pc won't boot from CD and CMOS is unaccessible

[jon.ronnenberg]

Hi all!

I couple of days a go I promised a friend to look at her computer (an
Acer laptop) which she complained didn't start. As promised I did and
I hit something I've never seen before.

The computer start-up process goes as far as counting the RAM, cache
and shadow the system and video ROM to RAM. So far so good. But then
nothing happens. My first thought was to boot from my boot disk (think
it's tinyXP) but still nothing happen. Then I hit the F2 button to
enter CMOS (PhoenixBIOS 6.1) and it states "Entering SETUP..." and
that's it - nothing happens?!

Does anyone have any idea how to solve this? Unfortunately I don't own
a external floppy-drive so booting from floppy-disc is not possible
(if this is a virus it probably removed that option too).

Regards, Jon.

 

[Pegasus]

Hi all!

I couple of days a go I promised a friend to look at her computer (an
Acer laptop) which she complained didn't start. As promised I did and
I hit something I've never seen before.

The computer start-up process goes as far as counting the RAM, cache
and shadow the system and video ROM to RAM. So far so good. But then
nothing happens. My first thought was to boot from my boot disk (think
it's tinyXP) but still nothing happen. Then I hit the F2 button to
enter CMOS (PhoenixBIOS 6.1) and it states "Entering SETUP..." and
that's it - nothing happens?!

Does anyone have any idea how to solve this? Unfortunately I don't own
a external floppy-drive so booting from floppy-disc is not possible
(if this is a virus it probably removed that option too).

Regards, Jon.

I suppose you realise that you're in the wrong group. Since
Windows won't even start, you're dealing with a hardware
problem, for which you will find the best experts in a
hardware group.

 

[Jim]

Hi all!

I couple of days a go I promised a friend to look at her computer (an
Acer laptop) which she complained didn't start. As promised I did and
I hit something I've never seen before.

The computer start-up process goes as far as counting the RAM, cache
and shadow the system and video ROM to RAM. So far so good. But then
nothing happens. My first thought was to boot from my boot disk (think
it's tinyXP) but still nothing happen. Then I hit the F2 button to
enter CMOS (PhoenixBIOS 6.1) and it states "Entering SETUP..." and
that's it - nothing happens?!

Does anyone have any idea how to solve this? Unfortunately I don't own
a external floppy-drive so booting from floppy-disc is not possible
(if this is a virus it probably removed that option too).

Regards, Jon.

Something happened to the BIOS during the shadowing.
Possibly a bad video card.
You are not going to be able to use a floppy drive either because the BIOS
hangs long before it could find the floppy drive.
As the other poster said, you should go to a hardware group for help.
Jim

 

[Rock]

Hi all!

I couple of days a go I promised a friend to look at her computer (an
Acer laptop) which she complained didn't start. As promised I did and
I hit something I've never seen before.

The computer start-up process goes as far as counting the RAM, cache
and shadow the system and video ROM to RAM. So far so good. But then
nothing happens. My first thought was to boot from my boot disk (think
it's tinyXP) but still nothing happen. Then I hit the F2 button to
enter CMOS (PhoenixBIOS 6.1) and it states "Entering SETUP..." and
that's it - nothing happens?!

Does anyone have any idea how to solve this? Unfortunately I don't own
a external floppy-drive so booting from floppy-disc is not possible
(if this is a virus it probably removed that option too).

This is a hardware problem, not an XP OS issue. Send the laptop in for
repair.

 

[mikeyhsd]

TO OP:
if you can get into the bios at all. is the date/time correct.
if not it is possible the cmos bios battery is shot.

otherwise sounds like it is shop time.



(e-mail address removed)

Hi all!

I couple of days a go I promised a friend to look at her computer (an
Acer laptop) which she complained didn't start. As promised I did and
I hit something I've never seen before.

The computer start-up process goes as far as counting the RAM, cache
and shadow the system and video ROM to RAM. So far so good. But then
nothing happens. My first thought was to boot from my boot disk (think
it's tinyXP) but still nothing happen. Then I hit the F2 button to
enter CMOS (PhoenixBIOS 6.1) and it states "Entering SETUP..." and
that's it - nothing happens?!

Does anyone have any idea how to solve this? Unfortunately I don't own
a external floppy-drive so booting from floppy-disc is not possible
(if this is a virus it probably removed that option too).

Regards, Jon.

I suppose you realise that you're in the wrong group. Since
Windows won't even start, you're dealing with a hardware
problem, for which you will find the best experts in a
hardware group.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Hi all!

I couple of days a go I promised a friend to look at her computer (an
Acer laptop) which she complained didn't start. As promised I did and
I hit something I've never seen before.

The computer start-up process goes as far as counting the RAM, cache
and shadow the system and video ROM to RAM. So far so good. But then
nothing happens. My first thought was to boot from my boot disk (think
it's tinyXP) but still nothing happen. Then I hit the F2 button to
enter CMOS (PhoenixBIOS 6.1) and it states "Entering SETUP..." and
that's it - nothing happens?!

