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just had nic card installed and cable connection.
seemed to be working fine, but then on bootup now, it won't.
It won't even get past a screen that reads something like:
"invalid system disk. Press any key to continue"
I'm troubleshooting this over the phone, but I had them try booting to safemode or dos, but it won't get past that screen.
NO floopy is in drive.
No cd in Rom
Windows cd in rom with same result (no boot disk handy).
any ideas please?
TIA...
Assume a stuck switch on the floppy drive - so put a disk in and remove it to try and free it.
Alternatively, set the boot order to C: first in the bios.
Need a floppy boot disk to help solve the problem. One can be made on another machine or borrow one.
Insert the disk, start the machine, at the A: prompt type sys c: and press Enter, remove the floppy, restart.
The floppy disk isn't lighting up or stayin lit is it? If it is, check what's in there. If there's notin in there, check the cable on the floppy drive, it might be bad.
Does the BIOS detect the disk? Does it take a LONG time to find the disk? That might mean that there are problems in the hard disk, but I doubt that because its just a NIC card and that is too spontaneous.
thanks IMM.
since my post, that's been tried - put a floppy in and removed a few times - no go.
>>Alternatively, set the boot order to C: first in the bios.
How is this done, please
I wish I could help other than over the phone, but I'm nowhere near - they're up by LGH in your hood!
thanks ski
but shouldn't the Windows cd also suffice as a bootdisk?
we tried with it, but no go.
Windows should try to boot from its installation CD if BIOS has the CD-ROM drive listed before the C drive in the boot order.
I'll go there with screwdriver and a bootdisk in the morning.
oh, IMM, wasn't meaning to imply you oughta go over :)
I'm researching about what it takes to "set the boot order to C: first in the bios" still though. Is that done with the pc on, or physically adjusting cable connections inside the tower?
Thanks all.
I'll post back with an update tomorrow - hopefully from the pc in question!
It means boot into the bios (usu. hit Del on the boot) and set the Boot Sequence (Order) in 'Bios Features' (I'm guessing about the type of bios) to boot from the HD before the A: (floppy) drive.
If you insist on using the screwdriver then take the power and data cables off the floppy and remove it from the devices on the first page of the bios.
I think the nic needs pulled also. Acting like it is bad and shorting things out on you also. Could be a bad pci slot though.
Make sure the nic is not in the pci slot closes to the cpu as that one is basically reserved for a video card.
So remove the card and see if it will boot.
gotcha IMM
ski, checked sequence in bios on my machine to see how it's done - looks like C before rom might be default, eh?
Train, noted, thanks, will do.
Well, I'm on my machine, so that says something...
On the friend's machine, I used the bootdisk, but at first it would not
sys c:
and wasn't sure what do do from the A:\ other than try that, so I just removed the floppy and tried reboot: same "replace disk" message, so...
changed bios sequence to
C only
no go, so changed it again to
CDrom, C, A
I think it was, and put the Windows cd in the drive.
On reboot, I got options to
1 - Run windows startup
2 - Boot with cdrom support
3 - Boot Normal (without cdrom support)
I left 1 alone and tried to start Windows with both 2 and 3: no go
Tried reboot after removing floppy and cdrom: no go
Powered down from the tower (exit and win commands doing nothing and don't know dos commands for shutdown), disconnected external lines from tower, opened case and checked patch lines and unset/reset the nic (wasn't closest to cpu - though I'm not certain about what's what with everything in there yet, but I was very careful)
Nothing seemed loose or disconnected - I manually checked they were snug.
Put all back together and was surprised, after setting bios sequence back to start with
A:\
and finally was successful with getting
c:\ sys
done with floppy, but then removed floppy and rebooted - same screen...
I just can't t seem to get windows started!
I'm kinda extra concerned too:
c:\dir
shows WAY TOO MUCH free space on the hard drive, I figure!
(originally, there wasn't much free space on the little 4 gig hd)
HD not backed up, so I suggested getting another and then concentrate on recovery efforts if the old one is hooped.
Cable company going there tomorrow and my friend is right choked:
pc worked just fine prior to the nic install.
Set bios sequence back to
A, C, cdrom
Thanks for the help, gang - we'll get this sorted yet.
I'm anxious to get find out what is up and what I might have missed or done wrong!
Just a shot here. You say the NIC was just installed recently. Maybe the ribbon to the HD got knocked or loosened and there is a bad connection now. Try powering down the computer, disconnecting the power, ground yourself by touching the frame of the case and then disconnecting and firmly reconnecting the HD ribbon cable to both the HD and the motherboard.
Worked for me when I was goofing around on my old P133.....
will do, Herring
and after a google cpu image search, I'm anxious to recheck the placement of that nic - now I think of it, they might just be side-by-each, as Train considers.
And here I was. hoping for some simple electrical or firmware confusion over the presence of a disk in the floppy drive :eek:
Remove that nic and try booting up with it out of there. And then, just wondering if he got hit with a bad virus like chernoble?
Train you're braver than I am :) - I thought about CIH when he said the size was reporting wrong - but was afraid to mention it at this stage.
^dAvEy^ If it is CIH - DON'T fdisk /mbr it (assuming you hope to recover). I think most AV's are pretty good about noticing it. Shoot me an email.
