Computer won't boot

[Don Phillipson]

I'm wondering if maybe the BIOS memory chip or battery has gone bad. I
built this computer in October, 2007. It shouldn't be near the point
of battery failure, I wouldn't think. Also, even if the BIOS battery
is dead, wouldn't the boot CD still work? Should I buy a fresh battery
and do a change-out?

This is worth the price. My experience has been (1) CR2032 batteries
last anything from 3 months to 6 years, (2) those from general hardware
stores last longer than those from specialist PC shops. (This may be
an indicator of turnover. Modern hardware stores restock by Just in
Time methods so what you buy left the factory only last week. If the
neighbourhood PC store got a good bargain on CMOS batteries five
years ago (and is still in business) they may still be using the same batch
.. . . )

 

[Antares 531]

This is worth the price. My experience has been (1) CR2032 batteries
last anything from 3 months to 6 years, (2) those from general hardware
stores last longer than those from specialist PC shops. (This may be
an indicator of turnover. Modern hardware stores restock by Just in
Time methods so what you buy left the factory only last week. If the
neighbourhood PC store got a good bargain on CMOS batteries five
years ago (and is still in business) they may still be using the same batch
. . . )

Thanks, Don, this is pretty much the way I've found this to be. Too
bad there isn't some means for tracking the history of perishable
products such as this. I thought at first my motherboard may have lain
in stock somewhere for two or three years before I bought it but the
design of this kind of merchandise changes too rapidly for that, I
would think.

I did replace the CR2032 CMOS battery yesterday and tried re-booting
but it didn't help. The old battery still showed a 3.23 Volts reading
when I tested it after I removed it from the motherboard. I'm sure it
was not the source of the problem, but I shouldn't have to worry about
this for a couple more years, now that I replaced the battery.

After looking at the video card more carefully, I'm convinced that the
root of the problem was a failure of the fan on the video card. This
is a radial turbine type fan. When I try to rotate the fan it doesn't
move smoothly. Also, it wobbles a lot more than it should. It feels
like the bearing may have failed, or maybe there is some dust bunny
junk interfering with the rotation. I can't see any dust bunny
accumulations, but there may be some under the fan turbine.

Gordon

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

How long should the CMOS battery last.

There's no answer to that question. Some last longer and some last
less time.

This one was installed in the
motherboard when I bought it in November 2007. It may have been
installed quite a while before I bought the motherboard, if this item
laid on the shelf somewhere.

Exactly! And that's one of the reasons you can not predict how long it
will last.

I'm thinking it would be prudent to start with the small things like
the CMOS battery and if that doesn't produce any improvement, move on
to something else.

Your systems don't at all sound to me like the battery needs
replacing, but on the other hand a new battery is inexpensive and easy
to replace. So there's almost no downside to trying it.

 

[Antares 531]

I have an older computer with a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L motherboard that
I home-built a few years back. I recently built a new computer and
have been keeping the old one alive until I get the new one all
checked out and settled in.

Yesterday the old computer wouldn't boot. It makes a BEEP about one
second long during the boot process but won't go any farther. The
drive lights flash and the monitor goes through its first sign of
lighting up, after I turn the computer on, but this is as far as it
goes. The monitor goes black and the activity lights on the front of
the computer flash a few times, then everything stops.

I've tried using the original Windows XP Pro installation disk, and
also a second boot disk that I slipstreamed with SP3 on it. Neither
boot disk will initiate a start-up process. The CD drive light flashes
a few times then quits and nothing more happens after the BEEP.

Any ideas as to what I might try next?

Thanks, Gordon

I finally got the above problem resolved and for a day or so this old
computer worked very well. But, this morning when I turned it on after
being shut down overnight I got a continuous beep. Everything seemed
to be working okay but the beep didn't stop.

I opened the case and noticed the CPU fan was running in short bursts
of about 2 seconds then stopping for about the same length of time.
This continued until I shut the computer down and re-booted...cold
boot. After this, the fan ran constantly and there was no more
beeping.

