HI All
Apologies in advance for any funnies with the format of this posting, my
copy of 'agent' is on my main PC, which is 'a bit broken' g

Main PC is an I-friend (from CPC).
It's been on&off reliable over the past 2 years - spec is Celeron
1.7ghz, micro-atx, motherboard spec VIA P4M266A + 8235.
On Saturday night the PC was left on standby - on Sunday AM the PC was
sat with both front panel lights 'on' (HDD & ?power?) but completely
unresponsive to power switches, keyboards, mice etc...

Removing power & reapplying didn't result in any further activity, no
disks spinning up, no beeps, no POST.

It appears that i-friend have disappeared - sent them a couple of emails
but no response so far....

Had a look inside (my PC-assembling expertise ended at the '486 stage!)
- found that one of the PSU fans was jammed stationary - so located a
new PSU, ordered & fitted it, and same 'dead' symptoms still apply.....

So - suggestions as to a 'next step', please ?....

Can't seem to find a replacement Celeron 1.7ghz anywhere - can anybody
recommend a good, cheapish, motherboard / cpu bundle. Application is
just email, web, bit of paintshop pro, web authoring - nothing all that
fancy..... g

Alternatively - and looking at the cost-effectiveness of the whole thing
- any suggestions for a complete replacement system unit.....?

Many thanks in advance

Adrian
Suffolk UK

"Adrian" wrote in message
...

HI All
[snip]

Had a look inside (my PC-assembling expertise ended at the '486 stage!) -
found that one of the PSU fans was jammed stationary - so located a new
PSU, ordered & fitted it, and same 'dead' symptoms still apply.....

So - suggestions as to a 'next step', please ?....

Many thanks in advance

Adrian
Suffolk UK

So do you have green Chinese capacitors on this motherboard? See swollen or
burst capacitors?
http://www.badcaps.net/

gb

HI GB

g. beat @ wrote:
"Adrian" wrote in message
...
HI All
[snip]
Had a look inside (my PC-assembling expertise ended at the '486 stage!) -
found that one of the PSU fans was jammed stationary - so located a new
PSU, ordered & fitted it, and same 'dead' symptoms still apply.....

So - suggestions as to a 'next step', please ?....

Many thanks in advance

Adrian
Suffolk UK

So do you have green Chinese capacitors on this motherboard? See swollen or
burst capacitors?
http://www.badcaps.net/

gb

Thanks for the suggestion - but all the caps on this board are black
rather than green, no signs of anything out of the ordinary there....

Thanks all the same
Adrian

Have you taken a DMM and checked the operating voltages coming from the
power supply to the motherboard and drives?
"Adrian" wrote in message
...
HI GB

g. beat @ wrote:
"Adrian" wrote in message
...
HI All
[snip]
Had a look inside (my PC-assembling expertise ended at the '486
stage!) - found that one of the PSU fans was jammed stationary - so
located a new PSU, ordered & fitted it, and same 'dead' symptoms still
apply.....

So - suggestions as to a 'next step', please ?....

Many thanks in advance

Adrian
Suffolk UK

So do you have green Chinese capacitors on this motherboard? See swollen
or burst capacitors?
http://www.badcaps.net/

gb
Thanks for the suggestion - but all the caps on this board are black
rather than green, no signs of anything out of the ordinary there....

Thanks all the same
Adrian

Hi Art
Thanks for the reply

Art wrote:
Have you taken a DMM and checked the operating voltages coming from the
power supply to the motherboard and drives?

Yes - +12v and +5v present and correct.
They were actually there with the original PSU - but I guessed (wrongly)
that the seized fan in the original PSU might be causing a problem..

Regards
Adrian

Have you tried basic troubleshooting like removing all the drives and cards
and reseating the memory then powering it up? If that doesn't work, remove
everything except the processor and power it up. It should give you some
beep codes (memory or video) if the board and processor are working.

- Mike

HI Mike
Thanks for the reply

Michael Kennedy wrote:
Have you tried basic troubleshooting like removing all the drives and cards
and reseating the memory then powering it up? If that doesn't work, remove
everything except the processor and power it up. It should give you some
beep codes (memory or video) if the board and processor are working.

- Mike

Yup - tried all that.... no change to the reported symptoms.

I've just ordered a 'drop in' motherboard bundle - let's hope that fixes
it (after all - there's not much else to go wrong !)

