Sony boot problem

[srinikasturi]

Hi,

I have a problem with my Sony Desktop (Sony PCV V300G) - one of Sony's
entertainment PCs - the TV/PC.

The boot up sequence starts with the Sony Logo, shows the Intel logo,
detects the drives and stops dead, with a blinking cursor. Sony's
technicians talked me through bios settings and attempts to recover XP
through function keys during bootup. We tried various bios settings -
didnt help.

Couldn't recover from the hard disk (and hadn't created a recovery cd
earlier). All I have is a list of primary and secondary master and
slave and a blinking cursor. Images are available in sequence as :

http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_015.jpg
http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_016.jpg
http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_017.jpg

Please advise me on what I could to to resolve this. I am in India now
(having originally bought this at Circuit City, in CT), so taking it to
the store or a service center is not an option.

Thank you

Regards
Srini

 

[Malke]

Hi,

I have a problem with my Sony Desktop (Sony PCV V300G) - one of Sony's
entertainment PCs - the TV/PC.

The boot up sequence starts with the Sony Logo, shows the Intel logo,
detects the drives and stops dead, with a blinking cursor. Sony's
technicians talked me through bios settings and attempts to recover XP
through function keys during bootup. We tried various bios settings -
didnt help.

Couldn't recover from the hard disk (and hadn't created a recovery cd
earlier). All I have is a list of primary and secondary master and
slave and a blinking cursor. Images are available in sequence as :

http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_015.jpg
http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_016.jpg
http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_017.jpg

Please advise me on what I could to to resolve this. I am in India now
(having originally bought this at Circuit City, in CT), so taking it
to the store or a service center is not an option.

Unfortunately, it looks like you have severe hardware failure. If the
machine never gets any further than what is shown in your last picture,
it isn't even getting through the POST (Power On Self Test). This means
the device is failing before the operating system is even loaded.
Sadly, the only way to deal with this is by talking to Sony Tech
Support and/or returning the machine.

I understand that you are in India now, but this doesn't sound like a
situation where you can just reinstall Windows. If you recently bought
the machine and paid for it with a credit card, call your credit card
company and stop payment.

Best of luck,

Malke

 

[Guest]

try here
"How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install"
http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

 

[DanS]

Unfortunately, it looks like you have severe hardware failure. If the
machine never gets any further than what is shown in your last picture,
it isn't even getting through the POST (Power On Self Test). This means
the device is failing before the operating system is even loaded.
Sadly, the only way to deal with this is by talking to Sony Tech
Support and/or returning the machine.

I understand that you are in India now, but this doesn't sound like a
situation where you can just reinstall Windows. If you recently bought
the machine and paid for it with a credit card, call your credit card
company and stop payment.

Best of luck,

Malke

And what t he heck is the silhoutte on the screen backround ?! Is that
supposed to be there ?

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Hi,

I have a problem with my Sony Desktop (Sony PCV V300G) - one of Sony's
entertainment PCs - the TV/PC.

The boot up sequence starts with the Sony Logo, shows the Intel logo,
detects the drives and stops dead, with a blinking cursor. Sony's
technicians talked me through bios settings and attempts to recover XP
through function keys during bootup. We tried various bios settings -
didnt help.

Couldn't recover from the hard disk (and hadn't created a recovery cd
earlier). All I have is a list of primary and secondary master and
slave and a blinking cursor. Images are available in sequence as :

http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_015.jpg
http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_016.jpg
http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_017.jpg

Please advise me on what I could to to resolve this. I am in India now
(having originally bought this at Circuit City, in CT), so taking it to
the store or a service center is not an option.

Thank you

Regards
Srini

This doesn't look like an XP issue - or any OS issue - because the system
is apparently hanging before it gets to the OS.

Did anything change on your system? Replace a drive, perhaps? If so -
and also if you didn't - power down the system and check all of the drive
jumpers and cables. Map out what connectors what drives are connected to
and what the jumper settings are. Ensure that the jumpers all agree -
that is, all set to Cable Select or in master/slave pairs.

