Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 09:45:26 -0000
From: "Matthew Hanson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Off topic: BIOS boot problems
David,
I'm beginning to think that there's a bad component on this MB, or the BIOS
battery is dying.
The camera shop down the street can test the battery, but I don't see how a
low battery would cause these symptoms.
* With no cards in the system, and no HDDs hooked up, and with memory and
a video card in the system from a working unit, and booted from a floppy...
the system still will lock up anywhere from 1 to 0 seconds (many times
NOTHING happens when the system is switched on), to 10-20-60 seconds or a
bit more before it will freeze.
* But all of a sudden the system will work fine for hours and hours with
no problems at all, shutting down, and rebooting several times during the
day.
I don't see how a dying battery would act this way. While the system was
freezing, I warmed the battery under a lamp for a minute or so, and replaced
it. Nothing. Made no difference. I would link lithium batteries would
respond to a little heat like any other battery.
The thing is that I don't loose my CMOS settings. Only wen I remove the
battery and replace it do I get a message that I need to check my CMOS
settings... and W98 will prompts me for clock settings.
During the multiple reboots in trying to get this dog on its feet, I've
never had to reset the CMOS settings like when I remove the battery. I
can't imagine that the battery can maintain the settings, but not allow the
system to read them. That's the only way I can see the battery being a
factor in all of this, but it doesn't make sense.
Do you know when the system stops looking at the CMOS settings? Do you know
if it continues to access them right through the end of the OS boot cycle to
where the Windows desktop finally is displayed and Windows finishes booting?
Or is the system finished with checking CMOS once the OS boots? This is
something I've just been wondering about in the course of troubleshooting
this machine.
What I'm beginning to suspect is either a component failing on the MB, or
physical damage to the MB itself, in the way of a hairline crack perhaps.
The operation, and non-operation of this system is so erratic, that little
else makes sense. I'm beginning to think that it's when the unit is a bit
cooler in the mornings, that it it doesn't work. It seems that when the
heat of the day (out here in Long Beach) sets in, the system has been more
likely to boot. It's a theory I'm going to test out a bit further.
The only other thing I haven't isolated is the power supply. I have an old
P100 unit with a Tyan MB from 1996 in it that I could swap the power supply
from. It's a standard +/-5v +/-12v power supply like the one for this AMD
K6 2/350 system. I THINK it's a match. The power supply has the same two 6
pin plugs with matching colors on all the wires. Let's see.. the Matsonic
manual is here somewhere :-)
Anyway... any thoughts would me much appreciated. I'd really like to get
this beast moving along!
Thanks for your help David,
Matt
>From: David Chien <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
> > * Windows 98-SE
> > * Matsonic motherboard (MS6260S)
>
> Check battery on Motherboard. Dying battery will cause these symptoms.
> Check RAM. www.simmtester.com for their DocMemory DOS memory tester.
> Bad RAM can cause these symptoms.
> Check HD. Scandisk thorough to make sure nothing's wrong with the MB.
> Open case and check for dust bunnies and non-operational CPU fan. A
>stuck
> CPU fan can cause overheating as can a CPU heatsink that's got too many
> dust bunnies. Wipe it all off and leave the case open while you check
>-
> thermal overheating may cause the same.
> Update BIOS to latest version. Older BIOS versions may have problems
>with
> Windows 98SE.
>
> d =)
>
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