PC Boot Problem

[cletiskerri]

I am trying to get a PC working for a family member, most of the time it is a user error, but this time I am not so sure of that.

The pc will turn on then reboot itself mutlitple times, after a few tries it will stay on. Once it stays on the PC will POST just fine, recognizing whatever hardware is there and then go to a blank screen with a single flashing underscore.

I have removed all the PCI cards and extra memory, everything but what is needed to run. I even unplugged the HD and disk drives and it does the same thing. I then plugged in the HD, checked the bios to make sure it is the only item in the boot order, restarted and had the same result, the PC POSTed ok and then had a single underscore. I then only plugged in the DVD drive, no HD and changed the BIOS to boot from disk, I had the same results there. The PC does not beep or anything during and after the POST.

It is an older machine...

1ghz AMD Athlon
1024 MB SDRAM
32MB Nvidia Video Card
Standard NIC and Modem
Sound Blaster 16 Sound Card
Pioneer DVD-ROM
CD-RW, not sure what brand.

Any suggestsions on what might be wrong with this PC? And what I am can do to get it fixed.

 

[rcalzada51]

I would suggest to clear the BIOS and then switch the memory out with the "extra" memory modules you took out. You may also want to remove the CPU, clean out the dust and dirt from the CPU fan and make sure it is still working. Reseat the CPU and restart the computer. It is possible that the CPU overheated. I have seen this happen in a couple of cases with the same symptoms you are experiencing. It is possible that the fan just stopped cooling properly or failed altogether. If this is the case, try replacing the CPU fan. Another clue would be if the speed of the processor is not being reported properly by the BIOS. Lastly, if you can, locate another video card. I had a couple of cases in the past where the video card itself overheated and failed. The systems posted ok, but when trying to load windows, the systems would just show a blinking curser and lock up.

 

[jackschmittusa]

If you can get into the bios, I doubt it is the vid card. I have usually found the flashing underscore to be a problem with the machine having trouble accessing a piece of hardware. Sometimes it is bad hardware, sometimes something like a corrupted basic driver (like chipset).

Since you are having problems even with the basic boot sequence too, my first guess is a failing psu. It may be failing to provide sufficient power to spool up an ide drive in the time allotted, thus the bios cannot locate an os.

 

[rcalzada51]

Originally posted by: jackschmittusa
If you can get into the bios, I doubt it is the vid card. I have usually found the flashing underscore to be a problem with the machine having trouble accessing a piece of hardware... .

Definately on the right track. In speaking with a friend at Abit, He suggests that in some cases when the IDE controller on the motherboard itself fails, it can produce the exact same symptom as you are describing with the blinking curser. The system will still post, however it cannot innitialize the IDE Bus so it just hangs at that point no matter what you connect to it (HDD, CD/DVD-ROM drive). You may just have to replace the Motherboard itself.