When you turn on your computer, does the bios post?
IF so you'll see various messages, such as what type of processor has been
detected,
Bios version, the amount of ram detected ... etc.
Do you have a modern video card?
before the problem occured, did the video cards manufaturer and copyright
info
display for a seconds before bios would post?
If video card info used to be displayed before your bios would post,
and it doesn't now, it's a hardware issue with the video card.
You can make sure the card is seated firmly into the pci/agp slot,
you can also remove the card and put in another one, to see if the problem
stops.
If your video never did display anything before post, and the post screen
doesn't appear,
then you have a hardware or a bios issue.
Bios errors could be anything from a virus has messed it up, to something as
"simple" as you
trying to overclock your cpu at an incompatable level or you changed a bios
setting that
is now preventing bootup or tried to update the bios to an incompatible
version.
Under those conditions you can try to reset the bios, but to do so, you need
either the
owner's manual that came with it (if you or someone built it custom for
you), or get the
motherboard's schematics from the manufacturer's website, to find the
correct jumper.
To troubleshoot hardware, remove all expansion cards (PCI,PCIe, et all) such
as internal modems,
ethernets, usb cards, EVERYTHING.
Yes, disconnect the hdd (look at the IDE cable connected to it, see the side
of the cable with the
thin red line on it? Remember which direction that side of the IDE connector
is connected too on the hdd), disconnect everything plugged into the back of
the tower (except the monitor),
even the keyboard, mouse and memory cards.
When done the only things you want connected to the motherboard are the
power supply,
any connectors that lead to the front panel of the towercase, video card &
monitor.
Turn it on ..... does it post?
If yes, you'll get 1 or 2 errors (about the keyboard & possibly about
insufficent memory),
Turn it back off and reinstall the keyboard.
Turn it on ..... does it post?
If yes, you may get an error about insufficent memory, if no memory
error,you'll eventually get an
error about command.com or a invalid disk, dont worry about it.
Turn it back off and reinstall 1 memory chip at a time, turning it on
between chips, until it fails to post.
Repeat this proccess, installinh 1 card at a time, and turning it on, leave
the hdd for last.
Which ever pice of hardware you installed right before it finnally fails to
post (again) is the problem child).
If the Bios doesn't post when all you have connected to the motherboard
arethe video card & monitor, you'll need to try with a different video card.
You can also have a friend try to use your monitor on his/her computer, just
to rule it out.
Once you have a different video card install, if the problem installed, then
it's either a
corrupted bios or bad motherboard, you're only choice is to replace the
motherboard.
IF it's an OEM system (i.e. you're using an oem version of XP) you'll need
to contact
the manufacturer about getting a new one that will work with your oem xp
key.
If you're using the retail version of Xp, it won't matter which where you
get a new motherboard
from,as long as it's good one (i. check microsoft's website for a list of xp
compatable boards)