IF set to CS, be sure that the drives are at the correct connectors (boot
drive at the end of the cable). If set to Master/Slave, ensure that the
intended boot drive is set to Master. If the hard disk and CD are on
different channels, be sure that they aren't set to indicate that other
drives are present.

Try booting without *any* drives, and see what error messages you get.
Plug the drives back in one at a time, starting with the floppy (if it has
one) and see what happens. Try with only the hard disk present and with
only the CD present. The error messages should give you good clues. Take
notes.

Be sure to get into the BIOS each round and reset it so that the current
state is detected properly.

You should be able to get the system to try to boot from either floppy or
CD - naturally you'll need a bootable CD for these tests. Any bootable XP
CD will work for this purpose; you aren't trying to install. If you can
boot from CD, consider that the hard disk has failed. Try replacing it and
see if you can get into XP Setup with a CD - if it detects the new hard disk
and wants to format it.

None of this will void the warranty, but be sure to map out the changes you
make. If none of this works, check the warranty with Sony.
Unfortunately international warranty service is often spotty and can be
*very* frustrating.

I don't know how it is with Sony but I've had poor experiences with other
major-brand machines purchased in the US and used in Canada - had to find a
US address to get parts shipped to and have them reshipped from there to
Canada. So, be aware that there may be serious logistical issues and look
for alternate approaches (i.e., a replacement).

HTH
-pk

 

[kony]

Hi,

I have a problem with my Sony Desktop (Sony PCV V300G) - one of Sony's
entertainment PCs - the TV/PC.

How old is it? Did it work previously and what's changed
since then?

The boot up sequence starts with the Sony Logo, shows the Intel logo,
detects the drives and stops dead, with a blinking cursor. Sony's
technicians talked me through bios settings and attempts to recover XP
through function keys during bootup. We tried various bios settings -
didnt help.

It might have stopped after failing to find a viable HDD
boot sector. Try putting a bootable CD in it and see if
it'll boot from that- adjusting the appropriate bios
settings necessary if applicable. You might try unplugging
one drive's data cable, restting the machine, then try
reconnecting it and unplugging the other drive, resetting
again (of course turning system off, unplugging it while
working within it).

Couldn't recover from the hard disk (and hadn't created a recovery cd
earlier). All I have is a list of primary and secondary master and
slave and a blinking cursor. Images are available in sequence as :

http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_015.jpg
http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_016.jpg
http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_017.jpg

Please advise me on what I could to to resolve this. I am in India now
(having originally bought this at Circuit City, in CT), so taking it to
the store or a service center is not an option.

If it has a floppy drive you could also try booting to that.
You might also try clearing the CMOS- if you can't find the
appropriate jumper then unplug it from AC and pull the
battery out for about 10 minutes.

When it stops during the POST, does it always stop at
EXACTLY the same spot every time?

BTW, you've posted this to quite a few newsgroups, please
limit the crossposting to only appropriate groups, thank
you. The problem has nothing to do with Windows as per your
description as it's stopping before the HDD begins to load
windows.

 

[Andrew J]

Hi,

I have a problem with my Sony Desktop (Sony PCV V300G) - one of Sony's
entertainment PCs - the TV/PC.

The boot up sequence starts with the Sony Logo, shows the Intel logo,
detects the drives and stops dead, with a blinking cursor. Sony's
technicians talked me through bios settings and attempts to recover XP
through function keys during bootup. We tried various bios settings -
didnt help.

Couldn't recover from the hard disk (and hadn't created a recovery cd
earlier). All I have is a list of primary and secondary master and
slave and a blinking cursor. Images are available in sequence as :

http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_015.jpg
http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_016.jpg
http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_017.jpg

Please advise me on what I could to to resolve this. I am in India now
(having originally bought this at Circuit City, in CT), so taking it to
the store or a service center is not an option.

Thank you

Regards
Srini

A cable coming loose from a HDD can cause that. Also a bad IDE
controller on the mobo. Add a $15 PCI IDE controller card to fix it.

