a self booting floppy to do the BIOS update.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...us&lc=en&dlc=en&product=316628&dlc=en&lang=en

[navy]When I married "Miss Right" I didn't realise her first name was 'always'. LOL[/navy]

 

[ruler1]

it only lets me download a XP version that can only be run using windows XP. i think ive searched for a bootable BIOS update before but couldnt find one. seems strange because normally most BIOS updates are bootable and now i need a bootable one it only runs via a platform lol murphys law

 

[ruler1]

ok i got curious and because i have pretty much all the windows operating systems released i deceded to try and install windows 98, it installed perfectly and run with no problems at all. i thought that trying to upgrade from windows 98 to windows XP might work but while it was upgrading it made it pass the preperation part and then needed to reboot to begin the installation but then froze again. ive never come across anything like this before and its a real brain teaser.
while i had windows 98 installed i tried to update the BIOS with the genuine BIOS update from Compaq's website but it ran the updater but didnt seem to finnish or it didnt seem to do anything.
last week i managed to install XP with no problems at all and now it doesnt want to know it so i think its beaten me

 

[wahnula]

So there is something about the hardware that XP does not like. Do you have the original Compaq drive with the recovery partition on it?

Tony

 

[ruler1]

the recovery partition is no longer on the drive because i created a the recovery CDs from it which deletes the partition after the CDs have been created. the recovery CDs are also long gone as they were damaged about 2 years ago so i bought a proper windows XP disk from PC World which worked fine up until last week. ive installed this XP many times on the Compaq computer.
today i am going to try another CPU on the board and see if it will make any difference but i dont think its the CPU causing the problem i think stduc was right when he said it might be the BIOS.

 

[ruler1]

after much head scratching i decided to contact Compaq and was transferred to HP where i spoke to a online technician. he helped me get the right bios update installed but even he cant explain the problem and said its most unusual indeed.
i tried a new CPU and the new bios update then tried once again to install XP home edition and yet again it freezes in the same place i know the problem has to be on the motherboard somewhere but when running any diagnostic checks it passes all tests and it also loads up other operating systems. i got even more curious and decided to try and install windows ME, it installed fine. tried to install XP again it freezes. even if i cant fix the motherboard i would really like to know what the problem is. maybe i will later buy a new one and donate this mobo to someone as a project lol

 

[stduc]

A new mobo is probably your your least brain damaging solution. However if you wish to persist.

XP is VERY fussy about RAM timing, using the CPU cache's etc. So, you could try playing with those settings in the BIOS and slowing it down, disabling shadowing - that sort of thing. Bur it will be hit & miss as well as time consuming!

Another thought. Are you using the same hard disk each time? If so, it may - just may, have a bad block XP keeps finding. So it may be worth downloading the manufactures diagnostics and seeing what they say. Then after marking any bad blocks it finds, zero fill the drive. Then, in the XP setup format to NTFS slowly (i.e. don't use quick format)

[navy]When I married "Miss Right" I didn't realise her first name was 'always'. LOL[/navy]

 

[ruler1]

in the bios there are no settings to disable the shadow memory. i see it enabled on the black screen when the system boots up though also something about the shadow catch is enabled too. i also dont have the option to change the speed of the memory only the amount of memory usage. the options are 8mb, 16mb, 32mb 32mb(auto) and thats all i can access. there are also no passwords set in the bios so i am not being locked out of any other options.
ive tried 4 different hard drives now and they were all formatted (zero filled too)
im beginning to think it would be better to put wheels on it as use it as a skateboard, might go further that way

 

[stduc]

amount of memory usage. the options are 8mb, 16mb, 32mb 32mb(auto)

Are you saying you only have 32MB of RAM? XP needs 128MB minimum and preferably 256 or more, up to 4GB.
If you only have 32MB that is your problem.
How much RAM is the BIOS reporting?

[navy]When I married "Miss Right" I didn't realise her first name was 'always'. LOL[/navy]

 

[ruler1]

that was the options in the bios but i have a stick of 256mb plugged in.
anyway problem solved and its now all working at last
i took out the CPU and had a close look at it under a magnifying glass and then descovered a small surface dent in the center so i swopped it with another CPU that was a little tiny bit slower. i think what i did previously was took out the CPU and then put the same one back in without realising, easy mistake to make when deep in thought. i have learnt a lot from this which i think is more important. i 'really' appreciate all the help becuase i wouldnt have suspected the CPU at all. i thought a CPU either works or it doesnt but its strnage why it works with other operating systems but not XP or Vista, maybe its because XP and Vista makes the CPU run hotter? i dunno but its interesting. thanks again