Impossible to boot on HD and slow BIOS access

I have a weird problem and for holiday reasons (I'm leaving tomorrow)
it's impossible for me to check right now by changing hardware bits
(and that would cost me money too)

The problem is this : I was using Windows XP, everything was going fine.
Then I rebooted and I had plenty of "99" on the screen. Checking some
web boards, I found it was actually a Lilo problem, which I had
installed though I actually didn't have any working Linux partitions
anymore, so I did a FIXMBR to remove it.

Now here comes the weird bit. I'm not actually sure it's a LILO problem.
The reason is, the symptoms are SLOWNESS. I simply can't boot on my HD
(Hard Disk Boot Failure), and trying to put a Windows install DVD results
in more... slowness. Slowness to launch the install program, mostly.
There is a lot of complete inactivity of the computer : it says
it's loading, but no drive is spinning for a long while. And funnily
enough, when it starts to spin, it has normal speed... until it
freezes once again.

Doing a FIXMBR or even attempting a reinstall of Windows didn't help.
However, my Linux KNOPPIX DVD works just fine and had no kind of slowness
whatsoever.

There are a couple of other symptoms, which make me think it's either
the motherboard or the Power Supply Unit.
Those symptoms are

-VERY SLOW to leave BIOS and enter actual booting
-VERY SLOW to access CMOS utility.
-No system bips (even if it boots)
-No USB recognized before actual OS is loaded. That means I need to plug
a PS/2 keyboard to actually access CMOS where as I could do it just
fine with my wireless usually.

I've read stuff about a bad PSU possibly being the problem in such cases :
things about it not powering fast enough components. Does that fit in
with the rest of my symptoms ?

Thanks in advance.

-Mickmils

Michael Mils <mickmils@gmail.com> wrote:
> I have a weird problem and for holiday reasons (I'm leaving tomorrow)
> it's impossible for me to check right now by changing hardware bits
> (and that would cost me money too)
>
> The problem is this : I was using Windows XP, everything was going
> fine. Then I rebooted and I had plenty of "99" on the screen.
> Checking some
> web boards, I found it was actually a Lilo problem, which I had
> installed though I actually didn't have any working Linux partitions
> anymore, so I did a FIXMBR to remove it.
>
> Now here comes the weird bit. I'm not actually sure it's a LILO
> problem. The reason is, the symptoms are SLOWNESS. I simply can't
> boot on my HD (Hard Disk Boot Failure), and trying to put a Windows
> install DVD results in more... slowness. Slowness to launch the
> install program, mostly. There is a lot of complete inactivity of the
> computer : it says
> it's loading, but no drive is spinning for a long while. And funnily
> enough, when it starts to spin, it has normal speed... until it
> freezes once again.
>
> Doing a FIXMBR or even attempting a reinstall of Windows didn't help.
> However, my Linux KNOPPIX DVD works just fine and had no kind of
> slowness whatsoever.
>
> There are a couple of other symptoms, which make me think it's either
> the motherboard or the Power Supply Unit.
> Those symptoms are
>
> -VERY SLOW to leave BIOS and enter actual booting
> -VERY SLOW to access CMOS utility.
> -No system bips (even if it boots)
> -No USB recognized before actual OS is loaded. That means I need to
> plug a PS/2 keyboard to actually access CMOS where as I could do it
> just
> fine with my wireless usually.
>
> I've read stuff about a bad PSU possibly being the problem in such
> cases : things about it not powering fast enough components. Does
> that fit in with the rest of my symptoms ?

It can be a motherboard problem or a flakey power supply or even ram.

There isnt any real way to decide which it is except by swapping,
and obviously the power supply would normally be the cheapest to try.

Looks like its chosen to die when that will cause maximum hassle.

In article <eav1od$npc$1@news.tiscali.fr>, Michael Mils
<mickmils@gmail.com> wrote:

> I have a weird problem and for holiday reasons (I'm leaving tomorrow)
> it's impossible for me to check right now by changing hardware bits
> (and that would cost me money too)
>
> The problem is this : I was using Windows XP, everything was going fine.
> Then I rebooted and I had plenty of "99" on the screen. Checking some
> web boards, I found it was actually a Lilo problem, which I had
> installed though I actually didn't have any working Linux partitions
> anymore, so I did a FIXMBR to remove it.
>
> Now here comes the weird bit. I'm not actually sure it's a LILO problem.
> The reason is, the symptoms are SLOWNESS. I simply can't boot on my HD
> (Hard Disk Boot Failure), and trying to put a Windows install DVD results
> in more... slowness. Slowness to launch the install program, mostly.
> There is a lot of complete inactivity of the computer : it says
> it's loading, but no drive is spinning for a long while. And funnily
> enough, when it starts to spin, it has normal speed... until it
> freezes once again.
>
> Doing a FIXMBR or even attempting a reinstall of Windows didn't help.
> However, my Linux KNOPPIX DVD works just fine and had no kind of slowness
> whatsoever.
>
> There are a couple of other symptoms, which make me think it's either
> the motherboard or the Power Supply Unit.
> Those symptoms are
>
> -VERY SLOW to leave BIOS and enter actual booting
> -VERY SLOW to access CMOS utility.
> -No system bips (even if it boots)
> -No USB recognized before actual OS is loaded. That means I need to plug
> a PS/2 keyboard to actually access CMOS where as I could do it just
> fine with my wireless usually.
>
> I've read stuff about a bad PSU possibly being the problem in such cases :
> things about it not powering fast enough components. Does that fit in
> with the rest of my symptoms ?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> -Mickmils

