[bobbycow36]

Tech Support Guy System Info Utility version 1.0.0.2
OS Version: Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Service Pack 3, 32 bit
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz, x86 Family 15 Model 4 Stepping 3
Processor Count: 2
RAM: 1983 Mb
Graphics Card: ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 Series, 64 Mb
Hard Drives: C: Total - 286157 MB, Free - 249582 MB; D: Total - 476937 MB, Free - 420655 MB; G: Total - 476937 MB, Free - 40964 MB; I: Total - 476813 MB, Free - 1587 MB; K: Total - 953634 MB, Free - 687833 MB;
Motherboard: ASUSTeK Computer INC., P5RD1-VM
Antivirus: PC Cleaner Pro, Updated: Yes, On-Demand Scanner: Disabled

BOOT UP PROBLEM

I previously posted this but there were no takers so I am trying again
I am convinced that if I could just get the RAID sequence into the start up sequence it would boot up ok - any suggestions?

This problem is driving me crazy and is making me afraid of rebooting my PC as it can take up to an hour get it back into Windows, as the sequences outlined below often have to be gone through time and again before the correct screen is reached.

This machine had been working fine until the past month when it began booting up to DOS prompts preventing the loading of Windows. There seems no reason to the order of the screens. It takes you through BIOS and various prompt screens randomly. Since each reboot since then had taken me on this journey I have dreaded the risk involved that I might not get my PC back into Windows at all, and hence have deferred rebooting it as much as possible. After an enforced shutdown it took me an hour yesterday to get it back!

The sequence is this: the reboot gets as far as a black screen with a faint image and "P5RDI-VM" which is obviously the Motherboard
"Press DEL to run setup or TAB to display POST BIOS message" it states
Neither button does anything at all. Neither does any of the Function keys or ALT, CTRL and DEL
If you wait 3 minutes the screen disappears on its own to be replaced by the BIOS screen.
I'm not an expert on the BIOS, but it looks ok (ish) so I escape
This leaves a screen with the message "reboot and select proper boot device, or insert boot media in selected boot device and press key"
I don't have boot media, but the injunction about the “proper boot device” will be apt later I believe.

This screen can be shifted with CTRL, ALT and DEL, to be replaced sometimes with a fleeting glimpse of “CTRL A” for “Uli RAID for BIOS Utility”. You have to be fast to get this one. I was never sure what to do when I got here so I now leave it alone.
Exit from this leads to the warning about boot media again; C,A & D again leads to the motherboard screen and this time if you hit tab repeatedly you get two options:
F1 for setup – master/slave IDE order for internal; drives
F2 for load default values

Exit goes to a blank screen, which if you press TAB demonically will bypass the motherboard screen - ultimately at a new screen appears in blue and gold with 5 tabs down the centre, all boot devices.
In order they are Floppy A (don't ask) CD-ROM/DVD, CDROM/RW, USB WD/ RAID
I have experimented and the only one to get me of here is the RAID - hitting that takes me straight to Windows!
I have tried changing the order in BIOS but it won't let me – this would seem like it might help.
I unplug all external drives before trying to reboot

Any suggestions anyone?
I would be most grateful for any suggestions or advice.
Many thanks

Spec
ProPack v3.6+ Intel R
Pentium 4 CPU 3.00GHz
1.93GHz RAM
XP 2002 SP3
Hard Drive 300GB – 277GB free

[Triple6]

Have you replaced the CMOS battery and then loaded the BIOS defaults. The motherboard battery is a CR2032 and can be bought at any store.

Also, is your hard drive connected via SATA(small cable) or PATA(wide cable) and to which port on the motherboard?

On some of these boards you need to explicitly specify which device to boot from of it has an add-in hard drive controller such as for the SATA, make sure you have the SATA RAID controller as a boot device and not just HDD if you have a SATA drive.