This computer has an Intel Core 2 Duo processor E6750, LGA 775 Pkg
2.66 GHZ, 4MB L2 Cache, 1333 MHz FSB.

Is this an indication of something in the process of failing or was it
just a fluke of some sort?

Thanks for your insights, Gordon

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I finally got the above problem resolved and for a day or so this old
computer worked very well. But, this morning when I turned it on after
being shut down overnight I got a continuous beep. Everything seemed
to be working okay but the beep didn't stop.

I opened the case and noticed the CPU fan was running in short bursts
of about 2 seconds then stopping for about the same length of time.
This continued until I shut the computer down and re-booted...cold
boot. After this, the fan ran constantly and there was no more
beeping.

This computer has an Intel Core 2 Duo processor E6750, LGA 775 Pkg
2.66 GHZ, 4MB L2 Cache, 1333 MHz FSB.

Is this an indication of something in the process of failing or was it
just a fluke of some sort?

Thanks for your insights, Gordon

Almost certainly something is failing. I don't believe in flukes.

 

[glee]

I finally got the above problem resolved and for a day or so this old
computer worked very well. But, this morning when I turned it on after
being shut down overnight I got a continuous beep. Everything seemed
to be working okay but the beep didn't stop.

I opened the case and noticed the CPU fan was running in short bursts
of about 2 seconds then stopping for about the same length of time.
This continued until I shut the computer down and re-booted...cold
boot. After this, the fan ran constantly and there was no more
beeping.

This computer has an Intel Core 2 Duo processor E6750, LGA 775 Pkg
2.66 GHZ, 4MB L2 Cache, 1333 MHz FSB.

Is this an indication of something in the process of failing or was it
just a fluke of some sort?

Thanks for your insights, Gordon

The processor fan should be spinning continuously...it may go at
variable speed depending on the load on the processor, but it must not
ever stop spinning while the computer is on.

The fan *may* have a built-in temp sensor to determine the speed at
which it needs to spin,and that or the fan itself may be failing.
Regardless, the CPU fan should be replaced by one specifically designed
for that processor family,and for the heat sink it is installed on.

I still have not been convinced from your last thread, that the PSU is
free of defects either.

 

[Antares 531]

Almost certainly something is failing. I don't believe in flukes.

This old computer reminds me of the old story, "The Deacon's
Masterpiece." I think it is about to the end of its life, although it
is just a bit more than two years old.

I just started it up cold again and the continuous beep is back. I did
several re-boots using the power button on the computer case and it
didn't quit.

Then, I did a shutdown clicking on the Start > Turn off computer >
Restart sequence and it came alive in fine shape. I used this computer
for several minutes and it seems to be doing fine. In fact it seems a
bit faster than it used to be. Maybe something that is needed isn't
loading or some such???

This seems to indicate a BIOS setting error but I'm not smart enough
to figure out what it might be. I did have to reset some of the BIOS
things after the first set of problems, but these resettings were
minimal...set the mouse double click for bringing it out of
hibernation...set the boot sequence for CD first, hard drive second,
etc.,

Any ideas as to what BIOS setting might be messed up.

Thanks, Gordon

 

[Antares 531]

The processor fan should be spinning continuously...it may go at
variable speed depending on the load on the processor, but it must not
ever stop spinning while the computer is on.

The fan *may* have a built-in temp sensor to determine the speed at
which it needs to spin,and that or the fan itself may be failing.
Regardless, the CPU fan should be replaced by one specifically designed
for that processor family,and for the heat sink it is installed on.

I still have not been convinced from your last thread, that the PSU is
free of defects either.

Thanks, glee, for your insights into this set of problems. The
processor fan is the one that came with the processor, and it has
always worked well.

