Troubleshooting PCs and the Beeping Noises...

[Nubius]

Well I don't know what "C" means unless it's meaning "C:\" as in the C: drive which needs to be first in the boot sequence.

Then that leaves simply trying to get the HD to be shown installed where it says "IDE Primary Master" and I don't mean in the POST screen where the text pops up before the error, I mean in the BIOS.

 

[Mr. tech]

Thanks for your patience with this. I understand its note asy to help someone when tyou can't physically see the PC. I really appreciate your help

When I go into Standard CMOS Setup, I see:

Hard Disks - Type - Size - CYLS - Head - Precomp - Landz - Sector - Mode
IDE Primary Master - Auto - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - Auto

This is the same for primary slave, secondary master, secondary slave.

This PC was used by a school and they would have updated the BIOS to suit them and their network... Maybe its a matter of resetting the BIOS to the default? Is that possible?

Thanks

 

[Nubius]

Hmm, you can try and clear the CMOS, although that really shouldn't have any effect on it.

Can you highlight that IDE Primary master where it says Auto-0-0--0-0 at all?

Or is that Auto-0-0-0 whats being brought up when you hit enter after highlighting it?

 

[Mr. tech]

How would I go about clearing the CMOS? Is there an option i need to go into and click something?

No, the Auto-0-0--0-0 is displayed when I open the page, the only things I can change the values of is the two autos. I can change them to either:

None
User

Thanks

 

[Nubius]

Change the Autos to User and see if the numbers change and the size should correspond to the HD size in terms of megabytes so if it's 10gb it'll say like 10,186megabytes or something along those lines.

Clearing the CMOS requires moving a little jumper generally near the battery in the mobo from pins 1&2 to pins 2&3 for about 5 mins.

Generally I just flip off the PSU, move the jumper to pins 2&3, flip on the psu you, flip it back off, move the pins back to 1&2 and then power on the system.

But try changing that from Auto to User and see what that does for ya

 

[Mr. tech]

Nooo!

I did what you said but when I rebooted it, it loaded the top part of the first screen you see and that's it.

No IDE Primary Master ... None etc etc...

I reset the CMOS and nothing changed much.

I think it is trying to boot into LAN... From memory schools mainly run from another computer to fetch usernames/passwords etc Maybe thats why it can't detect the harddrive? Woudl there be soemthig wrong with the hardrive?

I've never had so much trouble with a computer

Thanks mate

 

[Nubius]

lol at this point I'm out of ideas man. I've never seen so much trouble with these things either.

I've pretty much gone over everything I thought it could be unless it's something as simple as the power connector or IDE cable isn't pushed in all the way. Sometimes unplugging it and replugging it will do the trick.

Also make sure your Jumpers on the HD are correct.

End of the cable the HD needs to be set to master or generally CS(cable select) will work too.

Other than that, I'd have to say dead hd, which to get a definative answer you'd need to toss it in another comp and find out.

Besides that I think I'm all out of idears here =/

 

[Mr. tech]

Woot! Looks like I found it. Some of the cables were stuffed and not picking up the harddrive. The cables I did try were corrupt. the thing is I think i tried the cable thats now working before. maybe reseting the CMOS did it?

Dude, I jsut want to thank you for giving up your time to help me. i really aprpeciate this.

I jsut want to mention a lot of these PCs I'm fixing are going towards the Tsunami appeal, so you've helped a good cause

Cheers

Ben

 

[Mr. tech]

Can you recommend a website that lists most of the drivers out there?

I've got some cards that I don't have drivers for the Windows 98 PC.

Cheers