Help: Boot Screen Info

[Darren Harris]

I replaced a 233mhz processor inside of a Compaq Deskpro with a 333mhz
processor, which is the maximum the motherboard will take.

But now upon boot-up, the memory count and initial screens no longer
show. It's starts on the white "Compaq" screen, followed by the
"Windows 98" screen, and then the desktop.

Is there anyway to change this so that I can actually see the memory
count-up and processor it now has?

I can't get into the BIOS because any key I hit(F10,F11,DEL, ect.)
after powering on results in the "301-Keyboard error" screen.(I get
nothing but a black screen if I try ESC).

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Yousuf Khan]

I replaced a 233mhz processor inside of a Compaq Deskpro with a 333mhz
processor, which is the maximum the motherboard will take.

But now upon boot-up, the memory count and initial screens no longer
show. It's starts on the white "Compaq" screen, followed by the
"Windows 98" screen, and then the desktop.

Sounds as if the memory count is going through too fast. Have you tried to
unplug the keyboard and wait for the "no keyboard" error message to appear,
and then plug in the keyboard?

I think that'll give you enough of a pause so that you can go into BIOS
setup that way.

BTW, at 233Mhz to 333Mhz, I assume you've replaced a Intel Pentium with an
AMD K6 of some sort?

Yousuf Khan

 

[Darren Harris]

Sounds as if the memory count is going through too fast. Have you tried to
unplug the keyboard and wait for the "no keyboard" error message to appear,
and then plug in the keyboard?

?!? There is no memory count. The machine starts at the white Compaq logo screen.

I think that'll give you enough of a pause so that you can go into BIOS
setup that way.

BTW, at 233Mhz to 333Mhz, I assume you've replaced a Intel Pentium with an
AMD K6 of some sort?

?!? You can't swap an Intel for an AMD.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Yousuf Khan]

?!? There is no memory count. The machine starts at the white Compaq
logo screen.

So have you tried unplugging the keyboard prior to bootup? That should
prevent it from booting into Windows 98 until it sees a keyboard.

?!? You can't swap an Intel for an AMD.

Sure you could, in the old days prior to the advent of the Athlon. All of
the old K6 chips were plug-in compatible with Pentium chips, and could use
the same motherboards as Pentiums. Prior to that all AMD 486's were plug
compatible with Intel 486's, etc.

Yousuf Khan

 

[George Macdonald]

?!? There is no memory count. The machine starts at the white Compaq logo screen.


?!? You can't swap an Intel for an AMD.

Why don't you tell us *which* CPU you had/have instead of arguing without
the facts... and yes a Pentium *could* be replaced by a K6 in many Socket 7
mbrds. I'm guessing Slot 1 Pentium II??

My suggestion is to look for a BIOS update and if available, install it
with the old 233MHz CPU - then try the switch again. If no BIOS update is
available, it's likely that Compaq has something in their proprietary BIOS
which prevents using a faster CPU. OEMs do that kind of thing - one of the
principal reasons that enthusiasts shun their wares.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??

 

[Darren Harris]

So have you tried unplugging the keyboard prior to bootup? That should
prevent it from booting into Windows 98 until it sees a keyboard.

Unplugging the keyboard affects nothing. It still continues to the
desktop.

Sure you could, in the old days prior to the advent of the Athlon. All of
the old K6 chips were plug-in compatible with Pentium chips, and could use
the same motherboards as Pentiums. Prior to that all AMD 486's were plug

Okay. I was thinking about trying put the original 233mhz chip back in
to see if it will start showing the early screens again.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Darren Harris]

Why don't you tell us *which* CPU you had/have instead of arguing without
the facts... and yes a Pentium *could* be replaced by a K6 in many Socket 7
mbrds. I'm guessing Slot 1 Pentium II??

I did say in the post that started this thread that I replaced a
233mhz with a 333mhz.(333mhz is the highest that the motherboard will
take).