For reference - here's a CIH link. http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_10300.htm
Did he start noticing on the 26th or 27th ?
Well they have something floating around like it the ruins files and gets the boot sector also. Plus the Experts.scr - Win32.Klez.H worm is very prevellant also.
>>And here I was. hoping for some simple electrical or firmware confusion over the presence of a disk in the floppy drive
ah hell, you gotta start the troubleshooting someplace!
>>Remove that nic and try booting up with it out of there.
did that - no noticeable effect
the port for the nic was fine though, and it worked fine - until first shutdown: no auto powerdown, and then this mess with the "replace disk for bootup" screen or .
cable guy asked if somebody had done fdisk!!!
>>And then, just wondering if he got hit with a bad virus like chernoble?
she tells me the Mcafee A-V refs were updated quite recently while on dial-up, but they were not in the 1.5 hr max time that pc had been on broadband.
I still haven't done the reading on those viruses, but if there's a virus involved here, I'd be unwilling to bet it was contracted while on dial-up - musta been dormant waiting for sept 28 or 29.
Oh ya, she wasn't able access the Inbox Outlook Express either.
Looked real bad to me, because as the cable teck was c:\dir a few times, the very few directories and files listed seemed to me to be changing somewhat each time - I couldn't confirm that, other than the tech saying "seems to be".
the Cable guy was prepared to reinstall windows and resume cable service to this pc, but I said that we wanted to discuss file recovery before writing to that disk at all. He said that there's nothing to be recovered, but I maintained that that was not a responsible answer :rolleyes: becasue just because files are not listed in dos is no reason to assume no files are recoverable from the drive.
thankfully, my friend is patient enough and trusting of me to wait and see if we can recover her personal files (somehow :( ) from her My Computer directory on her HD.
Any suggestions?
Got a blank hdd available? If so do a new install to it.
Now for the fun part. Shutdown hook the present C: in as slave on the secondary ide or ATA if available. Bootup and hit housecall and run it. Leave McAfeee off the New hdd for the time being.
Curious as to what Housecall finds myself. I'd believe housecall over McAfee any day.
Train, plan is to take the tower over to a most generous and capable local techie on Saturday. He's going to install the hd to his system, run diagnostics, look into file recovery, etc.
Wish us Luck!
I'll be back :)
Please do post the outcome. Real curious I am about that
OUCH :eek: :(
OH no! :(
Ok, here's an update, but the mysteries continue:
PC infestation - SIRCAM :(
Apparently, was laying relatively inocuous while on dial-up, but sprung to life with the 1.5 hours or so max the system was on cable after OE was activated! :mad:
Friend's personal files on hd - RECOVERED by techie :)
HD - cleaned by techie and ready for slaving on another machine :)
Friend looking to upgrade to larger hd and increase ram, BUT...
when techie attempted to power up tower for bios flash...
NO POWER! :confused:
Techie is troubleshooting to see if just a power source prob, or if MB is maybe fried too, etc
:eek:
more later!
OUCH was the correct statement.
What a mess!
Thanks for the update.
current system repair, etc on hold
psupply toast
alternate didn't run system
diagnostics later - not sure yet what can be salvaged
building a new system with 98se os!
looking at:
- Asus A7V266E (raidless)
- XP1600? - CPU
- volcano 7
- turbolink case/cooler
- Lite-On 40X12X48 CD-RW
EIDE/ATA, PI,RETAIL,NERO SOFTWARE
that's all I can think of right now.
any comments/suggestions?
I'll take it.
It would match jr here. :D
I had the same problem and my cd-rom connection was loose. Just an idea:)
ya think?Quote:
Originally posted by Train
I'll take it.
It would match jr here. :D
:rolleyes: :D
Hi there Guys,
I have had exactly the same problem as posted above.
I was working with Linux though and my girlfriend was sure Linux was the cause of it all.
My PC boots but no change on the monitor and long action with the HD and CPU lights but then nothing.
I had the seq of beeps that signifiy that the graphics card was wasted. (Its a Award BIOS and as such only gives one beep error code and this is it!).
Borrowed my Dads but it made no difference. I will go there with my PC and put all of my pieces in his PC to hopefully copy all on to CD.
Thanks for having this forum!
At least I know it is not Linux and I would nearly sure it was also a virus!
Also this encourages me to work harder to get my PC or next PC Linux only. Much fewer viruses!!!
Made some changes:
Asus A7V 333 (raidless)
AMD Athlon XP 1600+, 1.4Ghz CPU
256MB PC2100mhz DDR (may be getting pc2700?)
nVIDIA GeForce2 MX400 AGP 64MB (good for starters)
Acer 56X CD-ROM Drive (OEM)
Aopen 40x12x48 CDRW w/Just Link, Nero (OEM)
A4 2-button Wheel Mouse PS2
Maxtor 60.0GB UTA-133 7200rpm (OEM)
Maxtor 30.0GB UTA-133 5400rpm (OEM)
CASE & POWER
floppy
Just trying to figure out the ins/outs of best option partitioning and whether to slave the 30 5400rpm or extend it - I've got some reading to do.
Any thoughts?