Safe Mode

[mabbutt]

Hi

The following message is displayed on the screen when I turn it on:

CHECKING NVRAM

131072KB OK

WAIT...

Pri Master A04.0R00 QUANTAM Bigfoot TX4.0AT
Ultra DMA Mode-2, S.M.A.R.T Capable but Disabled
_


It then just stays on this forever !!!

I have tried to load the Safe Mode screen by holding down the Ctrl key when I turn the PC on but it just doesn't work. I have also tried the Shift, F8, F5 keys but with no success.

Please can somebody suggest a fix to the problem as I am at a real loss ??

Thank you.

 

[cdogg]

It sounds like the boot sector of the drive is either corrupted or infected with a virus.

Before you try to repair the boot sector, I think it would be better first to answer these questions:

1) When was the last time it worked for you?
2) Have you another PC to swap the drive into?
3) Were you in the middle of upgrading your system or making changes in the BIOS?
4) Have you tried using a Win98 boot disk to gain access to the drive?




~cdogg
[tab]"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources"
[tab][tab]- A. Einstein

 

[mabbutt]

Hi

Thank you for the quick response.

In answer to your questions:

1) It last worked this morning. The PC was having trouble shutting down for about a week and then the problem happened. When you tried to shut down it would just hang for ages and then shut down.

2) Unfortuantly I do not have another PC (using this PC else where to write this !!).

3) I was not in the middle of upgrading the system or making changes in the BIOS. It just happened out of the blue.

4) I have tried using a Win98 boot disk to gain access to the drive but it didn't do anything. The drive acted like it had nothing in it.

Hope this answers your questions and I will look ofrward to your reply. Thank you again for taking the time to help me.

 

[oldcomptrguy]

It does sound like the Master Boot Record (MBR) is infected. It is likely that the Windows Startup floppy you have is also infected. Go to

http://www.bootdisk.com

and download a new, uninfected boot disk and try booting with that. You will probably have to run the Win 98 CD again so have it handy.

 

[cdogg]

I agree. Go ahead and make another Win98 boot disk. If you have Norton Antivirus or something like it, the program should allow you to make emergency virus scanning disks. I would strongly recommend using them first.

Afterwards, if you still aren't able to see anything on the drive, reinstall Windows. You don't have to delete anything on the drive, just install Windows over-top of itself.

If that doesn't work, get to a C:> DOS prompt and type fdisk /mbr. Use that command as your last resort. It will attempt to automatically fix the Master Boot Record with a generic set of instructions.

Good Luck!



~cdogg
[tab]"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources"
[tab][tab]- A. Einstein

 

[thebigguy128]

Also, to get into safe mode, try holding down the left shift key while booting.

Dana

 

[mabbutt]

Thanks guys. I will let you know how it went.

Thank you all for helping me !!!

 

[mabbutt]

Hi Guys

I downloaded and made a new windows 98 boot disk. However the PC does not get far enough for the A: drive to get going. It doesn't finish its memory check and stops with the following message:

CHECKING NVRAM

131072KB OK

WAIT...

Pri Master A04.0R00 QUANTAM Bigfoot TX4.0AT
Ultra DMA Mode-2, S.M.A.R.T Capable but Disabled
_

I then can not do anything. Is there anyway to get to the DOS prompt and run it from there ?? I am really stuck now and would appreciate any help that you can offer.

Thank you.

 

[mattjurado]

Can you hit the delete key to enter your cmos setup. A couple of things to consider, that I believe you need to consider.

Yes, it certainly could be a virus, but it could also be a drive on its way out. The next time it does boot, backup whatever data/files that are really important. Burn them to cds, copy them to floppies, whatever...

See if you have an option in your cmos settings to reset your system's hardware to the default settings, or you might simply pull out the cmos battery for 15 minutes. Then bootup, you're likely going to have to reset the time in the cmos setup, possibly even have it redetect the hard drive.

Also, along the lines of a bad drive, see if you can find the option to enable S.M.A.R.T. support on the motherboard, in your CMOS setup. Notice how it tells you "SMART capable, but disabled," if you turn it on and it tells you there is a drive problem, guess what, time to replace the drive.

Matt J.

 

[mabbutt]

Hi

I can get into the cmos settings and have reset the system's hardware to the default settings, this had no effect. I also enabled S.M.A.R.T. support on the motherboard and it produced the following:

CHECKING NVRAM

131072KB OK

WAIT...

Pri Master A04.0R00 QUANTAM Bigfoot TX4.0AT
Ultra DMA Mode-2, S.M.A.R.T Enabled Ok
_

It stopped here again and would not let me do anything ??

 

[smah]

In your CMOS settings, is your CD rom detected? If CD Rom won't detect properly, (with the machine off) open the case and disconnect the CD rom cable, then try booting again.

 

[mattjurado]

Agreed, its freezing at the point where it is detecting drives. Reconnect your cables, if you still have problems, try reloading the default values as I previously suggested, and/or popping out the battery to reset the settings on that mainboard.

Matt J.

 

[cdogg]

Did you make any changes to your system recently that would have caused you to disconnect any of the drives in your system including the floppy drive?

I would disconnect everything except the hard drive and try to boot again. If you still have problems, then reconnect the floppy drive only with the hard drive, and in the CMOS set the floppy as the first boot device. That might let you access your boot disk.

However, I fear along with the others that the problem might be with detecting the hard drive. In that case, the only options left to really try are:
1) Replace the IDE cable that the hard drive is on
2) Move the hard drive to another PC and see if it can be accessed
2) Replace the hard drive


~cdogg
[tab]"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources"
[tab][tab]- A. Einstein