My suggestion is to look for a BIOS update and if available, install it
with the old 233MHz CPU - then try the switch again. If no BIOS update is
available, it's likely that Compaq has something in their proprietary BIOS
which prevents using a faster CPU. OEMs do that kind of thing - one of the
principal reasons that enthusiasts shun their wares.

Where can I get a BIOS update, and how do I install it?

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Yousuf Khan]

I did say in the post that started this thread that I replaced a
233mhz with a 333mhz.(333mhz is the highest that the motherboard will
take).

But that's not enough information. You also need to tell us whether it was a
Pentium I or Pentium II, for example. 233Mhz or 333Mhz is just the
clockspeed at which a particular processor model ran at, but there were
various Intel or AMD models that ran at 233Mhz and various other models at
333Mhz. For example the original Pentium I models (i.e. Pentium & Pentium
MMX), ran at speeds ranging from 50Mhz all of the way upto 233Mhz. Pentium
II models ranged from 233Mhz upto 450Mhz. AMD K6 (i.e. K6, K6-II and K6-III)
models ranged from 166Mhz to 550Mhz. So you can see there was an overlap in
the clockspeed ratings of Pentium and Pentium II, and it happened to be
right at that 233Mhz; and there was an overlap of clock speeds between K6
and Pentium II at 333Mhz.

If you don't know what model of processor you have, then one thing you can
do is to actually let the machine boot into Windows 98 and then once it's
settled down, take your mouse and right click on the My Computer icon and
select Properties. That should tell you whether you have a Pentium or
Pentium II.

Where can I get a BIOS update, and how do I install it?

Well, HP's website, for one. Do a search on your particular Compaq model
under the HP support pages.

Another way to find out what processor your computer originally had is to do
this search for your model of computer and it should state what processors
were inside that machine, as well as what clockspeeds those processors ran
at.

However, one possibility to consider is that this white Compaq screen is
just a normal bootup screen. Various manufacturers have this feature where
they have a pretty bootup screen and an ugly bootup screen. The ugly bootup
screen is the screen where you see all of the boot info like memory count,
device list, etc. This white Compaq logo screen might just be the pretty
boot screen, which hides all of this ugly detail. Often the way to switch
from the pretty to the ugly screen is to get into the BIOS configuration,
and this would just be one of the options within the configuration. It's
possible that once you replaced the processor, that all of the options in
the BIOS configuration were reset to defaults and one of the defaults was to
use the pretty screen rather than the ugly screen.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Darren Harris]

I did say in the post that started this thread that I replaced a

But that's not enough information. You also need to tell us whether it was a
Pentium I or Pentium II, for example. 233Mhz or 333Mhz is just the
clockspeed at which a particular processor model ran at, but there were
various Intel or AMD models that ran at 233Mhz and various other models at
333Mhz. For example the original Pentium I models (i.e. Pentium & Pentium
MMX), ran at speeds ranging from 50Mhz all of the way upto 233Mhz. Pentium
II models ranged from 233Mhz upto 450Mhz. AMD K6 (i.e. K6, K6-II and K6-III)
models ranged from 166Mhz to 550Mhz. So you can see there was an overlap in
the clockspeed ratings of Pentium and Pentium II, and it happened to be
right at that 233Mhz; and there was an overlap of clock speeds between K6
and Pentium II at 333Mhz.

I swapped a Pentium 2 233mhz for a Pentium 2 333mhz. But how would the
difference between a Pentium 1 or Pentium 2 account for my inability
to get into BIOS?

If you don't know what model of processor you have, then one thing you can
do is to actually let the machine boot into Windows 98 and then once it's
settled down, take your mouse and right click on the My Computer icon and
select Properties. That should tell you whether you have a Pentium or
Pentium II.

That does not show the CPU clock speed. And I know exactly what
processor I have. I am trying to get the system to show it.

Well, HP's website, for one. Do a search on your particular Compaq model
under the HP support pages.

Another way to find out what processor your computer originally had is to do
this search for your model of computer and it should state what processors
were inside that machine, as well as what clockspeeds those processors ran
at.