A few things to check:

1) Using a Windows utility, are your processor caches L1 and L2 enabled ?
If cache is disabled for some reason, that would make it slow.
2) A disk drive in PIO mode would make disk access slow, but would
not affect overall speed of the CPU. Are the disks in
"DMA if available" ? (This does not explain your BIOS symptoms.)
3) When you look in Task Manager, are any processes sucking up cycles ?
(This does not explain your BIOS symptoms.)
4) Is there an interrupt storm in progress ? Sometimes a defective
chip can repetitively interrupt and not require any service.
You would need a means of monitoring interrupt counts or
context switches or something similar, to detect the problem.
Perhaps there would be an inability to accurately keep correct
time if this was happening. Disabling peripheral chips might
make a difference.

So (1) and (4) might fit the symptoms.

You could try clearing the CMOS (with the computer unplugged)
and then enter the BIOS and set up your custom settings again.

HTH,
Paul

Paul <nospam@needed.com> wrote
> Michael Mils <mickmils@gmail.com> wrote

>> I have a weird problem and for holiday reasons (I'm leaving tomorrow)
>> it's impossible for me to check right now by changing hardware bits
>> (and that would cost me money too)

>> The problem is this : I was using Windows XP, everything was
>> going fine. Then I rebooted and I had plenty of "99" on the screen.

>> Checking some web boards, I found it was actually a Lilo problem,
>> which I had installed though I actually didn't have any working Linux
>> partitions anymore, so I did a FIXMBR to remove it.

>> Now here comes the weird bit. I'm not actually sure it's a LILO
>> problem. The reason is, the symptoms are SLOWNESS. I simply can't
>> boot on my HD (Hard Disk Boot Failure), and trying to put a Windows
>> install DVD results in more... slowness. Slowness to launch the
>> install program, mostly. There is a lot of complete inactivity of
>> the computer : it says it's loading, but no drive is spinning for a
>> long while. And funnily enough, when it starts to spin, it has
>> normal speed... until it freezes once again.

That makes it sound rather like a serious motherboard problem
in the sense that the cpu isnt running properly in those pauses.
Could be a power supply problem producing that.

>> Doing a FIXMBR or even attempting a reinstall of Windows
>> didn't help. However, my Linux KNOPPIX DVD works just
>> fine and had no kind of slowness whatsoever.

That last is damned odd. Maybe its some specific peripheral or
onboard periph that is causing the problem and Knoppix just ignores it.

>> There are a couple of other symptoms, which make me
>> think it's either the motherboard or the Power Supply Unit.
>> Those symptoms are

>> -VERY SLOW to leave BIOS and enter actual booting
>> -VERY SLOW to access CMOS utility.

Yeah, those are the evidence of a serious hardware problem.

>> -No system bips (even if it boots)
>> -No USB recognized before actual OS is loaded. That means
>> I need to plug a PS/2 keyboard to actually access CMOS
>> where as I could do it just fine with my wireless usually.

That might well indicate that its the USB thats gone pear shaped.

What happens with the USB with the knoppix CD,
does that still work with the knoppix CD ?

>> I've read stuff about a bad PSU possibly being the problem in such
>> cases : things about it not powering fast enough components. Does
>> that fit in with the rest of my symptoms ?

Its possible. More causing the motherboard to perform very badly.

> A few things to check:

> 1) Using a Windows utility, are your processor caches L1 and L2 enabled ?
> If cache is disabled for some reason, that would make it slow.

But wouldnt stop it booting and wouldnt run the knoppix CD fine.

2) A disk drive in PIO mode would make disk access slow, but
> would not affect overall speed of the CPU. Are the disks in
> "DMA if available" ? (This does not explain your BIOS symptoms.)

So its not going to be the problem.

> 3) When you look in Task Manager, are any processes sucking up cycles ?
> (This does not explain your BIOS symptoms.)

So its not going to be the problem.

> 4) Is there an interrupt storm in progress ? Sometimes a defective
> chip can repetitively interrupt and not require any service.
> You would need a means of monitoring interrupt counts or
> context switches or something similar, to detect the problem.
> Perhaps there would be an inability to accurately keep correct
> time if this was happening. Disabling peripheral chips might
> make a difference.

Thats the most likely, with knoppix turning it off.

> So (1) and (4) might fit the symptoms.

Nope, (1) wouldnt stop it booting or
produce those extreme bios effects either.

> You could try clearing the CMOS (with the computer unplugged)
> and then enter the BIOS and set up your custom settings again.