Hockeynut
Guru
- Location
- Nottingham, UK
Did you manage to get into the bios screens?
Major PC Crash SORTED
- Thread starter Scoosh
- Start date
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HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
Discs.
Yes, I have a couple of them. Not a Restore but I do have a Foxconn (for the motherboard) and a Win 7 - but I suspect that the Foxconn is just the manual on cd. I've got the manual too. Would there be anything I could usefully extract from there ? (other then it saying "Press [DEL] to enter Setup, [Esc] to boot menu")
Not surprisingly, I would prefer not to lose all my files
You could try and see what it is and if it is a manual, if it has a good trouble shooting section but if you've pressed all the F keys etc on Start up its beyond my PC knowledge.
2Loose
Guru
- Location
- Loughborough, Leicestershire.
You won't be able to do a Restore unless you manage to fix the BIOS.
The trick is to turn on the pc and repeatedly tap the correct key until you get into the bios.
If your manual says it is [DEL], then press power button and tap-tap-tap-tapity-tap the DEL key until you get some indication of something happening. Pressing it just once is very unlikely to get it first time.
Do you have any more info of the your PC. model etc. - I'll try and look up the specifics....
The trick is to turn on the pc and repeatedly tap the correct key until you get into the bios.
If your manual says it is [DEL], then press power button and tap-tap-tap-tapity-tap the DEL key until you get some indication of something happening. Pressing it just once is very unlikely to get it first time.
Do you have any more info of the your PC. model etc. - I'll try and look up the specifics....
Hockeynuts - No, I've not got there yet but working on it 
2Loose - My usual is to press and hold the Del key.
OK, I'll try the tap-tap route ... which has produced
BIOS ROM checksum error.
Detecting floppy drive A media . . .
INSERT SYSTEM DISC AND PRESS ENTER
... so something is happening
. Now what system disc ?
I do SO appreciate you guys helping (and my daughter's laptop)
but working on it 2Loose - My usual is to press and hold the Del key.
OK, I'll try the tap-tap route ... which has produced
BIOS ROM checksum error.
Detecting floppy drive A media . . .
INSERT SYSTEM DISC AND PRESS ENTER
... so something is happening
. Now what system disc ?I do SO appreciate you guys helping (and my daughter's laptop)
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
I've not saw that message in a longtime on some PC's if you had a disc in the A drive and it was a non system disc, the pc would ask you to remove it or insert a system disc. I think a system disc is just a startup disc that contains something similar to the bios to start up the pc from that if the bios was down. It used to be necessary to make a start up discs on older PC's but many now haven't even got an a drive and systems are more reliable.Hockeynuts - No, I've not got there yet
2Loose - My usual is to press and hold the Del key.
OK, I'll try the tap-tap route ... which has produced
BIOS ROM checksum error.
Detecting floppy drive A media . . .
INSERT SYSTEM DISC AND PRESS ENTER
... so something is happening
I do SO appreciate you guys helping (and my daughter's laptop)
Right, through my previous requests for guidance on CC
and a quick search, I know that the PC is a Dino PC 20-302 AMD Dual Core PC (no longer available) with, I think, an additional graphics card .It was also only purchased in January 2010 - so, when I can unearth the paper Invoice etc I can call them and see what they will do.
Progress
2Loose
Guru
- Location
- Loughborough, Leicestershire.
It appears to recognise that it's BIOS is corrupt and then try and boot from a system boot floppy...as HLaB says, it is a long time since I've seen one... I am more than a little confused that it wants to try and boot from a floppy but won't show you the actual BIOS screens.
Nonetheless, the fact it wants to try and boot from a Floppy disk suggests to me that it can't find a hard disk for some reason, or else it would try and boot from that...
At this point if I was you I would be trying to find a geek friend (perhaps of your daughter's?), or be looking at warranty information.
I wish I was closer, because there are a number of other diagnostics to try, but describing them without seeing the hardware is just too hard.
Nonetheless, the fact it wants to try and boot from a Floppy disk suggests to me that it can't find a hard disk for some reason, or else it would try and boot from that...
At this point if I was you I would be trying to find a geek friend (perhaps of your daughter's?), or be looking at warranty information.
I wish I was closer, because there are a number of other diagnostics to try, but describing them without seeing the hardware is just too hard.
