Bios, motherboard? 14 minute boot delay at Intel logo then fine.

Every single time I boot or reboot, the computer displays the "Intel
Pentium 4" logo for 14 minutes and 43 seconds,
then proceeds to the usual Windows XP welcome screen. This consistently
happens whether the computer has been off all
night, or if it's being rebooted after running for several hours. It's
been a problem for about 6 months now, so I
cannot swear, but I think it began about the time I installed Linus
Fedora and Grub to create a duel boot option.
About that time, I added a second internal IDE hard drive set as slave,
but the problem persists whether the second
hard drive is connected to power and data cable or not. The Fedora
partition and Grub boot loader are no longer on the
drive.

I've tried:

--windows recovery console's fixmbr command and fixboot C:.
--changing hard drive data cable
--disconnecting all DVD and slave drives (setting the boot drive to
Single)
--booting from DVD (still displays logo for 14 minutes, 43 seconds
before booting)
--Checking cmos settings
--Replacing cmos battery
--Pushing all chips and cables to insure that they are seated correctly
--Calling Manufacturer tech support twice

First tech support guy suggested that the motherboard was failing - but
since the problem occurs for the exact same
amount of time each time, then boots normally and runs for days with no
system halts or other unusual behavior, it
doesn't seem like a failing board. The second tech support guy agreed
that it does not seem like a failing part since
the "Intel Pentium 4" logo lingers for the exact same time, followed by
a perfectly functioning system for as many
hours or days as I keep it running. He asked me to call back tomorrow
when "level 2" techs are in house. He agreed that it seems to be some
type of hardware issue since the computer hangs before getting past the
bios loading and memory checks ect.

Any ideas?

OS is Windows XP SP2 Home edition.
Processor is Intel Pentium 4 Prescott 3 GHz
Motherboard is Micro-Star International model: MS-7060 Chipset: SIS
661Fx
Bios: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG

On Thu, 4 Jan 2007 21:03:00 -0500, Greg <Not
@this.address.com> wrote:

>Every single time I boot or reboot, the computer displays the "Intel
>Pentium 4" logo for 14 minutes and 43 seconds,
>then proceeds to the usual Windows XP welcome screen. This consistently
>happens whether the computer has been off all
>night, or if it's being rebooted after running for several hours. It's
>been a problem for about 6 months now, so I
>cannot swear, but I think it began about the time I installed Linus
>Fedora and Grub to create a duel boot option.
>About that time, I added a second internal IDE hard drive set as slave,
>but the problem persists whether the second
>hard drive is connected to power and data cable or not. The Fedora
>partition and Grub boot loader are no longer on the
>drive.
>
>I've tried:
>
>--windows recovery console's fixmbr command and fixboot C:.
>--changing hard drive data cable
>--disconnecting all DVD and slave drives (setting the boot drive to
>Single)
>--booting from DVD (still displays logo for 14 minutes, 43 seconds
>before booting)
>--Checking cmos settings
>--Replacing cmos battery
>--Pushing all chips and cables to insure that they are seated correctly
>--Calling Manufacturer tech support twice
>
>First tech support guy suggested that the motherboard was failing - but
>since the problem occurs for the exact same
>amount of time each time, then boots normally and runs for days with no
>system halts or other unusual behavior, it
>doesn't seem like a failing board. The second tech support guy agreed
>that it does not seem like a failing part since
>the "Intel Pentium 4" logo lingers for the exact same time, followed by
>a perfectly functioning system for as many
>hours or days as I keep it running. He asked me to call back tomorrow
>when "level 2" techs are in house. He agreed that it seems to be some
>type of hardware issue since the computer hangs before getting past the
>bios loading and memory checks ect.
>
>Any ideas?
>
>OS is Windows XP SP2 Home edition.
>Processor is Intel Pentium 4 Prescott 3 GHz
>Motherboard is Micro-Star International model: MS-7060 Chipset: SIS
>661Fx
>Bios: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG


I'd suspect you have a boot drive, drive cable, or bios boot
device setting problem.

Check the bios settings and connect only the one boot drive,
disconnecting opticals, etc. Make sure that drive is
jumpered correctly (if PATA) and if cable select, try single
or master (as applicable). If that works, add back the
other drives paying particular attention to their jumpering
(and rejumpering the boot drive if it needs now set to
master instead of single) and swapping in a different cable
if possible. If it's SATA, check the connector contacts if
system was operated in a dirty environment.

