[the_moose]

Hi all,

I built my first computer a while ago and was feeling pretty pleased with myself as all went smoothly... as you can guess, I'm now having trouble. I've started to get a problem with the screen going black, with a underscore in the top left corner and a 2-digit alphanumeric code in the bottom right corner (this started as "B3" I think, but lately it has changed to "98"). The computer seems to try and reboot repeatedly - and although sometimes it succeeds, often I'm left with a dead box.

I tried Googling it and got advice ranging from checking SATA cable connections (which I've done) and checking the boot order: unfortunately I couldn't get any response to pressing F11 for the boot menu (and I tried various other F keys too, with no effect).

Any advice or suggestions would be gratefully received, as I am stumped.

FWIW I do have a full off-site backup so if I had to re-install from the start that wouldn't be the end of the world, but given the number of programs I've got installed (especially the HD video editing stuff) and the 100's of GBs of family pics and movies involved I'd rather not go down that route if I don't need to

Thanks in advance for your help.

Cheers, Moose.


System info as requested:

Tech Support Guy System Info Utility version 1.0.0.2
OS Version: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, Service Pack 1, 64 bit
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500 CPU @ 3.30GHz, Intel64 Family 6 Model 42 Stepping 7
Processor Count: 4
RAM: 8174 Mb
Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 6900 Series, 1024 Mb
Hard Drives: C: Total - 953766 MB, Free - 728305 MB;
Motherboard: MSI, H67MA-E45 (MS-7678)
Antivirus: Microsoft Security Essentials, Updated and Enabled

[black-wolf]

Your manual says to:
Press DEL to enter Setup Menu, F11 to enter Boot Menu

[the_moose]

Thanks for the reply Wolf. I did mention that I'd repeatedly tried F11 - I am sad enough to have retained all the manuals and paperwork from the components and started there.

Are you saying I should enter the set-up menu not the boot menu?

[black-wolf]

Yes setup gets you into the bios.

[the_moose]

Ah. I should have explained I'm a bit of a donkey when it comes to this stuff - but that's probably obvious now!

I'll give it a go when I get home, and post up once I've done it. Thank you again.

Cheers, Phil.

[black-wolf]

All bios are different, but there will be a place in there to set your boot order.

[the_moose]

Unfortunately I can't get it to do anything using DEL either - it just carries on to the black screen w/ cursor top left and "98" bottom right.

Does this seem like a hardware issue, or would a repair/re- install of the W7 OS be any use? I've got the original installation disc and made a repair disc straight after the clean install, so would be able to use one of them if appropriate?

[black-wolf]

Sounds like a motherboard issue. If you have the manual that came with the motherboard you can try flashing the bios. It usually involves unplgging the power supply removing the battery and a jumper located on the mobo near the battery.