After doing a re-boot using the mouse click sequence Start>Turn off
computer...>Restart everything seems to work as it should. But, if I
use the power button on the computer's case to turn the computer off,
then start it with a mouse double click or with this same power button
I get the CPU fan erratic behavior and the constant beep sound.

I'm speculating that I may have made some bad settings in the BIOS
yesterday when I activated the mouse double click as a means for
starting the computer. I also set the boot sequence to 1. CD, 2. Hard
drive, 3. floppy drive. I don't see how this could cause any problems,
but maybe I inadvertently set something else into an unworkable state.

You may be right about the power supply being the cause of at least
some of the problems, but I can't figure out why it will operate for
an extended time without any beeps or other indicated problems, the
throw a hissy fit when I re-start the computer.

Gordon

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

On Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:38:22 -0700, "Ken Blake, MVP"

This old computer reminds me of the old story, "The Deacon's
Masterpiece." I think it is about to the end of its life, although it
is just a bit more than two years old.

I don't mean to claim that the whole computer needs to be replaced,
but it sounds like the fan (or perhaps the power supply) should be
replaced.

 

[Antares 531]

I don't mean to claim that the whole computer needs to be replaced,
but it sounds like the fan (or perhaps the power supply) should be
replaced.

Ken, I'm increasingly convinced that you and others who have suggested
this are right. I just went through a lengthy process of shutting down
and restarting several times, by every available method, but was not
able to duplicate the problem.

This problem occurred only once, when I first started the computer
this morning. I'm now thinking it may be a thermal problem such as a
cracked circuit on the motherboard, or maybe a thermally unstable
connector somewhere. I'll keep messing around with it and hope to
narrow the problem down a bit.

I keep this computer in a nice warm room that doesn't get cooler than
about 65º at night and stays at 71º throughout the day. It's not like
I was leaving the poor thing out in the snow all night then expecting
it to spring back alive with no problems come morning!

I do power this computer down when I don't anticipating using it for a
while. That is, I don't just put it into hibernate or sleep mode. I
shut it down, completely.

I'm guessing that the computer would beep if something causes the CPU
fan to stop, not the other way around. That is, it isn't some other
problem that causes the beeping and also causes the fan to stop.

Still, I can't figure out why the fan keeps trying to start. It goes
through an endless sequence of on for about 2 seconds then off for
about the same length of time. The beeping doesn't synchronize with
the fan's on/off cycles, but runs in parallel, so to speak.

It does seem that once the motherboard gets warmed up a bit it is
stable, but when it has cooled down for an extended period of time
this thermal problem may crop up. I'll check this out a lot before I
throw the computer in the dumpster.

Gordon

 

[glee]

Thanks, glee, for your insights into this set of problems. The
processor fan is the one that came with the processor, and it has
always worked well.

After doing a re-boot using the mouse click sequence Start>Turn off
computer...>Restart everything seems to work as it should. But, if I
use the power button on the computer's case to turn the computer off,
then start it with a mouse double click or with this same power button
I get the CPU fan erratic behavior and the constant beep sound.

I'm speculating that I may have made some bad settings in the BIOS
yesterday when I activated the mouse double click as a means for
starting the computer. I also set the boot sequence to 1. CD, 2. Hard
drive, 3. floppy drive. I don't see how this could cause any problems,
but maybe I inadvertently set something else into an unworkable state.

You may be right about the power supply being the cause of at least
some of the problems, but I can't figure out why it will operate for
an extended time without any beeps or other indicated problems, the
throw a hissy fit when I re-start the computer.

Gordon,
If you are "turning it off" with the button on the case, and then
starting it by double-clicking the mouse, you are NOT turning it off,
you are putting it to sleep or in hibernation. Did you configure in the
BIOS for the button on the case to hibernate when pressed briefly, and
to turn off if held down for 5 seconds?

I assume when you actually shut down completely, you are using the
Start> Shutdown menu in Windows...correct? When it is shut down that
way, a mouse click will not start the computer....you have to start it
using the button on the case. Is that the way it is configured?