Thanks
Adrian

Adrian wrote:

HI Mike
Thanks for the reply

Michael Kennedy wrote:
Have you tried basic troubleshooting like removing all the drives and cards
and reseating the memory then powering it up? If that doesn't work, remove
everything except the processor and power it up. It should give you some
beep codes (memory or video) if the board and processor are working.

- Mike

Yup - tried all that.... no change to the reported symptoms.

I've just ordered a 'drop in' motherboard bundle - let's hope that fixes
it (after all - there's not much else to go wrong !)


I had a dead computer donated recently that had a bad momentary
switch. Gateway had used some strange type of black glue to hold it to
the front of the cabinet, and it had softened up to the point it would
slide back in its mount instead of letting the plunger move. A quick
cleaning and some decent glue, and it works OK.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

HI Michael

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Adrian wrote:
HI Mike
Thanks for the reply

Michael Kennedy wrote:
Have you tried basic troubleshooting like removing all the drives and cards
and reseating the memory then powering it up? If that doesn't work, remove
everything except the processor and power it up. It should give you some
beep codes (memory or video) if the board and processor are working.

- Mike

Yup - tried all that.... no change to the reported symptoms.

I've just ordered a 'drop in' motherboard bundle - let's hope that fixes
it (after all - there's not much else to go wrong !)


I had a dead computer donated recently that had a bad momentary
switch. Gateway had used some strange type of black glue to hold it to
the front of the cabinet, and it had softened up to the point it would
slide back in its mount instead of letting the plunger move. A quick
cleaning and some decent glue, and it works OK.


Nice one !
Nothing quite so 'simple' in this case - unless you count motherboard
replacment as 'simple'. Guess it's simple - but not inexpensive....g

Ah well - wait for the nice parcel delivery man later today...

Regards
Adrian

Not inexpensive? Really? I would have thought you could buy an old celeron
board capable of supporting a 1.7ghz for $20 or less.. I personally would
use this as an opportunity to upgrade the motherboard and cpu.. Celerons
aren't exactly the best cpus out there. They're actually second rate
pentiums.

Comparison between Celeron, (1.7ghz) and Pentium 4, (1.7ghz) .
http://www.tomshardware.com/2002/09/...ers/page6.html


Athlons and Pentiums have almost equilivent peformance and usually AMD
processors are cheaper than Intel's.

You can buy an AMD Athlon 2200 with motherboard, built in video, sound and
cpu fan for $56.99 after the rebate.($76.99 before rebate) It is a far
superior processor to the celeron 1.7ghz.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813185065

I would consider returning the motherboard that you purchased if it cost
more than $50.

Hope that helps..

- Mike


"Adrian" wrote in message
...
HI Michael

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Adrian wrote:
HI Mike
Thanks for the reply

Michael Kennedy wrote:
Have you tried basic troubleshooting like removing all the drives and
cards
and reseating the memory then powering it up? If that doesn't work,
remove
everything except the processor and power it up. It should give you
some
beep codes (memory or video) if the board and processor are working.

- Mike

Yup - tried all that.... no change to the reported symptoms.

I've just ordered a 'drop in' motherboard bundle - let's hope that fixes
it (after all - there's not much else to go wrong !)


I had a dead computer donated recently that had a bad momentary
switch. Gateway had used some strange type of black glue to hold it to
the front of the cabinet, and it had softened up to the point it would
slide back in its mount instead of letting the plunger move. A quick
cleaning and some decent glue, and it works OK.


Nice one !
Nothing quite so 'simple' in this case - unless you count motherboard
replacment as 'simple'. Guess it's simple - but not inexpensive....g

Ah well - wait for the nice parcel delivery man later today...

Regards
Adrian

Adrian wrote:

HI Michael

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Adrian wrote:
HI Mike
Thanks for the reply

Michael Kennedy wrote:
Have you tried basic troubleshooting like removing all the drives and cards
and reseating the memory then powering it up? If that doesn't work, remove
everything except the processor and power it up. It should give you some
beep codes (memory or video) if the board and processor are working.

- Mike

Yup - tried all that.... no change to the reported symptoms.

I've just ordered a 'drop in' motherboard bundle - let's hope that fixes
it (after all - there's not much else to go wrong !)


I had a dead computer donated recently that had a bad momentary
switch. Gateway had used some strange type of black glue to hold it to
the front of the cabinet, and it had softened up to the point it would
slide back in its mount instead of letting the plunger move. A quick
cleaning and some decent glue, and it works OK.