[bobbycow36]

Originally Posted by Triple6

Have you replaced the CMOS battery and then loaded the BIOS defaults. The motherboard battery is a CR2032 and can be bought at any store.

Also, is your hard drive connected via SATA(small cable) or PATA(wide cable) and to which port on the motherboard?

On some of these boards you need to explicitly specify which device to boot from of it has an add-in hard drive controller such as for the SATA, make sure you have the SATA RAID controller as a boot device and not just HDD if you have a SATA drive.

This sounds like we might be getting near the money! I read somewhere else that a CMOS battery fault could cause something like this. SATA and PATA cables - 'fraid it's the first I heard of them but sounds like they'd be easy to recognize - but yeah - which port on the motherboard? I'm really not a techie, and whilst I like taking the top off the box actually doing anything makes me nervous like it's never going to work again. Ports all look the same to me.
The other reason I like your suggestion is that I didn't know there had to be an add-in hard drive controller if you had SATA, so you have to have SATA RAID controller as a boot device not just HDD (or presumably not just external HD like DVD etc either) Consistently the ONLY way I can get the system to boot is when I can engineer it to give me a choice of various HDD and RAID - if I choose RAID it will boot into Windows every time. Only problem is I can't find a way to get RAID as a consistent option anywhere.
If I could just do the latter maybe I wouldn't have to do any of the former? Any chance you could give me some clues to that please? I really would be most grateful - the prospect of me rummaging round looking for a CMOS battery doesn't bearing thinking about, ask my wife!
Cheers

[bobbycow36]

Hi,
sorry me again - I didn't realize both replies were from the same person
wouldn't I know if the HDD had failed? I mean it responds to commands, I can retrieve information, I just defragged it? This is beyond my experience I think!
How does it work with the HDD disconnected? Again I am slightly phobic about just pulling wires!
Also I have a second HDD internally - won't that make a difference?
I suppose if it is just the HDD then it's an easy fix, but that wouldn't explain it's obsession with starting only with a RAID boot up would it?
With a dead HDD wouldn't I be getting some problems during normal use too?
Once the thing is booted it's fine - just the boot sequence that's duff
Sorry for being such a Philistine, but if you tell me I got to do it I'll start pulling wires!
Cheers

[Triple6]

If you have two hard drives than that adds additional possibilities, that's important information you left out. In the BIOS you can specify which hard drive you want to boot from, not just simply that its a hard drive you want to boot from, have you verified that the right one has been chosen as the boot drive?

[bobbycow36]

Sorry, I hadn't thought it to be important when I posted the question
How would I know which one is the right one?
I presumed that the order would be C then D, but in fact the boot order in the BIOS is Floppy Drive A, then the DVD drive then the CD drive
This makes no sense to me as there is no media in any of these drives - I don't have a boot disk in any case. I don't see how a boot from this BIOS setup can be successful logically.
I think I must need to change the BIOS set up but I don't know how - I did try but had no success
I am very aware that at present I have a (mal)functioning computer but that by my untutored
fiddling I may turn it into a doorstop - that BIOS looks kind of scary!
Thanks for your help - if you have a quick tip for the BIOS set p that would be great...

[Triple6]

Letters such as C and D are arbitrary letters assigned by the operating system, they are pretty meaningless at the BIOS level.

So your boot order in the BIOS doesn't list the hard drive? There's your problem, change the floppy drive to the correct hard disk.

Download the manual for your motherboard from Asus: http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/...0_p5rd1-vm.pdf

Then refer to page 2-31 on how to change the boot order, make sure you specify the hard drive with the Windows installation on it not the secondary drive. You can make the hard drive the first boot device to speed up the boot sequence.

[bobbycow36]

I just wanted to thank you for all your help thus far - it has been fantastic
I managed all of the above and thought I had cracked it, but the BIOS is finding other things not to like.
I am slowly working through it from the manual with FD's so I think I'll get there.
Have learnt a whole lot about motherboards!