Is the ONLY time you see the fan start and stop and start again, when
you have it sleeping or hibernating, and you wake it? Is that also the
only time you hear the beep?

If you TOTALLY shut down, so the mouse will not start it, do you hear a
beep or see the erratic fan behaviour at start up?

 

[Antares 531]

Gordon,
If you are "turning it off" with the button on the case, and then
starting it by double-clicking the mouse, you are NOT turning it off,
you are putting it to sleep or in hibernation. Did you configure in the
BIOS for the button on the case to hibernate when pressed briefly, and
to turn off if held down for 5 seconds?

I assume when you actually shut down completely, you are using the
Start> Shutdown menu in Windows...correct? When it is shut down that
way, a mouse click will not start the computer....you have to start it
using the button on the case. Is that the way it is configured?

Is the ONLY time you see the fan start and stop and start again, when
you have it sleeping or hibernating, and you wake it? Is that also the
only time you hear the beep?

If you TOTALLY shut down, so the mouse will not start it, do you hear a
beep or see the erratic fan behaviour at start up?

Glee, I just checked this. I turned the computer off using the
Start>Turn off computer>Turn Off sequence, then left it off for about
5 minutes. Then, without touching anything else I double clicked my
mouse's left button and the computer started up, normally.

This computer is running Windows XP Pro with SP 3 installed. Also, I
set the BIOS settings such that I can use the mouse to start the
computer.

I'll do some more checking on this but I think I can shut down using
the computer case power button, holding it for more than 5 seconds,
then use the mouse left double click to start it again.

The beep sound was there when I started this computer after lunch. It
had been powered down for an hour or more, giving it enough time to
cool off. This reinforces my thinking that this is a thermal problem,
but I have no idea how to locate it other than one by one replacement
of parts.

Why would only the CPU fan be erratic if this is a power supply
problem? I think all the fans are powered by the same output from the
power supply.

The fans probably have some kind of sensor that sends a signal to the
CPU if the fan stops or fails. I set the BIOS such that any fan
failure would produce a warning signal to me.

So, is the fan actually failing, or is the fan sensor failing, or is
the fan power supply failing or is there a thermal problem on the
motherboard???

Gordon

 

[glee]

Glee, I just checked this. I turned the computer off using the
Start>Turn off computer>Turn Off sequence, then left it off for about
5 minutes. Then, without touching anything else I double clicked my
mouse's left button and the computer started up, normally.

This computer is running Windows XP Pro with SP 3 installed. Also, I
set the BIOS settings such that I can use the mouse to start the
computer.

I'll do some more checking on this but I think I can shut down using
the computer case power button, holding it for more than 5 seconds,
then use the mouse left double click to start it again.

The beep sound was there when I started this computer after lunch. It
had been powered down for an hour or more, giving it enough time to
cool off. This reinforces my thinking that this is a thermal problem,
but I have no idea how to locate it other than one by one replacement
of parts.

Why would only the CPU fan be erratic if this is a power supply
problem? I think all the fans are powered by the same output from the
power supply.

The fans probably have some kind of sensor that sends a signal to the
CPU if the fan stops or fails. I set the BIOS such that any fan
failure would produce a warning signal to me.

So, is the fan actually failing, or is the fan sensor failing, or is
the fan power supply failing or is there a thermal problem on the
motherboard???

Gordon

The only time I've seen a CPU fan spin then stop then spin, is when
there has been a power interruption to the fan, or the power supply was
faulty. That doesn't mean that the only possibility...only that it is
all I have seen.

Just a little off-topic but I'm curious about this setting you turned
on......
What is the exact wording of the BIOS setting you turned on to use the
mouse to start the computer?
In what section title of the BIOS setup is it located?

 

[Antares 531]

The only time I've seen a CPU fan spin then stop then spin, is when
there has been a power interruption to the fan, or the power supply was
faulty. That doesn't mean that the only possibility...only that it is
all I have seen.

