making win98se to boot up

[inquisitive]

Hi
would like to get my computer to boot up so I may finish an editing job off!

Is it possible to use a bootdisk (downloaded it from the internet and used it to boot up when we wanted to format a newly installed 2nd harddrive - we disconected our main hd so we wouldnt accidentally format that!). this all worked fine and it has worked well for months since..... UNTIL LATLEY....

It wont boot up now... someone suggested saving the hardrive content as it may be dying (we caddied it and found everything on it in tact and so dumped content onto a big external).....

..... but what is/are the options to get the original computer to boot from it and so displaying our desktop layout... and allowing access to an ongoing editing project.

can we bung the hard drive back in..... but use a boot disk to get through to windows?

thanks for considerations.

[winsong]

Please explain what the Symptom are when it fails.

System won't boot with the original 'C' drive -

Do you get an error message?

Is anything displayed?

Do you hear any 'beeps'?

Do you see any lights?

[inquisitive]

Hi winsong, thanks for thought

Original C drive and Symptons:
For ages the computer would start up with the screen:
did not shut down properly (even if had used the shut down)

it would happily go through a few pages of 'internal info' of whats in my computer, then go to win scan and stay for few seconds why the little yellow bar at the bottom filled up - it would then go to scan for bad sectors (which, I learned, after waiting several hours for this to complete for the first few times), I learned could just press 'x' to exit and the computer would burst into life with my home page and would work just fine........... so I got used to this (after several years now).

But Now..... its changed
first - it went through usual routine but on scanning yellow bar, it used a new pop up saying 'found in-valid file with too long a path name'

then it showed another new pop up saying 'searching for crossd files' (something like that)

*first time it changed, it took ages but eventually got to windows.
*next start up: it did same again, but this time did not progress any further than pop ups.
*next start up/reboot: it didnt get past the first page, where it just says the system and the id code.
*next start up: not even a bit of writing - just blank, black screen.

Someone suggested:
taking out the battery on the board to 'drain the bios' then putting in a new one (in case it had got flat in the first place). This was done but on boot up the symptoms were:
no beeps and nothing on screen and continuos red light on front led

cheers

[winsong]

So at this point in time, when you boot the system you get

1. Blank screen?

2. No Lights (keyboard, drives)?

3. No Beeps?
Did the system ever 'Beep'?

4. Fans spin?

Several approches to try to isolate the problem - do you have any spare parts you can swap in/out?

[inquisitive]

So at this point in time, when you boot the system you get

1. Blank screen?

2. No Lights (keyboard, drives)?

3. No Beeps?
Did the system ever 'Beep'?

4. Fans spin?

Several approches to try to isolate the problem - do you have any spare parts you can swap in/out?


1. Blank Screen = yep

2. No lights = have two buttons on front each have a led
a. main on: press this and no light but does start fans (the light on the reboot button below lights up red and stays red
b. reboot: when no luck with pressing the main on button, i press the reboot button ( nothing new happens) exept the green light on the main on button above comes on and stays on green.... so now have one red and one green continuoes leds.
On keyboard... the caps lock and numbers lock would show a green led when selected.... no lights can be made to show.

3 No beeps = it used to beep then beep again when firing up, it doesnt now

4 Fans Spin = yep both cpu and chip fans kick in

Spare parts..... not really. I have an old 2GB hard drive that has win 95 on it, but thats it

thanks for thoughts

[winsong]

Based on what you said:

1. Two lights on the case.
Normally the top light is the system power light. If it displays multiple colors, green is 'On' and red would be 'Standby/sleep'.
The second light is the Hard Drive 'select' light. When the hard drive is selected (reading/writing) this light is on.

You are saying the hard drive 'select' light is on constantly. This normally indicates a hard drive or drive cable or drive cable connection problem.

FYI - when trying to isolate a boot problem, roughly this is what to look for.

When you boot your system the BIOS (this is a general list of what happens and in what order):
1. Checks to make sure there is a processor installed
2. Checks to make sure there is 64k of memory installed
3. Issues a reset to the keyboard (clears keyboard registers and flashes the lights)
- you said this doesn't happen, which would indicate bad memory, bad memory connection, bad motherboard, corrupted BIOS
4. Issues a reset to floppy, CD-Rom and then Hard Drive (select lights should flash)
5. Loads vanilla video driver - display light goes green - first time display active.
6. Branchs to attached devices (video firmware, SCSI firmware, etc), loads firmware and returns to main BIOS
7. Fast check of your memory
8. Looks for first boot device
9. Selects that device, looks for boot code

[inquisitive]

Hi thanks for list. It makes sense with the pattern of events that occur (used to occur) on its start up, boot up, proceedure.

You mention coruption of BIOS as a possibility and I'm wondering if what we did with the battery, as mentioned in previous post may have messed things up somehow.......
......
Someone suggested:
taking out the battery on the board to 'drain the bios' then putting in a new one (in case it had got flat in the first place). This was done but on boot up the symptoms were:
no beeps and nothing on screen and continuos red light on front led
If we did drain the BIOS..... were we supposed to put something back or is it '''just there'''.... where do we get fresh BIOS if old was drained.

Just a thought. thanks

[winsong]

The BIOS is a chip that has 'default' coding burned into the chip (basic BIOS) that defines a 'vanilla' version of your system/motherboard. That coding will allow a system to boot regardless of the processor, memory, video, etc that is installed..

When you go into the BIOS and customize it for you system, you write that customization into a user area in the chip.

When you reset the BIOS, via a jumper or removing the battery, you put it back into a 'vanilla/default' mode.

When you 'Flash' the BIOS you rewrite some or all of the 'default' code. You then you need to re-enter whatever customization you had before you flashed it.

Although very rare it is possible for the basic 'default' code to get corrupted and the solution is to 'flash the BIOS. This is normally done via a bootable diskette that has its own OS and executable to rewrite the BIOS.