It is strange that it wants to boot from a floppy drive, when there isn't even one fittedIt appears to recognise that it's BIOS is corrupt and then try and boot from a system boot floppy...as HLaB says, it is a long time since I've seen one... I am more than a little confused that it wants to try and boot from a floppy but won't show you the actual BIOS screens.
Nonetheless, the fact it wants to try and boot from a Floppy disk suggests to me that it can't find a hard disk for some reason, or else it would try and boot from that...
At this point if I was you I would be trying to find a geek friend (perhaps of your daughter's?), or be looking at warranty information.
I wish I was closer, because there are a number of other diagnostics to try, but describing them without seeing the hardware is just too hard.
.I'll double/triple check the hard disk connections ....
Unfortunately, most of my daughter's friends are first/second-year uni students - so not quite 'useful' yet
.Right-O, I'll start to plough through my pile of papers-to-be-sorted-before-the-tax-return and see if I can find the warranty info. Oh joy
.Very many thanks to all who have contributed - you are all STARS
Hockeynut
Guru
- Location
- Nottingham, UK
It is strange that it wants to boot from a floppy drive, when there isn't even one fitted
Don't read too literally into that. As Loose says, there's probably a few more things that could be tried, but it gets increasingly diifficult without it being in front of you.
Good luck with it.
I know it's obvious but... I would double check all connections and power supplies again. The second time this video card problem happened to me was after I had been buggering about with the wifi card, a couple of slots down from the video card. I don't think I knocked anything but it was after I swapped the wifi cards that I got the video card problem (as I said, after that I disconnected the mains, removed and refitted the video card everything worked again).
Good luck
edit ... Sorry, I've now seen others advice to re-check everything (and maybe it's worth trying the original video card again)..
Good luck
edit ... Sorry, I've now seen others advice to re-check everything (and maybe it's worth trying the original video card again)..
pubrunner
Legendary Member
Right, through my previous requests for guidance on CC
It was also only purchased in January 2010 - so, when I can unearth the paper Invoice etc I can call them and see what they will do.
Progress
Try this; switch off PC; re-start, tapping the del key to get into the bios. If that fails, reat the process, but try tapping the F2 instead.
IF you manage to get into the BIOS & change the setting back to default, then the PC WILL look for a floppy disk drive.
So, if you can get into the BIOS, ensure that 1. the first boot device is the hard drive & 2. ensure that a floppy disk device is uninstalled.
Also, IF you can get into the BIOS, enable the on-board graphics card. Switch off the PC and remove the graphics card
Restart the PC with the monitor connected to the on-board card.
Actually, if you just remove your graphics card and restart connected to your on-board card, it may work.
If that is the case, go into the BIOS, remove the floppy disk drive and set the boot to the hard drive.
2Loose
Guru
- Location
- Loughborough, Leicestershire.
Unfortunately, most of my daughter's friends are first/second-year uni students - so not quite 'useful' yet
You'd be surprised, my 4 year old knows as much about PC's as my GF does! Ask her if she knows a geek who has built a PC...you never know.
Good luck on your quest.
Tigerbiten
Guru
Is it a PS2 or a USB keyboard that you have plugged in.
If the bios is slightly knacked/old, then it my not be reading a USB keyboard and you'll need to plug a PS2 keyboard in to get into the BIOS.
Once you do get into the BIOS, you can check if all your drives are being seen and reset the boot order.
Luck ...........
If the bios is slightly knacked/old, then it my not be reading a USB keyboard and you'll need to plug a PS2 keyboard in to get into the BIOS.
Once you do get into the BIOS, you can check if all your drives are being seen and reset the boot order.
Luck ...........
Aaargh - still can't get in to the BIOS, even with tap-tap on Del/F2/Tab/Esc ....
Have reconnected all connections but kept graphics card out.
Just getting "Drive A error. System halt."
Called DinoPC, held in queue for 5 mins, had enough for now. Need some air ... and a bike
Daughter doesn't know any computer geeks either .... space geeks, Yes, computers - No
I get the feeling I have unleashed the 'CC Tech Terriers', who won't let (me) go until this thing is properly sorted.
Much appreciated
Have reconnected all connections but kept graphics card out.
Just getting "Drive A error. System halt."
Called DinoPC, held in queue for 5 mins, had enough for now. Need some air ... and a bike
Daughter doesn't know any computer geeks either .... space geeks, Yes, computers - No
I get the feeling I have unleashed the 'CC Tech Terriers', who won't let (me) go until this thing is properly sorted
.Much appreciated