In article <MPG.20077be0ab4a142598980e@news-server.rochester.rr.com>,
Greg <Not @this.address.com> says...
> Every single time I boot or reboot, the computer displays the "Intel
> Pentium 4" logo for 14 minutes and 43 seconds,
> then proceeds to the usual Windows XP welcome screen. This consistently
> happens whether the computer has been off all
> night, or if it's being rebooted after running for several hours.

I have a Medion Titanium MD 8084 XL. It has a smart media card reader
that a support tech told me can "hold a static charge" This causes the
bios to hang during repeated attempts to boot from it. Of course there
was nothing in the smart reader to boot from, and it never would have
occured to me to consider a static charge as a problem after 6 months of
reboots and handling.
He had me switch power off from the back of the machine and repeatedly
click the power on button on the front for 90 seconds. This procedure,
he told me, causes the motherboard to completly discharge, and
"somehow" depletes the charge in the smart reader. SURE ENOUGH, IT
WORKED!! First time in 6 months that the computer booted up immediatly
after switching it on.
I asked him how he discovered that solution - he said several other
callers had their systems hang at the exact same point in the boot
sequence and this discharge solution worked in the past.

Greg <Not @this.address.com> wrote
> Greg <Not @this.address.com> wrote

>> Every single time I boot or reboot, the computer displays
>> the "Intel Pentium 4" logo for 14 minutes and 43 seconds,
>> then proceeds to the usual Windows XP welcome screen.
>> This consistently happens whether the computer has been off
>> all night, or if it's being rebooted after running for several hours.

> I have a Medion Titanium MD 8084 XL. It has a smart media
> card reader that a support tech told me can "hold a static charge"

Pure drivel.

> This causes the bios to hang during repeated attempts to boot from it.

Pure drivel.

> Of course there was nothing in the smart reader to boot from,
> and it never would have occured to me to consider a static
> charge as a problem after 6 months of reboots and handling.

That claim is pure drivel.

> He had me switch power off from the back of the machine and
> repeatedly click the power on button on the front for 90 seconds. This
> procedure, he told me, causes the motherboard to completly discharge,

Pure drivel.

> and "somehow" depletes the charge in the smart reader.
> SURE ENOUGH, IT WORKED!!

Not for the reason he claims.

> First time in 6 months that the computer
> booted up immediatly after switching it on.

> I asked him how he discovered that solution - he said several
> other callers had their systems hang at the exact same point in
> the boot sequence and this discharge solution worked in the past.

You should demand that they replace under warranty
whatever is producing that utterly obscene result.

It isnt seen with any other system.

Did you try it with no drives connected?

On Thu, 4 Jan 2007 21:03:00 -0500, Greg <Not @this.address.com> wrote:

>Every single time I boot or reboot, the computer displays the "Intel
>Pentium 4" logo for 14 minutes and 43 seconds,
>then proceeds to the usual Windows XP welcome screen. This consistently
>happens whether the computer has been off all
>night, or if it's being rebooted after running for several hours. It's
>been a problem for about 6 months now, so I
>cannot swear, but I think it began about the time I installed Linus
>Fedora and Grub to create a duel boot option.
>About that time, I added a second internal IDE hard drive set as slave,
>but the problem persists whether the second
>hard drive is connected to power and data cable or not. The Fedora
>partition and Grub boot loader are no longer on the
>drive.
>
>I've tried:
>
>--windows recovery console's fixmbr command and fixboot C:.
>--changing hard drive data cable
>--disconnecting all DVD and slave drives (setting the boot drive to
>Single)
>--booting from DVD (still displays logo for 14 minutes, 43 seconds
>before booting)
>--Checking cmos settings
>--Replacing cmos battery
>--Pushing all chips and cables to insure that they are seated correctly
>--Calling Manufacturer tech support twice
>
>First tech support guy suggested that the motherboard was failing - but
>since the problem occurs for the exact same
>amount of time each time, then boots normally and runs for days with no
>system halts or other unusual behavior, it
>doesn't seem like a failing board. The second tech support guy agreed
>that it does not seem like a failing part since
>the "Intel Pentium 4" logo lingers for the exact same time, followed by
>a perfectly functioning system for as many
>hours or days as I keep it running. He asked me to call back tomorrow
>when "level 2" techs are in house. He agreed that it seems to be some
>type of hardware issue since the computer hangs before getting past the
>bios loading and memory checks ect.
>
>Any ideas?
>
>OS is Windows XP SP2 Home edition.
>Processor is Intel Pentium 4 Prescott 3 GHz
>Motherboard is Micro-Star International model: MS-7060 Chipset: SIS
>661Fx
>Bios: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG