Newbuild: Gets no further than memory beep

  • Thread starter Thread starter Emlyn
  • Start date Start date
E

Emlyn

I've built a machine using Athlon xp 2400, AMD K7S8X, 333DDR and
Radeon 9200SE. When I switch on, the machine goes through the POST,
and stops after the memory test beep. I notice the optical mouse is
receiving power up to that point, and then goes dead. The machine
will then state it can't boot from A:/ (or words to that effect).
Then the mouse is dead, as is the keyboard.

I've pulled out every wire, put them back, removed all IDE and floppy
cables and devices. Moved everything around in the BIOS. No joy.

I know it's gonna be something simple, but I just can't figure it out.

All help appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Emlyn said:
I've built a machine using Athlon xp 2400, AMD K7S8X, 333DDR and
Radeon 9200SE. When I switch on, the machine goes through the POST,
and stops after the memory test beep. I notice the optical mouse is
receiving power up to that point, and then goes dead. The machine
will then state it can't boot from A:/ (or words to that effect).
Then the mouse is dead, as is the keyboard.

I've pulled out every wire, put them back, removed all IDE and floppy
cables and devices. Moved everything around in the BIOS. No joy.

I know it's gonna be something simple, but I just can't figure it out.

All help appreciated.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Have you tried removing the floppy data cable, LEAVING it off and booting
that way? If it still complains that it can't boot from A:\, unplug the
computer and short the jumper to clear CMOS. Then check boot sequence to
make sure that CD-Rom, HD0 are booted in that order. You don't really need
to boot from a floppy disk, do you? -Dave
 
Cuzman said:
" The machine will then state it can't boot from A:/ (or words to that
effect). "


I take it that this is your motherboard:
http://www.asrock.com/product/product_k7s8x.htm

Enter the BIOS and set the boot order for IDE first.
Click to expand...

That's my motherboard alright. I went into the BIOS y'day and had it
boot from no drive as I was concerned that the keyboard and mouse
detection issue was arising prior to the machine looking for a boot
device. Haven't had a chance to try the IDE 1st idea yet.

Also just wondering if, because I haven't installed any drivers or OS
on the hdd yet, whether the bios will need the usb 2.0 driver to
recognise the mouse / keyboard, or are mice and keyboards always usb
1.0?
 
Dave C. said:
Have you tried removing the floppy data cable, LEAVING it off and booting
that way? If it still complains that it can't boot from A:\, unplug the
computer and short the jumper to clear CMOS. Then check boot sequence to
make sure that CD-Rom, HD0 are booted in that order. You don't really need
to boot from a floppy disk, do you? -Dave
Click to expand...

I hadn't thought too hard about the boot sequence yet because the
keyboard and mouse stop being recognised immediately after the memory
test beep. I was going to use Ghost to put an image on the hdd, but
without the mouse and keyboard, I'm snookered.

Any suggestions on how I get over the mouse / keyboard issue?

Thanks.
 
I hadn't thought too hard about the boot sequence yet because the
keyboard and mouse stop being recognised immediately after the memory
test beep. I was going to use Ghost to put an image on the hdd, but
without the mouse and keyboard, I'm snookered.

Any suggestions on how I get over the mouse / keyboard issue?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

if you can enter the BIOS setup program to change the boot order, I think
you will find that there is no mouse/keyboard issue.
 
wouldn't that in fact be the problem/issue?? no keyboard/no
bios......OP. do what he said short the cmos jumper reset the bios
 
PS2 or USB HID's?

Emlyn said:
"Dave C." <[email protected]> wrote in message

I hadn't thought too hard about the boot sequence yet because the
keyboard and mouse stop being recognised immediately after the memory
test beep. I was going to use Ghost to put an image on the hdd, but
without the mouse and keyboard, I'm snookered.

Any suggestions on how I get over the mouse / keyboard issue?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
 
Emlyn said:
I've built a machine using Athlon xp 2400, AMD K7S8X, 333DDR and
Radeon 9200SE. When I switch on, the machine goes through the POST,
and stops after the memory test beep. I notice the optical mouse is
receiving power up to that point, and then goes dead. The machine
will then state it can't boot from A:/ (or words to that effect).
Then the mouse is dead, as is the keyboard.

I've pulled out every wire, put them back, removed all IDE and floppy
cables and devices. Moved everything around in the BIOS. No joy.

I know it's gonna be something simple, but I just can't figure it out.

All help appreciated.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
If you don't have a boot diskette in drive A what do you expect to happen?
If you have a USb mouse and keyboard you need a PS/2 keyboard to enter BIOS
and set USB keyboard to enable or legacy support, depending on BIOS. If the
Usb keyboard lets you enter BIOS and change settings, you don't have a
problem.
Mike.
 
JAD said:
wouldn't that in fact be the problem/issue?? no keyboard/no
bios......OP. do what he said short the cmos jumper reset the bios
Click to expand...

The (USB) keyboard/mouse work fine so far as getting me into the BIOS
setup. Once in, I can set whatever. As soon as I leave, the
mouse/keyboard die. I wonder if there's an IRC problem with the
onboard USB ports. Also, I got a Ghost image of XP loaded onto the
C:\ drive, but even still, the mouse/keyboard are useless once booted.
 
JAD said:
wouldn't that in fact be the problem/issue?? no keyboard/no
bios......OP. do what he said short the cmos jumper reset the bios
Click to expand...

Reset CMOS. Same issues occurs.
 
Michael Hawes said:
If you don't have a boot diskette in drive A what do you expect to happen?
If you have a USb mouse and keyboard you need a PS/2 keyboard to enter BIOS
and set USB keyboard to enable or legacy support, depending on BIOS. If the
Usb keyboard lets you enter BIOS and change settings, you don't have a
problem.
Mike.
Click to expand...

I had a bootable disk in A:\ No joy getting that far. However, in
the meantime I've got that to work. The USB mouse, and more
importantly for the BIOS, the keyboard do work until I exit the BIOS.
At this point the machine (with XP now loaded via Norton Ghost) loses
the mouse and keyboard. As I mention above, I wonder if there's an
issue with IRQ numbers.

Is it fair to say that if the mouse and keyboard work initially, then
the motherboard probably isn't faulty?

Thanks.
 
Yep, had the same problem with a friends Acer. (usb mouse & keyboard)
Get a serial mouse & use it till you get the thing up & running. Bit hard to
find one now days but it is VERY handy for also defragging etc in SAFE mode.
Can't use safe mode without it either.
BruceM
 
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