Major startup issue

[carl43m]

I have had my vista home premium system for a little over a year with no real
issues. The other day I did a system restart . The manufactures logo which
normally comes up for about 20 seconds before moving on to the microsoft
welcome screen stayed on for at least 5 minutes and then the screen went
black for a couple of minutes. Then a short blinking cursor with a message
that "Bios not installed!", then black for several minutes and then a message
that the pc could not start and I was prompted to select an option for
automatic repair. I did so and after about 10 minutes and an automated
system restore , my system booted up and everything seemed to run ok. This
morning I decided to try a restart again. While I did not get any messages
to run any repairs, the system did stay at the manufactures logo for several
minutes, then a black screen for several more minutes before finally getting
to the microsoft welcome screen. Does anyione have any insight as to what
might be happening and how to fix this?

I have windows vista home premium, service pack 2. Intel Core 2 Quad CPU
Q6600. 4GB Ram, 32 bit operating system.

 

[Tim Slattery]

I have had my vista home premium system for a little over a year with no real
issues. The other day I did a system restart. The manufactures logo which
normally comes up for about 20 seconds before moving on to the microsoft
welcome screen stayed on for at least 5 minutes and then the screen went
black for a couple of minutes. Then a short blinking cursor with a message
that "Bios not installed!",

Wow! I never heard of that one before. That would scare the heck out
of me.

then black for several minutes and then a message
that the pc could not start and I was prompted to select an option for
automatic repair. I did so and after about 10 minutes and an automated
system restore, my system booted up and everything seemed to run ok.

Geez, I wonder what it did. Did it have a safety copy of the BIOS
somewhere that it could flash the chip with? Total speculation, I
can't imagine what was going on.

This morning I decided to try a restart again. While I did not get any messages
to run any repairs, the system did stay at the manufactures logo for several
minutes, then a black screen for several more minutes before finally getting
to the microsoft welcome screen. Does anyone have any insight as to what
might be happening and how to fix this?

I think it has to do with your hardware. If it's still under warranty
I'd yell at the manufacturer.

 

[carl43m]

unfortunately it is 18months old and no longer under warranty. At the moment
everything seems to be running fine. I am just worried that next time it does
a restart what might happen. I made a backup of all my personal files onto a
flash drive as a precaution. The only thing that I have run new on the pc
was a utility from the microsoft web page that checks to see if my vista
system was ready to do a potential upgrade to windows 7. It was an .exe
program from microsoft that ran and gave me a report. Then the next morning
allheck broke loose with the startup. It may just be a coincidence. I also
have a 2.0 usb hub with 4 items hooked to it. Recently one of the slots
didn't recognize a device and I had to switch the device to another slot. I
am wondering if there could be anything that may be wrong with the usb hub
that can cause this issue/

 

[Michael]

I have had my vista home premium system for a little over a year with no
real
issues. The other day I did a system restart . The manufactures logo
which
normally comes up for about 20 seconds before moving on to the microsoft
welcome screen stayed on for at least 5 minutes and then the screen went
black for a couple of minutes. Then a short blinking cursor with a
message
that "Bios not installed!", then black for several minutes and then a
message
that the pc could not start and I was prompted to select an option for
automatic repair. I did so and after about 10 minutes and an automated
system restore , my system booted up and everything seemed to run ok.
This
morning I decided to try a restart again. While I did not get any
messages
to run any repairs, the system did stay at the manufactures logo for
several
minutes, then a black screen for several more minutes before finally
getting
to the microsoft welcome screen. Does anyione have any insight as to what
might be happening and how to fix this?

I have windows vista home premium, service pack 2. Intel Core 2 Quad CPU
Q6600. 4GB Ram, 32 bit operating system.

Sounds like it's time to replace the battery on your motherboard.

 

[carl43m]

I have had numerous pc's in the last 30 years and have never run into
something like this. I didn't know about batteries on aq motherboard. Is
that something I would have fixed at someplace like a best buy geek squad?

 

[igotsaurus]

Backup your hard drive, at least your important files, before you do
anything else.
Run a software utility to evaluate the hard drive--these are available on
the hard drive manufacturer's web site.
If the hard drive passes the problem is most likely the power supply.
The vast majority of computer hardware problems are hard drive or power
supply related, particularly the power supply as most prebuilt machines are
powered by the cheapest unit the manufacturer can find. Even high-end power
supplies fail, probably on a par with hard drives.
Motherboard components can fail, but that is not very common. Motherboard
batteries are not the problem they were 10 years ago but are easy enough to
replace. In most modern motherboards like yours if the battery has died you
will will usually be forced to boot into the BIOS set-up screen where you
will see an incorrect date and settings have defaulted to basic. That does
not sound like your problem. The battery backs up custom settings, including
the date.
If you do not know how to troubleshoot these problems, for example have a
second power supply you can try to see if it solves the problem, you should
get professional help.

 

[rak]

If you decide to get professional help, I suggest you search online to
determine who might be best for you. Especially look for negative
experiences that others may have had prior to selecting anyone particular.

 

[carl43m]

thanks for your recommendations. I don't know what you mean by having a
second power supply to try. The pc is plugged into an electrical outlet that
is my only source of power. Thjis is a desktop not a laptop running off of a
battery.

I ran a diagnostics tool from Dell and it said everything on the pc had
passed.

 

[Tim Slattery]

Sounds like it's time to replace the battery on your motherboard.

I disagree. The battery keeps the clock running, and maintains
settings that you've made via the BIOS update routine. The BIOS code
itself is in ROM someplace, that's non-volatile storage and so does
not need a power source to keep the data intact. But the message said
that there was no BIOS installed. Maybe the BIOS chip is having
troubles. Whatever, it's something I've never encountered.

 

[Michael]

Avoid Geek Slobs at all costs. Most of their "techs" lost their
burger-flippin' jobs at Mickey D's. In spite of the other comments the
first time I encountered "BIOS not installed" I had to replace the battery.
If you're not mechanically inclined, take it to a local computer repair
shop, not one of the big store whores. The battery only costs $3 and is
relatively simple to replace.

 

[carl43m]

thanks again. One thing I am confused with. If my pc is always plugged into
an electrical outlet how does the little battery on the motherboard have any
significance? I thought that was just to help when the pc was turned off.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I have had numerous pc's in the last 30 years and have never run into
something like this. I didn't know about batteries on aq motherboard. Is
that something I would have fixed at someplace like a best buy geek squad?

A couple of points:

1. Yes, motherboards have batteries to preserve the information that
was set in the BIOS.

2. Batteries usually last around four-five years. If you've never run
into a battery problem before, you've probably never kept a computer
long enough for it to occur.

3. A new battery costs around #2-3US.

4. The battery is very easy to replace, and you should not need to pay
anyone to do it for you. If you've never done one yourself, ask a
friend who has to show you how to do it.

5. Easy as a battery is to replace, I would not trust anyone from the
Geek Squad to do it. They are among the worst possible sources of
technicians, and I wouldn't trust any of them to do *anything*.

 

[Peter Foldes]

I am aware that the Toshiba made notebooks and desktops and when the COSM battery
dies or is low a warning will come up saying exactly as was shown to you. "There is
no Bios installed"
Check or change the battery by a qualified technician and not someone like Geek
Squad as most everybody in this thread also advised you

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

I agree with Tim Slattery that a bad BIOS battery shouldn't cause those
symptoms, but you sound like you have contrary *knowledge*. Makes me
want to rethink my opinion

In either case, the problem is clearly hardware related, and is
happening before Windows is involved.

Aside to the OP: all computer circuits run on low voltage DC. The wall
plug is high voltage AC. Inside a desktop computer is a box to convert
the AC input into the appropriate DC voltages (different circuits
inside the PC use different voltages). That box is the power supply,
and it can fail...

Not relevant to you: In a laptop, the external charger and the battery
provide part of that functionality; the several DC voltages are
developed inside the computer from the output of the battery or
charger. That internal circuit could fail even if the battery and
external supply are OK.

I am aware that the Toshiba made notebooks and desktops and when the COSM
battery dies or is low a warning will come up saying exactly as was shown to
you. "There is no Bios installed"
Check or change the battery by a qualified technician and not someone like
Geek Squad as most everybody in this thread also advised you

 

[Chuck]

It does act like a hardware problem. If I had it on a bench, I'd substitute
a known good power supply as a first guess.
Next, if that didn't solve the problem, I'd be looking for a motherboard
malfunction.

Many of the desktops sold at a retail level have low capacity power supplies
that seem to have a high failure rate.
In addition, the motherboards may fail early due to cheap capacitors.

 

[carl43m]

I have an additional piece of information. The evening before I ran into
this problem I had downloaded a software application from the microsoft web
page. It was called windows7upgradeadvisor. It was supposed to check thru
my vista system and pc hardware and tell me if my system was "ready" for a
possible upgrade to windows 7. The program ran and gave me a list of
feedback items. Then the next time I restarted I ran into all this problem.
Someone from another forum suggested that when the upgrade advisor was
checking my system that it may have tested a bios setting and disrupted the
BIOS. Does this sound plausible from any of your experience?

Thanks.
Carl

 

[carl43m]

I have an additional piece of information. The evening before I ran into
this problem I had downloaded a software application from the microsoft web
page. It was called windows7upgradeadvisor. It was supposed to check thru
my vista system and pc hardware and tell me if my system was "ready" for a
possible upgrade to windows 7. The program ran and gave me a list of
feedback items. Then the next time I restarted I ran into all this problem.
Someone from another forum suggested that when the upgrade advisor was
checking my system that it may have tested a bios setting and disrupted the
BIOS. Does this sound plausible from any of your experience?

Thanks.
Carl

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

From my experience, it sounds like a coincidence. In any case, it
sounds implausible.

 

[carl43m]

thanks for your guidance

From my experience, it sounds like a coincidence. In any case, it
sounds implausible.



--
Gene Bloch 650.366.4267 lettersatblochg.com


.

 

[carl43m]

thanks for your assistance. Just wanted to get back and let you know that
the culprit seems to be my usb hub. I had a usb hub for over a year with no
issues. I noticed a week ago that when I plugged my mp3 player into its
normal slot neither windows explorer or the mp3 player's explore recognized
the unit. When I plugged it into a different slot it worked. So today, I
unhooked the whole hub from the pc and plugged the mouse and keyboard
directly into the pc and everything booted up almost as quickly as before I
ever had the problem.