Nice one !
Nothing quite so 'simple' in this case - unless you count motherboard
replacment as 'simple'. Guess it's simple - but not inexpensive....g

Ah well - wait for the nice parcel delivery man later today...

Regards
Adrian


Actually, with that Gateway case replacing the motherboard would have
taken less time. I just wanted to point out the fact that there are a
lot of odd failures that can be overlooked. I repair a lot of stuff
that the local computer stores toss out just to keep my skills sharp. I
spent years troubleshooting complex and expensive SMD PC boards on a
production line under a stereo microscope.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

HI AGAIN everybody !

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Adrian wrote:
HI Michael

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Adrian wrote:
HI Mike
Thanks for the reply

Michael Kennedy wrote:
Have you tried basic troubleshooting like removing all the drives and cards
and reseating the memory then powering it up? If that doesn't work, remove
everything except the processor and power it up. It should give you some
beep codes (memory or video) if the board and processor are working.

- Mike

Yup - tried all that.... no change to the reported symptoms.

I've just ordered a 'drop in' motherboard bundle - let's hope that fixes
it (after all - there's not much else to go wrong !)

I had a dead computer donated recently that had a bad momentary
switch. Gateway had used some strange type of black glue to hold it to
the front of the cabinet, and it had softened up to the point it would
slide back in its mount instead of letting the plunger move. A quick
cleaning and some decent glue, and it works OK.


Nice one !
Nothing quite so 'simple' in this case - unless you count motherboard
replacment as 'simple'. Guess it's simple - but not inexpensive....g

Ah well - wait for the nice parcel delivery man later today...

Regards
Adrian


Actually, with that Gateway case replacing the motherboard would have
taken less time. I just wanted to point out the fact that there are a
lot of odd failures that can be overlooked. I repair a lot of stuff
that the local computer stores toss out just to keep my skills sharp. I
spent years troubleshooting complex and expensive SMD PC boards on a
production line under a stereo microscope.


Been there - done that ! Fun, eh ??

Anyway - good news - got the nedw kit.
Bad news - (as I think somebody on here predicted) WinXP doesn't like
new motherboards. Have tried the 'restore' cd that came with the
original PC - and, fater lots of pretending to install windows it ends
up with a Blue Screen - a a 'stop error' - STOP 0x00000024
and NTFS.sys reported error.

So - I guess I need to buy a new copy of XP ??

My wife's already asked 'How much cheaper would it have been to buy a
complete new PC ?'
Good question g

Bl++dy XP, rotten Microsoft, bother said Pooh !

Thanks for any suggestions
Adrian
Suffolk UK

I've got the solution for you on the new xp!!! Don't buy a new cd yet!

You need to get to the recovery console, it looks and works much like dos.
You then need to copy
from C:\WINDOWS\repair\SAM (Note: SAM is the filename)
to C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\
and Copy
C:\WINDOWS\repair\system (Note: system is the filename)
to C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\

If I remember right these are the only 2 files you need to copy over to
change a motherboard out. I did this the last time I ugraded so I didn't
have to re-install everything on my computer. When windows booted up the
first time it just said found new hardware for all of the new devices that
my motherboard had that the old one didn't.

Hope that helps some.. If you don't understand how to use DOS then you
should probably just put the hdd in a working computer to copy the files in
windows.

- Mike

"Adrian" wrote in message
...
HI AGAIN everybody !

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Adrian wrote:
HI Michael

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Adrian wrote:
HI Mike
Thanks for the reply

Michael Kennedy wrote:
Have you tried basic troubleshooting like removing all the drives and
cards
and reseating the memory then powering it up? If that doesn't work,
remove
everything except the processor and power it up. It should give you
some
beep codes (memory or video) if the board and processor are working.

- Mike

Yup - tried all that.... no change to the reported symptoms.

I've just ordered a 'drop in' motherboard bundle - let's hope that
fixes
it (after all - there's not much else to go wrong !)

I had a dead computer donated recently that had a bad momentary
switch. Gateway had used some strange type of black glue to hold it to
the front of the cabinet, and it had softened up to the point it would
slide back in its mount instead of letting the plunger move. A quick
cleaning and some decent glue, and it works OK.


Nice one !
Nothing quite so 'simple' in this case - unless you count motherboard
replacment as 'simple'. Guess it's simple - but not inexpensive....g

Ah well - wait for the nice parcel delivery man later today...

