here's a pretty strange problem

magrute · #1 26th May 02, 06:23 PM

i have just put together a machine from some parts i had laying around and when i upgraded them they were working fine when i replaced them,the only reason i replace them was for newer parts
so here is the deal.
when i try to boot it up it won't beep and boot to the bios, but if i leave the power on overnight and then turn it off and on really fast it boots up but only recognizes half the ram installed
any ideas?

greasemonkey · #2 27th May 02, 01:07 AM

What componets do have installed?
Strip it down to bear minimum (Vid card, 1 ram chip, 1 hard-drive) and see if it will boot. If it still won't boot try a different Vid card or Ram chip.
Could also be a bad power switch or power supply also.
Hope this helps.

Blue · #3 28th May 02, 10:25 PM

sounds to me like your cmos battery for starters ... it's a lithium battery on your board that needs to be replaced every 5 years or so ... however some boards have it sodderred on so it can't be replaced. But as it starts to go ... it would still work at warmer temps (ie leaving your pc on all night) but not when it's cold. As for the memory .. that's probably a different problem ... play with one chip, then the other .. if both work independently then fiddle around with the seatings and adjust the bios for best ram compatability. ... that's my 2 cent ... good luck

magrute · #4 28th May 02, 11:35 PM

@blue

i had a feeling it might be it but i was grasping at straws
so i didn't bring it up cause that sounded to easy
how do i change it?
can i just remove it w/power off and put the new one in
or is there a special way to do it?
i have never messed with a cmos battery before

Stringent · #5 28th May 02, 11:39 PM

Turn the power off, take the cable out. Take the battery out and stick the new one in, turn on and configure the settings.

Just like replacing a watch battery. Ease it out gently though so not to snap and retainers.

magrute · #6 29th May 02, 04:47 AM

the cmos battery has nothing to do with the inicial boot
all it does is store the hdd and mobo configurations and if it were bad it would say that it needs to be replaced anyway

Blue · #7 29th May 02, 05:18 AM

the inner workings of what all the battery does is beyond me ... but it is required for the initial POST test which your computer needs to start up ... that initial beep you usually hear means the post test has been successful.

And i have seen it before where a pc won't boot first thing in the morning, but would a few hours later ... the problem was the cmos battery which, just like an old car battery, did not have enough power on a cold morning. ... anyway, it does happen, so it's a potential problem you need to eliminate ... but if yo have a bios that is sophisticated enough to warn you of that in advance, so much the better

good luck

greasemonkey · #8 29th May 02, 06:11 AM

Can't see it being a battery problem as you would usually get lots of advance warning of an impending "failure". You would at least get a CHECKSUM error at boot a few times. I also don't think the battery would cause a no boot it should just boot to the BIOS because all the settings would be erased. I guess its a cheap thing to try but I wouldn't count on it fixing your problem.
Like I said in my first post just use basic troubleshooting skills, either start from nothing and add until failure or keep removing things until it runs.

magrute · #9 29th May 02, 10:52 PM

i think it is toast
all my hardware works on another mobo but not on the one i want
wwwwaaaaaaaaa>:|

#10 30th May 02, 11:33 PM

Going to agree with Blue on this one. Had a similar problem with a dead/dying battery a while back.

Depending on how old your mb is the battery is normally just a simple watch battery which should only cost a couple of bucks to replace, and most watch/electronic shops carry them. Just look for sliver disk about the size of a quarter on your mb.