 

[Al Romanosky]

Serious problem - usually following HD/CD detection the BIOS lists in
stalled hardware and some related specs. Follow the advice submitted by
Patrick. Machine should boot (To a prompt or 'no OS found') without
hardware attached.

 

[J. Clarke]

Hi,

I have a problem with my Sony Desktop (Sony PCV V300G) - one of Sony's
entertainment PCs - the TV/PC.

The boot up sequence starts with the Sony Logo, shows the Intel logo,
detects the drives and stops dead, with a blinking cursor. Sony's
technicians talked me through bios settings and attempts to recover XP
through function keys during bootup. We tried various bios settings -
didnt help.

Couldn't recover from the hard disk (and hadn't created a recovery cd
earlier). All I have is a list of primary and secondary master and
slave and a blinking cursor. Images are available in sequence as :

http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_015.jpg
http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_016.jpg
http://www.lazyreader.com/pcvv300g/Picture_017.jpg

Please advise me on what I could to to resolve this. I am in India now
(having originally bought this at Circuit City, in CT), so taking it to
the store or a service center is not an option.

I suspect that you're screwed, but one thing to try before you give up is to
write down all your CMOS settings (or take screen photos or both), set any
jumper to clear the CMOS, pull the battery, let it sit for a week (I've
seen machines take 4 days to discharge the CMOS with the battery out) to
make sure that it's completely flat, then start the machine up and see what
happens.

 

[Andrew]

: (e-mail address removed) wrote:
: I suspect that you're screwed, but one thing to try before you give up is to
: write down all your CMOS settings (or take screen photos or both), set any
: jumper to clear the CMOS, pull the battery, let it sit for a week (I've
: seen machines take 4 days to discharge the CMOS with the battery out) to
: make sure that it's completely flat, then start the machine up and see what
: happens.

Probably easier to look for a jumper on the motherboard (this being a
desktop machine) to clear the CMOS settings that way instead of
waiting a week...

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
*******************************************************************

 

[srinikasturi]

Many thanks for all the advice. This machine's built like a laptop -
LCD screen with all the drives/devices built into the back of it, with
a wireless keyboard and mouse. I'm not sure where to start opening it
up and where to check for the jumpers. Here's what I'll do - wait 5
days for the CMOS to get discharged, and try again. Meanwhile find out
what it costs to ship this back to Sony/Circuit City.

Thanks again. Any more suggestions, I'll be happy to try it out.

Regards
Srini

 

[Andrew]

In comp.sys.laptops (e-mail address removed) wrote:
: Hi,

: I have a problem with my Sony Desktop (Sony PCV V300G) - one of Sony's
: entertainment PCs - the TV/PC.

: The boot up sequence starts with the Sony Logo, shows the Intel logo,
: detects the drives and stops dead, with a blinking cursor. Sony's
: technicians talked me through bios settings and attempts to recover XP
: through function keys during bootup. We tried various bios settings -
: didnt help.

Sounds like the hard disk is messed up. Either it has completely
died, part of it has died (like the Master Boot Record), or you got a
Boot Sector Virus.

Question #1: can you boot a CD? If so, can you download stuff from
the net and burn a CD elsewhere? If so, get the Ultimate Boot CD
here:

http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/download.html

and boot it and try the HD utilities. There's one for a WD drive on
there I think. Should be able to see if the hard drive is alive at
all with one of those utilities.

If the drive is alive, you might consider getting a USB Hard Drive
Enclosure (about $30) - extract your hard drive from the computer, put
it in the enclosure, and try to look at the drive from another
computer. That way, you may be able to get files off of the old drive
if it is alive. I did this for a friend recently when her computer
did almost exactly what yours did; when I plugged the hard drive into
my laptop via the USB enclosure, Norton immediatately piped up without
me even asking and said, "This drive has virus - do you want me to fix
it?" It had a boot sector virus. That's all I needed to do to fix
the drive - Norton fixed it. I put the old drive back into the
desktop computer and it booted and all was well. You might be so
lucky.

