Allergic to XP

[Tom]

help..

my machine is acting funny. it refuses to work on XP. When I boot up in XP,
I get to the welcome screen and then poof..

1) My monitor blanks out
2) CPU power is on and fans are running
3) No HD activity
4) Power/reset buttons inactive
5) Keyboard inactive

I have to press and hold down the power button for several seconds to turn
off the monitor.

Case/CPU Temp: Normal

My initial TS steps

1) Boot up in Safe mode - same results
2) Safe Mode - command mode - same results
3) VGA mode (thinking it might be a display adapter issue) - same results

I used PM to push the data back and created a new bootable drive to which I
installed Win98.SE. This works fine.

I then tried installing Win 2000, install was successful but when I tried to
log in - same result (poof!!)

I removed that.. redid everthing again and am now back to Win98.SE and WinXP
combo. With 98, my machine works flawlessly, with XP - poof again!!

As a second level TS, i got another system

1) Switched HDs - mine works in the other but other HD doesnt even boot up
on mine (oh yes! it has XP too, no 98..)
2) Switched RAMs (dont know why) - same results

My conclusion: Its H/W related

Can anyone help me through this. My files are on the NTFS partitions and
currently I access them via an NTFS reader which is very painful. Also I'm
limited to 5GB (of 80GB) that I managed to reclaim and convert to FAT32 to
load 98

Help!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DL]

Your hd from another pc will allmost certainly not boot on a different pc
without first running a repair installation on the new pc.
Try disconnecting all extra hw, leaving only hd, vid card,mouse,keybd and
single ram stick.
Able to swap out pwr supply?

 

[John]

1) My monitor blanks out

See if this helps.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314503
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q294/4/27.asp
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;q314503
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q162/0/31.asp
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_b.htm
http://www.sysopt.com/articles/troubleshoot/index.html
Computer Stops Responding with a Black Screen When You Start Windows
Windows XP Stops Responding at the Welcome Screen
Blank Screen or Operating System Cannot Load Profile at Logon
The information in this article applies to:
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
This article was previously published under Q314503
SYMPTOMS
When you attempt to start Windows XP, the computer may appear to stop
responding (hang) with an empty, black screen immediately after the
power-on self test (POST) is complete and before the Windows logo
normally appears on the screen.
CAUSE
This behavior can occur if one or more of the following elements are
corrupted:
Master boot record
Partition tables
Boot sector
NTLDR file
RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, follow these steps:
Create a Microsoft Windows XP boot disk to start the computer.
For additional information about how to create a Windows XP boot disk,
click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:
HOW TO: Create a Boot Disk for an NTFS or FAT Partition in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;305595
If you can start the computer from the boot disk without receiving an
error message, the damage is limited to the master boot record, the
boot sector, or the NTLDR file. After Windows is running, you should
immediately back up all data before you attempt to fix the boot sector.
Use Disk Management to view the partition information and verify that
the disk partition (or partitions) are correct. To use Disk Management,
follow these steps:
Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage on the
shortcut menu that appears.
Expand Storage, and then click Disk Management.
If invalid partitions are present or you are unable to start your
computer with a boot disk, consider reinstalling Windows XP on your
computer and restoring your data and configuration information from a
recent backup.
If you do not have a current backup copy of the data on the computer,
consult a computer specialist to determine the best method of data
recovery and configuration.
Run a current virus scanning program to verify that no virus is
present.
Repair the master boot record by using the FIXMBR command from the
Windows XP Recovery Console.
For additional information about how to use the Recovery Console, click
the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge
Base: 307654 HOW TO: Access the Recovery Console During Startup
Recovering Windows XP using the Recovery Console
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/j_helmig/wxprcons.htm
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial117.html
http://www.digitalwebcast.com/2002/03_mar/tutorials/cw_boot_toot2.htm
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307654
NOTE: For additional information about an error message that you may
receive when you use the FIXMBR command, click the article number below
to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 266745 Error
Message When You Run fixmbr Command
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;314503
WARNING: If your computer is infected with a virus and you use the
FIXMBR command, you may be unable to start the computer. Before you use
this command, ensure that the computer is not infected with a virus.
If the primary boot partition is a FAT partition, use the FIXBOOT
command from the Windows XP Recovery Console to write a new boot sector
on the system partition, and then use the FIXMBR command to repair the
master boot record.
You may also use Windows XP Setup to repair the installation. To do
this, follow these steps:
Use the Windows XP CD-ROM to start your computer. On the Welcome to
Setup screen, press ENTER to set up Windows.
Press F8 to agree to the license agreement.
Use the ARROW keys to select the Windows installation that you want to
repair, and then press R.
Windows Setup repairs the installation files, Windows automatically
restarts, and then Setup completes the repair of your Windows XP
installation.
Follow the remaining steps to set up Windows.
NOTE: You will need your 25-character Product Key to complete these
steps.