Does anyone have any idea how to solve this? Unfortunately I don't own
a external floppy-drive so booting from floppy-disc is not possible
(if this is a virus it probably removed that option too).

Regards, Jon.

This being a laptop, there is basically only one thing you can try before
you have to send it in for repair of a hardware problem.

What you can try is the laptop "secret handshake" that can clear the CMOS.
It's quick and very inexpensive. It's usually easy to walk a user through
it over the phone.

Remove the battery, and disconnect the AC adapter. Be sure that there is
no power source.

Now, press and hold the power switch for perhaps 30 - 60 seconds. You may
need to do this several times.

Plug the AC adapter back in, and try to restart the system. If it doesn't
start, unplug the adapter and try the above, again.

If this doesn't work after a few attempts, give up. The laptop requires
professional service that you can't provide.

Note that if the laptop goes in for service, the service center isn't
necessarily going to place *any* value on the data, and there's no telling
what will happen in transit.

If the laptop's owner does, in fact, personally value the data, it's a
really good idea to remove and back up the drive before sending it off.
Fortunately, this is quick and easy to do with some inexpensive tools.

Get a USB adapter for laptop drives. This will attach to the drive's pins
and use a special cable that plugs into two USB ports, as a hard disk draws
too much power for one port. These can be had for under $20. You can
also use a USB laptop drive case; you don't need to fully assemble the case.

You'll also need small Phillips-head screwdrivers, lots of light and a clean
work area. The screws are small and like to wander off.

Finally, you'll need another XP system with enough drive space to contain
the data.

Remove the drive from the laptop, and attach the adapter. Some laptops use
a special header on the drive pins, and you just remove that. You'll see
this when you remove the drive. Once done, attach the adapter to your
system.

From here, you can simply copy the data off, or use an imaging program like
Acronis TrueImage (there's a 15-day free trial you can download, but it is a
large download). Imaging can be *much* faster than raw file copy, and has
the distinct advantage of giving you a complete, restorable backup, with all
files and settings as they were. If you get the system back and the drive
is damaged, you can restore the saved image and have a working, as-before
system up, often in under half an hour.

HTH
-pk

 

[Pegasus]

When replying to the OP then it's a good idea to respond
to the IP's post instead of selecting a respondent's post.
TO OP:
if you can get into the bios at all. is the date/time correct.
if not it is possible the cmos bios battery is shot.

otherwise sounds like it is shop time.



(e-mail address removed)

Hi all!

I couple of days a go I promised a friend to look at her computer (an
Acer laptop) which she complained didn't start. As promised I did and
I hit something I've never seen before.

The computer start-up process goes as far as counting the RAM, cache
and shadow the system and video ROM to RAM. So far so good. But then
nothing happens. My first thought was to boot from my boot disk (think
it's tinyXP) but still nothing happen. Then I hit the F2 button to
enter CMOS (PhoenixBIOS 6.1) and it states "Entering SETUP..." and
that's it - nothing happens?!

Does anyone have any idea how to solve this? Unfortunately I don't own
a external floppy-drive so booting from floppy-disc is not possible
(if this is a virus it probably removed that option too).

Regards, Jon.

I suppose you realise that you're in the wrong group. Since
Windows won't even start, you're dealing with a hardware
problem, for which you will find the best experts in a
hardware group.

 

[Plato]

http://www.bootdisk.com/html.htm

 

[Plato]

I couple of days a go I promised a friend to look at her computer (an
Acer laptop) which she complained didn't start. As promised I did and
I hit something I've never seen before.

The computer start-up process goes as far as counting the RAM, cache
and shadow the system and video ROM to RAM. So far so good. But then

It may have been hit by a surge. Did it have properly working surge
protector? Or was is just plugged into the wall or a multi-plug outlet?

 

[jon.ronnenberg]

Thanks for all the answers! I didn't think about it being a hardware
problem (it will go to the shop right away) but I think you all came
up with pretty good reasons to why the laptop doesn't work. Especially
thanks to Patrick Keenan for the walk through. Unfortunately I didn't
see these posts before I did, so the laptop is already on its way to a
special lap somewhere...
Again thanks - I'll try your suggestions next time around.

Regards, Jon.

 

[jon.ronnenberg]

It may have been hit by a surge. Did it have properly working surge
protector? Or was is just plugged into the wall or a multi-plug outlet?

--http://www.bootdisk.com/

As far as I know we don't have critical power surges in Denmark. And I
have never heard of anyone experiencing them. I think the powergrid/in
house installation are perfect but of course I'm just guessing.

 

[Pegasus]

As far as I know we don't have critical power surges in Denmark. And I
have never heard of anyone experiencing them. I think the powergrid/in
house installation are perfect but of course I'm just guessing.

Power surges are rare but they can happen in any country,
including Denmark. The most common causes are lightning
activity and tree branches falling on overhead lines.