You might be able to find a free anti-virus (maybe on the UBCD? don't
remember) that you could boot from a CD to scan your drive as well -
assuming your desktop can still boot a CD.

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
*******************************************************************

 

[srinikasturi]

Many thanks for all the advice. This machine's built like a laptop -
LCD screen with all the drives/devices built into the back of it, with
a wireless keyboard and mouse. I'm not sure where to start opening it
up and where to check for the jumpers. Here's what I'll do - wait 5
days for the CMOS to get discharged, and try again. Meanwhile find out
what it costs to ship this back to Sony/Circuit City.

Thanks again. Any more suggestions, I'll be happy to try it out.

Regards
Srini

 

[NoStop]

After sticking his head out from his XP firewall, DanS had this to say:

And what t he heck is the silhoutte on the screen backround ?! Is that
supposed to be there ?

Are you an idiot or something? Can't you tell that he photographed the
screen with a digitial camera and that's his reflection in the photo? But
the OP isn't much brighter than you. He could have compressed the damn
images down to web size rather than posting 3+MB image files. Some people
are so stupid they don't deserve assistance.

The OP should send the stupid Sony computer back for repairs and next time
smarten up and don't buy a Sony.

 

[srinikasturi]

Many thanks for your kind words. I am struggling with an old AMD Duron
Laptop with the collapse of my primary machine. Notepad takes 30
seconds to load. We're indeed fortunate to be in the company of people
who know and judge everything and everybody.

Warm regards,
Srini

 

[srinikasturi]

As a followup to this problem, kept the power plugged out overnight,
and miraculously, the PC booted up.

I took the opportunity to create restore CDs and did a c:\ restore to
factory settings.

And now, the system won't boot again. Not from CD, and not from HDD. It
won't even boot up if you skip the master and slave device detection in
the boot sequence. It stops at the same place.

It might be more of a hardware problem than anything. Thoughts are
welcome.

Best regards
Srini

 

[Malke]

As a followup to this problem, kept the power plugged out overnight,
and miraculously, the PC booted up.

I took the opportunity to create restore CDs and did a c:\ restore to
factory settings.

And now, the system won't boot again. Not from CD, and not from HDD.
It won't even boot up if you skip the master and slave device
detection in the boot sequence. It stops at the same place.

It might be more of a hardware problem than anything. Thoughts are
welcome.

Best regards
Srini

You already had my thoughts - I believe it is a hardware problem. If
possible, try replacing the power supply with a known-working one.
Please post back with results.

Malke

 

[John Doue]

You already had my thoughts - I believe it is a hardware problem. If
possible, try replacing the power supply with a known-working one.
Please post back with results.

Malke

Yes, it does look like a hardware problem, but may be not a serious one.
The fact that the machine finally booted up and then failed again could
be related to a poor connection: poorly seated chip would be my
preferred bet. Before buying any piece of hardware, I would open up the
machine (after disconnecting it from mains obviously) and carefully
check all connections, try to re-seat memory chips, bios chip and so on.
If you proceed carefully, this involves no risk but you might hit pay dirt!

Lastly, since you are in India, what kind of environment in terms of
humidity is your machine? Last time your machine booted, did it work
normally and is it you who stopped it?

Regards and good luck.

 

[John Doue]

You already had my thoughts - I believe it is a hardware problem. If
possible, try replacing the power supply with a known-working one.
Please post back with results.

Malke

Yes, it does look like a hardware problem, but may be not a serious one.
The fact that the machine finally booted up and then failed again could
be related to a poor connection: poorly seated chip would be my
preferred bet. Before buying any piece of hardware, I would open up the
machine (after disconnecting it from mains obviously) and carefully
check all connections, try to re-seat memory chips, bios chip and so on.
If you proceed carefully, this involves no risk but you might hit pay dirt!

Lastly, since you are in India, what kind of environment in terms of
humidity is your machine? Last time your machine booted, did it work
normally and is it you who stopped it?

Regards and good luck.

 

[srinikasturi]

I tried the basics you recommended. No change. Will take it to Sony
this week.
Thanks for your help.

Regards
Srini