Regards
Adrian


Actually, with that Gateway case replacing the motherboard would have
taken less time. I just wanted to point out the fact that there are a
lot of odd failures that can be overlooked. I repair a lot of stuff
that the local computer stores toss out just to keep my skills sharp. I
spent years troubleshooting complex and expensive SMD PC boards on a
production line under a stereo microscope.


Been there - done that ! Fun, eh ??

Anyway - good news - got the nedw kit.
Bad news - (as I think somebody on here predicted) WinXP doesn't like new
motherboards. Have tried the 'restore' cd that came with the original PC -
and, fater lots of pretending to install windows it ends up with a Blue
Screen - a a 'stop error' - STOP 0x00000024
and NTFS.sys reported error.

So - I guess I need to buy a new copy of XP ??

My wife's already asked 'How much cheaper would it have been to buy a
complete new PC ?'
Good question g

Bl++dy XP, rotten Microsoft, bother said Pooh !

Thanks for any suggestions
Adrian
Suffolk UK

HI Mike

Thanks for the suggestion.
We're of today for a family party at the other end of the country - so I
shall not get another chance to look at the PC until Tuesday. Good thing
too - need a break ! g

I'll try what you suggested - probably best to transplant the disk into
another PC temporarily , at least I can see what sort of wreckage is
left on there !

Out of sheer stubbornness I tried two other clean formatted hard drives
with the new motherboard last night. Both of them appeared to go
though an XP install - but both eventually locked up, a reboot or two
after the bit where you input your serial number. I'm using the serial
key that came with the original PC (on the holo label on the case) - all
very odd.


I'm tempted to reformat one of the hard disks and then try puttins a
copy of win98 onto it - just to 'prove' to myself that the hardware will
coexist together.... - getting desperate or what ?? g

It's all very frustrating. I think this is only the 2nd time I've had to
do an install of XP - other time was on a friend's laptop (using the
'demo' cd purchased on ebay) - and that simply installed without so much
as a hiccup - I was well impressed.

Have just powerd up the PC this morning for one last try before hitting
the road, and it's booted from the hard drive, and is currently at the
'Setup will complete in approximately 35 minutes' stage - the 'traffic
lights' say that it's done 'Collecting information', and 'dynamic
update' and 'preparing installation' and is now 'installing
windows'.There was some activity for a couple of minutes - installing
devices, I think'

The pesky thing has just hit a Blue Screen and the error message
"A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent
damage to your computer. If this is the frst time you've seen this stop
error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again,
follow these steps.
Disable or uninstall any anti-virus, disk defragmentation or backup
utilities. Check your had drive configuration and check for any updated
drivers. Run CHKDSK /F to check for hard drive corruption and then
restart your computer.

Technical info
***Stop: 0x000000024 (and some more hex groups)
**Ntfs.sys - Address F770B59D base at F76E8000, Datestamp 3d6de5c!
Beginning dump of physical memory
Physical memory dump complete
Contract your system administrator or technical support group for
assistance"

This was after an install on what I believed to be a clean hard disk,
which the install then formatted, with the CD from ebay which previously
installed without problems on my friend's laptop.....

Rebooting after the error message took me back to the Windows setup
process, same as before - claiming that setup will complete in 39 minutes.

It then goes through the setup again and gets as far as 26 minutes to go
- and "Performing configuration" before blue-screening again - this time
with a 8E error - suggests I should disable BIOS memory options...

Ah well - time to hit the road - I'll be back after the weekend and will
check this thread to see if there might be any 'magic' solutions !

Many thanks in advance to all

Adrian
Suffolk UK

Michael Kennedy wrote:
I've got the solution for you on the new xp!!! Don't buy a new cd yet!

You need to get to the recovery console, it looks and works much like dos.
You then need to copy
from C:\WINDOWS\repair\SAM (Note: SAM is the filename)
to C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\
and Copy
C:\WINDOWS\repair\system (Note: system is the filename)
to C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\

If I remember right these are the only 2 files you need to copy over to
change a motherboard out. I did this the last time I ugraded so I didn't
have to re-install everything on my computer. When windows booted up the
first time it just said found new hardware for all of the new devices that
my motherboard had that the old one didn't.

Hope that helps some.. If you don't understand how to use DOS then you
should probably just put the hdd in a working computer to copy the files in
windows.