That's the problem. Compaq purposely didn't label certain components
inside their systems, so that they would have an "out" when they used
inconsistent components from one system to the next, even though those
systems were designated to be the same. There is no model number on
either of these Compaq deskpro PCs I have. In fact there is no way
tell what model motherboards they have just by opening up the case and
looking for a model number.

However, one possibility to consider is that this white Compaq screen is
just a normal bootup screen. Various manufacturers have this feature where
they have a pretty bootup screen and an ugly bootup screen. The ugly bootup
screen is the screen where you see all of the boot info like memory count,
device list, etc. This white Compaq logo screen might just be the pretty
boot screen, which hides all of this ugly detail. Often the way to switch
from the pretty to the ugly screen is to get into the BIOS configuration,
and this would just be one of the options within the configuration. It's
possible that once you replaced the processor, that all of the options in
the BIOS configuration were reset to defaults and one of the defaults was to
use the pretty screen rather than the ugly screen.

Nope. When this Compaq still had the 233mhz processor installed, the
info screens were there upon boot-up. And like I mentioned, since I
installed the 333mhz chip, there is no longer an option to go into the
BIOS to change anything. Why would default not include the option of
entering BIOS? I'm certain that this just another one of Compaq's
tricks to mak things difficult for the end user who is trying to
upgrade.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[George Macdonald]

I swapped a Pentium 2 233mhz for a Pentium 2 333mhz. But how would the
difference between a Pentium 1 or Pentium 2 account for my inability
to get into BIOS?

It wouldn't but we're trying to get to the root of your problem and it's
important to know exactly what you have and had... to figure whether your
BIOS or mbrd may or may not (officially) support the upgraded CPU. Intel
produced several variations of Pentium II - e.g. some supported caching of
only 512MB of memory and others 4GB; some supported ECC on the L2 cache and
others didn't; some supported variable clock speed multipliers and others
didn't. It's important that the BIOS recognize which is which and set
appropriate parameters. The SL spec# on the package would indicate which
you have - not sure if the SL spec# table is still available at Intel's Web
site but if you post them, I can look your SL spec#s up on a CD-ROM I have
if you need it.

That does not show the CPU clock speed. And I know exactly what
processor I have. I am trying to get the system to show it.

If you know exactly what CPU you have it would have helped avoid confusion
if you had specified it earlier. DirectX diagnostics will report the
actual speed your CPU is running at and there's an Intel CPUID utility
available at their Web site which will tell everything you need to know
about your CPU - the install file name is fidenuxx.exe, where xx=version#.

That's the problem. Compaq purposely didn't label certain components
inside their systems, so that they would have an "out" when they used
inconsistent components from one system to the next, even though those
systems were designated to be the same. There is no model number on
either of these Compaq deskpro PCs I have. In fact there is no way
tell what model motherboards they have just by opening up the case and
looking for a model number.

Surely there's a plate or label on the rear of the case which specifies
some Compaq model number - no? Even a computer model, like Deskpro 6000
Desktop PC would allow you to download manuals, BIOS updates, software
diagnostics etc. from here:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...TypeId=12454&prodSeriesId=96264&lang=en&cc=us

Nope. When this Compaq still had the 233mhz processor installed, the
info screens were there upon boot-up. And like I mentioned, since I
installed the 333mhz chip, there is no longer an option to go into the
BIOS to change anything. Why would default not include the option of
entering BIOS? I'm certain that this just another one of Compaq's
tricks to mak things difficult for the end user who is trying to
upgrade.

Nope??? Yousuf is correct here - it's likely that the change of CPU caused
the BIOS startup sequence to be reset to the default "pretty" screen. It's
also (remotely) possible that your mbrd doesn't support that particular
version of Pentium II 333MHz - IOW it did not recognize the CPUID so it
won't let you into the BIOS Setup. In that case it *might* be running the
CPU with the wrong settings... hopefully not the voltage which is different
between the 233MHz (2.8V) and 333MHz (2.0V).