Just a little off-topic but I'm curious about this setting you turned
on......
What is the exact wording of the BIOS setting you turned on to use the
mouse to start the computer?
In what section title of the BIOS setup is it located?

Glee, the way I did this is hit the Delete key when the Post Screen
appears during the boot process. This opens the BIOS screen. There are
several items in the left column.

Standard CMOS Features
Advanced BIOS Features
Integrated Peripherals
Power Management Setup

It's that last one that you need to highlight then press the enter
key.

On the next screen there are again several items. Near the bottom of
the list is one;
Power On By Mouse [Double Click]

You can highlight this one then use the arrow keys to step through the
options to the one you want to keep.

Then, save and exit the BIOS setup. The boot process should completes,
then the next time you do a full power down you can test your mouse
click on this.

Keep in mind that I'm using Windows XP Pro with SP3. This BIOS setup
process is quite different in Windows 7 that I have on my new
computer.

Gordon

 

[Antares 531]

(snip)

The only time I've seen a CPU fan spin then stop then spin, is when
there has been a power interruption to the fan, or the power supply was
faulty. That doesn't mean that the only possibility...only that it is
all I have seen.

Just a little off-topic but I'm curious about this setting you turned
on......
What is the exact wording of the BIOS setting you turned on to use the
mouse to start the computer?
In what section title of the BIOS setup is it located?

Glee, when you saw the CPU fan spin then stop then spin, did any of
the other fans do the same thing, or did they keep running steadily?

My video card fan and the case cooling air exhaust fan keep running,
even when the CPU fan is skipping in and out. I think they are all
powered from the same power supply output, so if the power supply was
erratic it should affect all the fans together.

I can't figure this one out. I'll keep working with it and hope for
the best.

Gordon

 

[Brian A.]

The only time I've seen a CPU fan spin then stop then spin, is when
there has been a power interruption to the fan, or the power supply was
faulty. That doesn't mean that the only possibility...only that it is
all I have seen.

Just a little off-topic but I'm curious about this setting you turned
on......
What is the exact wording of the BIOS setting you turned on to use the
mouse to start the computer?
In what section title of the BIOS setup is it located?

Glen,

I've never seen the "mouse double click start" either but I wouldn't rule it
out. I have a Matsonic mobo w/Award BIOS in my 98SE box and there is a Hot Key
setting where the machine can be cold booted by pressing ctrl+f12.

--

Brian A. Sesko
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://members.shaw.ca/dts-l/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

 

[Brian A.]

Glee, when you saw the CPU fan spin then stop then spin, did any of
the other fans do the same thing, or did they keep running steadily?

My video card fan and the case cooling air exhaust fan keep running,
even when the CPU fan is skipping in and out. I think they are all
powered from the same power supply output, so if the power supply was
erratic it should affect all the fans together.

I can't figure this one out. I'll keep working with it and hope for
the best.

Gordon

Everything in the case is powered by the PSU, if one fan isn't operating
properly and other fans are, it doesn't necessarily mean the PSU isn't failing.
At this point I suggest replacing the CPU fan as it may very well be an
overheating problem due to the fan being faulty. As I suggested earlier, you
should test the PC with another PSU to rule it out or verify it as the cause.
Shut the new PC down, toggle the PSU to Off, pull the power cord, disconnect
"Every" PSU power connector in the new PC from the motherboard and
components/devices, that means any/all wires with a connector that's connected
gets disconnected. Once done you can connect the PSU to the old PCs motherboard
and all of the components/devices installed.