 

[Guest]

thank you john.. but like is mentioned in my post.
my harddisk worked fine on another computer. so
can it still be:

Master boot record
Partition tables
Boot sector
NTLDR file
RESOLUTION

Aren't all the above drive dependant. In short, there seems to be nothing
wrong
with my drive.

Appreciate your help!

Tom

 

[AJR]

Interesting to say the least - can only help regarding the power on/off
button. ATX power supplies are "software" operated - the switch is not "hard
wired" as in previous power supplies- five volts is continuously provided to
the board even though power is not on - when you push for power on the
circuit looks for the 5 volts which tells that the supply is functioning and
"main" supply is then turned. Some newer motherboards have a led which
indicates presence of the 5 volts for troubleshooting purposes.
I have taken the long way around to: to turn off the PC by the power button
requires holding it in for several seconds - it's normal.
Please post any successful replies to your problem.

 

[Guest]

Hey AJR .. thanks for the reply.

<quote>I have to press and hold down the power button for several seconds to
turn off the monitor.</quote>

I actually meant CPU in the above phrase. Sorry for the confusion. And yes,
I will post any successful fix here.

I do have a bad feeling that I need to scrap my M/B

thx
t

 

[John]

I do have a bad feeling that I need to scrap my M/B

Tom, here are some links that may help.

Motherboard troubleshooting
http://www.zone365.com/content/motherboard-troubleshooting/1
http://global.aopen.com.tw/tech/rma/mb/
http://test-equipment.globalspec.com/Industrial-Directory/motherboard_troubleshooting
http://www.5starsupport.com/faq/motherboard.htm
http://motherboards.mbarron.net/testing.html
http://www.fonerbooks.com/cpu_ram.htm
http://www.daileyint.com/hmdpc/manual.htm#mother
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/comp/mbsys/gen_Failure.htm
Blown and Leaking Motherboard Capacitors
http://www.transmetazone.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=195

===================================

Motherboard monitor
http://mbm.livewiredev.com/
http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=204

====================================

Motherboard/CPU temperature
http://mbm.livewiredev.com/
http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=204
http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php
MBProbe
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download283.html
Motherboard Monitor (MBM)
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=311

==================================

Installing
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/145
http://www.houseofhelp.com/articles/moboinstall/
http://compreviews.about.com/od/tutorials/ss/DIYMB.htm

 

[q_q_anonymous]

Hey AJR .. thanks for the reply.

<quote>I have to press and hold down the power button for several seconds to
turn off the monitor.</quote>

I actually meant CPU in the above phrase. Sorry for the confusion. And yes,
I will post any successful fix here.

I do have a bad feeling that I need to scrap my M/B

thx
t

it sounds allergic to NT (since you say XP and 2k)

Might be MBRD.

Try replacing the power supply.
And try the current power supply in another machine running windows xp,
see if it makes it fail.

By the way. Only old and very basic books call the box the CPU. Deeper
books and people, call CPU-processor. The 'box' is the case.

It sounds a little bit like maybe your computer is going into some form
of hibernation, or something funny with the power supply. Try looking
in the BIOS and seeing if there's anything there about the power supply
you can tweak.
Don't turn off ACPI though, i've heard that's a bad idea!.

 

[q_q_anonymous]

Interesting to say the least - can only help regarding the power on/off
button. ATX power supplies are "software" operated - the switch is not "hard
wired" as in previous power supplies- five volts is continuously provided to
the board even though power is not on - when you push for power on the
circuit looks for the 5 volts which tells that the supply is functioning and
"main" supply is then turned. Some newer motherboards have a led which
indicates presence of the 5 volts for troubleshooting purposes.
I have taken the long way around to: to turn off the PC by the power button
requires holding it in for several seconds - it's normal.
Please post any successful replies to your problem.

I always wondered what'd happen were I to cut the purple 5V SB wire ?


does hibernation use it solely making it prevent hibernation too?

I know 5VSB is used by ps2 and usb, but that can be turned off. The 5V
SB supplies the whole MBRD, and i've never seen any jumper to turn the
whole thing off.

 

[Guest]

You may have the Sasser virus, it messes with XP, but not 98.
Symantec says:
The W32.Sasser family of worms can run on (but not infect) Windows 95/98/Me
computers. Although these operating systems cannot be infected, they can
still be used to infect vulnerable systems that they are able to connect to.
In this case, the worm will waste a lot of resources so that programs cannot
run properly, including our removal tool.
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.sasser.removal.tool.html

Might be worth looking at anyway.

 

[Tom]

negative.. drive's clean
thanks for the suggestion though..

t