Hardware

Ask something
Discussion Locked

system does'ntt boot up or recognise HDD

0 helpful
7 replies

by topic 1 view

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

Soemtime, when I boot up all i get is a blank screen, no post on beeps of any description.

I changed HDD cables and positions, but the error repetas itself. Only after shutting the system down (all power off) I cna get the machine to boot up troble free.
Can anyone help solve the problem.

Here are some System info

Processor: AMD Athalon 1GB
HDD : 1 IBM 20GB
HDD: 1 IBM 10GB
RAM (matched): 512KB
OS: Win XP Home
Motherboard: Gigabyte

7 replies

by maxwell edison

When you get nothing at all (no screen, no beeps) at bootup, it's usually memory or video related. Check your memory modules to make sure they're properly seated in the socket. Perhaps the socket needs cleaning. Perhaps the memory modules are defective. The same things apply to the graphics card as well.

If they're clean and properly seated, try some different ones to see if the problem continues with different memory/graphics card.

If it still presents a problem, it may be an issue withthe motherboard. You might try to flash the BIOS before replacing it, especially if the problem started after you've installed some new/differemt components.

by jackieg.hawkins

Had an Athlon for the last two years. With numbous boot problems. After I replaced the motherboard and CPU and the problems continued, only then did I find out that my generic 300 watt power supply could not do the job. Make sure you have an AMD approve powersupply for Athlon chips.

by thechas

I have had several socket A motherboards give me startup problems.

The 'fix' each time, has been to manually set the CPU FSB and multiplier in BIOS settings.

For a 1GHz Athlon, with SDRAM, the settings are:

FSB: 100MHz, Multiplier: 10X
If you are using PC133 SDRAM, you can set the RAM speed to either 133MHz, or FSB + PCI
(varies by make of BIOS)

For DDR RAM,
FSB: 200MHz, Multiplier: 5X

The tip on making sure that the power supply is sufficient is a good thing to check.
I have seen several 350 Watt supplies where the total output was less than 250 Watts.

Chas

by topic

Thank you everyone for your kind contribution.
My power supply is 400W and AMD approved, this eliminate the power supply suggestion.

The two replies that ave me most value are from Chas and Maxwell, but Tech Rep. does not give me the oppertunity to split the reward points. I am sorry lads. I found TheChas reply most helpful and this may have curend the problem.

This discussion is closed to new replies.