BTW when you get the keyboard error on trying to enter BIOS Setup, I think
it's because you're pressing the key too early, before the BIOS is ready to
accept that input. Whatever key you used to press before (F10 ?) to enter
BIOS Setup is likely still the same, unless the pretty screen has a
different key?? Surely that'd be in the manual which can be downloaded.
At worst, you could try disconnecting some component like the hard disk or
floppy disk to provoke an error in BIOS POST which should trigger a BIOS
Setup option.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??

 

[Tony Hill]

I replaced a 233mhz processor inside of a Compaq Deskpro with a 333mhz
processor, which is the maximum the motherboard will take.

But now upon boot-up, the memory count and initial screens no longer
show. It's starts on the white "Compaq" screen, followed by the
"Windows 98" screen, and then the desktop.

Is there anyway to change this so that I can actually see the memory
count-up and processor it now has?

I can't get into the BIOS because any key I hit(F10,F11,DEL, ect.)
after powering on results in the "301-Keyboard error" screen.(I get
nothing but a black screen if I try ESC).

All Deskpro's use F10 to get into the BIOS, however some of the really
archaic ones had to have a special partition installed on the hard
drive in order to boot into the BIOS. You will probably need to
download the BIOS creation disks and either use them to create a BIOS
editing partition on your hard drive or simply boot up from the floppy
disks every time you want to access the BIOS.

 

[Tony Hill]

I swapped a Pentium 2 233mhz for a Pentium 2 333mhz. But how would the
difference between a Pentium 1 or Pentium 2 account for my inability
to get into BIOS?

I doubt that it did. My guess is that you no longer have the BIOS
partition installed for this system, or perhaps it is installed but is
not being seen properly.

That's the problem. Compaq purposely didn't label certain components
inside their systems, so that they would have an "out" when they used
inconsistent components from one system to the next, even though those
systems were designated to be the same. There is no model number on
either of these Compaq deskpro PCs I have. In fact there is no way
tell what model motherboards they have just by opening up the case and
looking for a model number.

Try doing a check for a serial number, it should be 12 characters long
having both letters and number, probably starting with a 6. Enter it
in to the following form:

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/WarrantySingleLookup.jsp

That will check your warranty (99% certain you'll be out of warranty)
and also show you what model of Compaq you've got.

FWIW my bet is that you've got a Compaq Deskpro 4000 or 6000 series,
model 6233X.

Ohh, one thing you'll probably notice is that trying to find useful
info about much of anything from HP's website is damn near impossible.
I've got the, umm... pleasure of dealing with this at work.

Nope. When this Compaq still had the 233mhz processor installed, the
info screens were there upon boot-up. And like I mentioned, since I
installed the 333mhz chip, there is no longer an option to go into the
BIOS to change anything. Why would default not include the option of
entering BIOS? I'm certain that this just another one of Compaq's
tricks to mak things difficult for the end user who is trying to
upgrade.

As mentioned above, it sounds like the BIOS partition on these systems
somehow got hosed. That BIOS partition is a *HUGE* pain in the ass,
and fortunately something that Compaq abandoned immediately after the
release of your system (assuming my guess on your model is correct),
every Compaq corporate system that came after those Deskpro 4000 and
Deskpro 6000 systems had a proper BIOS that didn't need a partition on
your hard drive to get into.

Unfortunately for you though, you'll either need that partition there
or you'll need to download use floppy disks to get into the BIOS.

 

[Darren Harris]

All Deskpro's use F10 to get into the BIOS, however some of the really
archaic ones had to have a special partition installed on the hard
drive in order to boot into the BIOS. You will probably need to
download the BIOS creation disks and either use them to create a BIOS
editing partition on your hard drive or simply boot up from the floppy
disks every time you want to access the BIOS.

Well, since I cannot get any of the info screens, let alone into the
BIOS, I wouldn't know how to determine if what you said applies to
this sytsem.

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Tony Hill]

Well, since I cannot get any of the info screens, let alone into the
BIOS, I wouldn't know how to determine if what you said applies to
this sytsem.

Here, go to the following link, download the file and make the three
disks it asks for. Try booting from them and see if that will get you
to the BIOS. That should do the trick for you.

http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files/Deskpro/us/download/263.html