Getting into my BIOS

Lestat · #1 05-06-2007, 01:45 PM

My computer keeps crashing in a seemingly random manner; i.e. there doesn't seem to be any one activity which causes the crash. I disabled auto-restart and get the blue screen. This says, check available disk space, which I have done and it seems fine. It then says to update driver if one is indicated in the stop message. There is no driver in the stop message, so I guess that's ok. The last thing it says is to disable caching in the BIOS. I've seen this screen before, but don't know how to bring it up on my own.

Can someone tell me how to do this? This is driving me crazy! There's no discernable reason for my computer to keep crashing like this and I have no idea how to fix it. Thanks.

LeapFrog · #2 05-06-2007, 02:30 PM

When you boot your computer there is generally a message that describes how to get into the bios (ie hit delete, f1, etc). You need to his this key before windows starts.

So your computer was working fine then it just started rebooting? Sounds like you may have a hardware problem of some sort.

It could be heat related -- you could try making sure your case is well ventilated and clean out as much dust as you can from any fan/filters and the cpu fan. This is a good idea to do anyways (the cleaning), but you can also download some program that displays your cpu/case temp to see where you are at. Smartfan? Don't remember offhand and have to run, I will check back in the thread later. I'm sure other members will drop by to help too. If your still having problems we can get into stress testing and such. GL

Lestat · #3 05-06-2007, 03:21 PM

Thanks LeapFrog. I've had heat related probs before and I don't think that's it this time. Fans, case, etc. dust free. I've tried hitting those keys you mentioned, but that just gets me into safe mode. I need the bios screen, which used to come up, but I disabled auto-reboot, so I don't know how to get it now.

LeapFrog · #4 05-06-2007, 04:12 PM

I'm not super confident that any bios changes will resolve your problem, but it can't hurt to try that first.

So, we have to figure out how to get in. When you first power on/reboot the computer there will be a splash screen that is briefly displayed that should at the very least list your bios version. If you can, write that down. Just keep rebooting if you only get part of it. It also may display a 'hit x' key to enter bios.

This screen doesn't last long, but the info on it should enable us to figure out how to get into your bios. Once we have the version we can google and find the manufacturers website which should contain instructions on how to get in if the splash screen doesn't.

Something else that may work is the following program.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html

I haven't used it but it sounds similar to SiSoft Sandra. I've used that program before and it provides a bunch of info on the computer. Don't remember if it displays motherboard model or bios info but it very well might. You could try downloading either of the programs and see.

Lestat · #5 05-06-2007, 05:07 PM

While trying to do a Windows update, my computer crashed again. Now however, it's saying an error reading disk drive when rebooting. IOW, I can't even get into my computer!

The screen you're talking about says, hit tab key for flash, or Alt f2 for bios. When I hit the tab, nothing happens. When I hit Alt F2, I get a bios screen, but it just asks me for the new bios name.

I'm about 20 minutes from throwing this computer in the trash. This happens about ever 6 months, where the damn thing starts rebooting on its own and I have to do a clean re-install of windows to fix it. Now I can't even remember how to do that. I tried booting up from the Windows XP disk, but it won't recognize the CD Rom before telling me there's an error reading the disk.

If anyone has a suggestion in the next 20 minutes, great. If not, I'm trashing this piece of [censored]! Thanks anyway.

Btw- When working, it's actually a pretty decent desktop. It's not old or anything. I bought it to multi-table. But now that I don't do that anymore, I guess my laptop will have to do.

LeapFrog · #6 05-06-2007, 05:30 PM

Not your day huh... Ok, well I have some ideas, up to you if you think its worth your time. Sounds like your hard drive (possibly some other component) could be on the fritz and causing operating system corruption.

Just your OS maybe hosed right now (would need the exact error text) and it might be possible to repair using the windows cd. To do that we have to get into the bios and set the boot order of the cdrom higher then the hard drive. I'm baffled about your bios problem, it sounds like alt-f2 should get you in. If you wrote down the bios version (or name of the manufacturer), it might be possible to google it and then check the manufactures site to see whats up with the bios.

If your computer has a 3.5 floppy you could boot from that as it is almost certainly before your HD in the boot order. Then you could try to repair windows. I've been building my computers for like 5 years so I don't even know if recent computers come with a 3.5, my guess is probably not.

Even if you get windows repaired, at some point you are going to have to address the hardware problem or this will probably keep reoccurring. It could be the hard drive, or it could be some other component (ie, memory, something with the motherboard, whatever) that is flaky and is causing the data on your hard drive to become corrupted over time.

Anyways, if you make the call to keep flogging this thing, let us know and we will try to help. Good luck. You could also go the computer repair shop route.

Ah, one other thing: if you don't want to spend anymore time (or money) on it, consider donating it.

buckslayer80 · #7 05-06-2007, 08:19 PM

What kind of PC is it? Hopefully a Dell.

Lestat · #8 05-06-2007, 09:00 PM

Ok, here's what I've done so far...

I managed to get into the bios (it was the delete key). I changed the boot sequence (at least I think I did), so that it hits my CD ROM before the C: drive. It gets to a point where it tells me to hit any key to boot from my CD. When I do this, it says, "Windows is testing your computer's hardware configuration". Then the screens go blank and nothing happens! I've waited for over 10 minutes. So something's still wrong. Any ideas?

Lestat · #9 05-06-2007, 09:02 PM

Uh, I had a friend put it together for me about a year and a half ago, so it's not a store brand. It's an ASUS motherboard and really is a good setup. He purchased all parts from PC Infinity.

LeapFrog · #10 05-06-2007, 09:19 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Ok, here's what I've done so far...

I managed to get into the bios (it was the delete key). I changed the boot sequence (at least I think I did), so that it hits my CD ROM before the C: drive. It gets to a point where it tells me to hit any key to boot from my CD. When I do this, it says, "Windows is testing your computer's hardware configuration". Then the screens go blank and nothing happens! I've waited for over 10 minutes. So something's still wrong. Any ideas?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well some progress at least. So are you trying to reinstall the OS and it hangs during the hardware inspection?

If it were me (I have tons of computer parts laying around) I would pop in another hard drive and see what happens. You could talk to your friend and see if he has a spare that you could use to test.

Another option would be to make a boot CD and include a program that checks the SMART info coming from your HD. If you are not computer savvy that could be a bit tricky (and you would need a burner on your laptop or another computer). Your friend might be able to help you with some of this possibly.