--

Brian A. Sesko
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://members.shaw.ca/dts-l/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

 

[Antares 531]

Everything in the case is powered by the PSU, if one fan isn't operating
properly and other fans are, it doesn't necessarily mean the PSU isn't failing.
At this point I suggest replacing the CPU fan as it may very well be an
overheating problem due to the fan being faulty. As I suggested earlier, you
should test the PC with another PSU to rule it out or verify it as the cause.
Shut the new PC down, toggle the PSU to Off, pull the power cord, disconnect
"Every" PSU power connector in the new PC from the motherboard and
components/devices, that means any/all wires with a connector that's connected
gets disconnected. Once done you can connect the PSU to the old PCs motherboard
and all of the components/devices installed.

Thanks, Bryan, I'll try this as soon as I've completed some other
"explorations." I'm still trying to understand why this power
supply/CPU fan/beeping thing happens only when I first boot this
computer in the morning, or after it has been shut down for a few
hours. This must be some king of thermal problem.

Once I've tried to boot and got the sporadic fan and beeping, then
shut down, all the way, not just re-boot, then the computer will boot
up and everything runs normally. I can then use this computer for
several hours and the problem doesn't show up at all...until I've shut
it down and let it cool off for a few hours.

I'm also wondering if perhaps this could be caused a BIOS setting
error of some sort. The CPU fan may have some settings that let it
spin at different rates under different temperature conditions, and
when everything is thoroughly cooled down this BIOS setting may not
handle things properly.

Gordon

 

[Antares 531]

Could this fan interruption be caused by a faulty fan speed control
module on the motherboard? The BIOS provides means for setting the
fan's on and off temperature values and also for regulating the fan's
speed. Maybe the module that controls this is failing. I'm wondering
if it might shed some light on this if I would plug the CPU fan into a
different fan power socket on the motherboard. Gordon

Glen,

I've never seen the "mouse double click start" either but I wouldn't rule it
out. I have a Matsonic mobo w/Award BIOS in my 98SE box and there is a Hot Key
setting where the machine can be cold booted by pressing ctrl+f12.

Brian, I'm surprised to find that this double click left mouse
start-up is so unusual. I've used it in other computers, and like it.
This lets me keep the keyboard dead and inactive when the computer is
shut down and not inadvertently bump some key that starts the
computer.

I checked this out carefully, this morning when I started this
computer after it had been shut down over night. A double click on the
left mouse button brought it alive. I know the computer had been shut
down all the way, and not in hibernate or sleep mode. In fact, I had
pulled the power cable just to be sure it wouldn't somehow try to come
alive during the night and really mess things up.

Gordon

 

[Antares 531]

I finally got the above problem resolved and for a day or so this old
computer worked very well. But, this morning when I turned it on after
being shut down overnight I got a continuous beep. Everything seemed
to be working okay but the beep didn't stop.

I opened the case and noticed the CPU fan was running in short bursts
of about 2 seconds then stopping for about the same length of time.
This continued until I shut the computer down and re-booted...cold
boot. After this, the fan ran constantly and there was no more
beeping.

This computer has an Intel Core 2 Duo processor E6750, LGA 775 Pkg
2.66 GHZ, 4MB L2 Cache, 1333 MHz FSB.

Is this an indication of something in the process of failing or was it
just a fluke of some sort?

Thanks for your insights, Gordon

I just came across the following site and now I'm wondering if maybe
all my recent spate of problems might have been caused by the NVIDIA
Drivers. Do any of you have any further insights into this.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=7551

Here's the opening clip from this site in case you don't have time to
visit it and read the full text.

I’m getting a steady stream of reports in from NVIDIA users that the
latest 196.75 drivers can cause severe cooling problems, even possibly
resulting in the death of the hardware.

The problem seems to be related to the fan controller, causing the
fans to slow down, and even stop. This happening while the card is in
use is a very bad thing indeed, and can cause poor performance (as the
GPU tries to cool itself down by reducing power) and possibly even
overheat your GPU to the point where the card stops working.

---copy/paste from web site---
NVIDIA 196.75 drivers were released on Marc 2nd, and have now been
removed from the download site. If you are running these drivers it is
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you uninstall this driver and immediately
downgrade to the 196.21 drivers.