HD issue on start up.

[Peter.Cort]

ok so i have a linux reactOS boot disk and a xp pro boot disk that i "found" and they both will boot up on my laptop, but won't boot up in my pc. They boot up in another pc i have so i know the disks are good. The drives are getting power because i can open and close them, i've pulled power to all but one cd drive.
since the disk will load on other computers i tired to install windows onto the hd thats workign w/ the system by means of the other systems. the laptop couldn't install it cause it was an external drive i believe, and the other pc crapped in my face and wouldn't install.

I did set it so that CD ROM would be the first boot device.

so any ideas?

 

[eyeCpc]

It sounds like the drives have all been good while something is disabling the ide controller on the board itself whether done accidently or by a fault in the bios programming. The power is there while the drives are not receiving signals to do anything.

The fact that several hard drives and even optical drives wouldn't do anything points in that direction. By loading the defaults that should have re-enabled the ide controllers if you had accidently turned them off. The bios programming or bios chip itself is now suspect. Updating the bios with a new version may see this corrected if that's all you need there.

 

[Peter.Cort]

i have phoenix award bios 6.0 and i believe that is either the most current revision or there isn't anything that involves controller cards in it. so is there a way that i can "reinstall" the bios other then just resetting it?

also can i update the bios without a floppy drive cause i don't have one that can be accessed by my laptop

 

[eyeCpc]

The support site is always the best place to look if there's no flash utility found on the software disk that comes with the board. For a few years now I have simply downloaded the Windows version where you either run the ececutable or download an update tool along with the new version.

The important thing is still following the instructions and even creating a backup of the present in case of ? The newer boards out by some companies now see a live updater that will download the latest version and put in on for you. Other updates simply run when you download and double click on the files itself since it's an executable zip file type installer.

The last vversion for that model board is seen with the previous four at GIGABYTE - Support - Motherboard - BIOS - GA-8I865GME-775

That was released on 9/20/06. The likely problem with the ide controller is not for an addon controller card but in the bios programming itself. A reflash with the last version may see the problem corrected if the bios eprom is still good. Otherwise replacing that or going for a replacement board would be the last thought.

 

[Peter.Cort]

well how do i update the bios? like i understand that i have to download the update but then what. i can't boot from a disk, i can't get it on a floppy drive. if i can connect the computer to an internet line would it automatically update? i doubt it but there's a chance.

 

[eyeCpc]

The real problem is getting an update onto the hard drive there even when downloading the update to a floppy on another system. The ide controller is either disabled by changing the wrong setting in the bios or the bios is toast.

Newer boards offer the EZ Bios feature for direct updating online without any OS running if you have internet connection. By the looks of things the replacement of the board is where you will likely end up without being able to reflash the bios. The floppy method requires a copy of the update be at the root of the hard drvie. But none work on that system.

 

[Peter.Cort]

kk well im working on it with my friend currently, by using various little programs in dos. i can boot from a fdd but not a hdd/cd. GOOD GAME COMPUTER WORLD!

 

[eyeCpc]

You still have to be able to access any hard drive installed in order to copy the bios update manually to the root of the hard drive itself as well as having a copy on the 3 1/2" disk. Then you can start the flash utitlity upon booting up with the floppy.

That's where you will run into problems since the ide controller is not working properly. You might get away with a sata model if the controllers are working for this however. If you see a good flash then you know the chip is still good.

The first idea was to load the optimized defaults in the bios setup in case you disabled the ide controllers by accident. If the bios won't flash now after loading the defaults failed to see results the news won't be good.

 

[Peter.Cort]

i was able to flash the bios, nothing happened. and i can access the hd, i can't access the cd drive which is the issue. i don't have access to a floppy drive, i said that earlier.

I was able to put xp installation stuff on the flash drive and boot from there and install xp, but it won't run xp and gives me Disk Drive Error. It does read that there is a hdd there tho.

 

[eyeCpc]

You were saying before that you couldn't access any hard drive tried out. Have you tried a different optical drive to see if that went?