- Mike

"Adrian" wrote in message
...
HI AGAIN everybody !

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Adrian wrote:
HI Michael

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Adrian wrote:
HI Mike
Thanks for the reply

Michael Kennedy wrote:
Have you tried basic troubleshooting like removing all the drives and
cards
and reseating the memory then powering it up? If that doesn't work,
remove
everything except the processor and power it up. It should give you
some
beep codes (memory or video) if the board and processor are working.

- Mike

Yup - tried all that.... no change to the reported symptoms.

I've just ordered a 'drop in' motherboard bundle - let's hope that
fixes
it (after all - there's not much else to go wrong !)
I had a dead computer donated recently that had a bad momentary
switch. Gateway had used some strange type of black glue to hold it to
the front of the cabinet, and it had softened up to the point it would
slide back in its mount instead of letting the plunger move. A quick
cleaning and some decent glue, and it works OK.


Nice one !
Nothing quite so 'simple' in this case - unless you count motherboard
replacment as 'simple'. Guess it's simple - but not inexpensive....g

Ah well - wait for the nice parcel delivery man later today...

Regards
Adrian

Actually, with that Gateway case replacing the motherboard would have
taken less time. I just wanted to point out the fact that there are a
lot of odd failures that can be overlooked. I repair a lot of stuff
that the local computer stores toss out just to keep my skills sharp. I
spent years troubleshooting complex and expensive SMD PC boards on a
production line under a stereo microscope.


Been there - done that ! Fun, eh ??

Anyway - good news - got the nedw kit.
Bad news - (as I think somebody on here predicted) WinXP doesn't like new
motherboards. Have tried the 'restore' cd that came with the original PC -
and, fater lots of pretending to install windows it ends up with a Blue
Screen - a a 'stop error' - STOP 0x00000024
and NTFS.sys reported error.

So - I guess I need to buy a new copy of XP ??

My wife's already asked 'How much cheaper would it have been to buy a
complete new PC ?'
Good question g

Bl++dy XP, rotten Microsoft, bother said Pooh !

Thanks for any suggestions
Adrian
Suffolk UK

Well did you attempt to reinstall windows xp over your original hard drive?
I don't know if my suggestion will work unless the original windows
installation is intact on the hdd.. If it isn't I can only speculate on how
to go about this. One guess might be for me to send you the SAM and system
files to put on your computer, but I'm not really sure if that will work on
the setup program since they can customize it to install certain drivers for
the original equipment.

- Mike


"Adrian" wrote in message
...
HI Mike

Thanks for the suggestion.
We're of today for a family party at the other end of the country - so I
shall not get another chance to look at the PC until Tuesday. Good thing
too - need a break ! g

I'll try what you suggested - probably best to transplant the disk into
another PC temporarily , at least I can see what sort of wreckage is left
on there !

Out of sheer stubbornness I tried two other clean formatted hard drives
with the new motherboard last night. Both of them appeared to go though an
XP install - but both eventually locked up, a reboot or two after the bit
where you input your serial number. I'm using the serial key that came
with the original PC (on the holo label on the case) - all very odd.


I'm tempted to reformat one of the hard disks and then try puttins a copy
of win98 onto it - just to 'prove' to myself that the hardware will
coexist together.... - getting desperate or what ?? g

It's all very frustrating. I think this is only the 2nd time I've had to
do an install of XP - other time was on a friend's laptop (using the
'demo' cd purchased on ebay) - and that simply installed without so much
as a hiccup - I was well impressed.

Have just powerd up the PC this morning for one last try before hitting
the road, and it's booted from the hard drive, and is currently at the
'Setup will complete in approximately 35 minutes' stage - the 'traffic
lights' say that it's done 'Collecting information', and 'dynamic update'
and 'preparing installation' and is now 'installing windows'.There was
some activity for a couple of minutes - installing devices, I think'

The pesky thing has just hit a Blue Screen and the error message
"A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent
damage to your computer. If this is the frst time you've seen this stop
error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow
these steps.
Disable or uninstall any anti-virus, disk defragmentation or backup
utilities. Check your had drive configuration and check for any updated
drivers. Run CHKDSK /F to check for hard drive corruption and then restart
your computer.

Technical info
***Stop: 0x000000024 (and some more hex groups)
**Ntfs.sys - Address F770B59D base at F76E8000, Datestamp 3d6de5c!
Beginning dump of physical memory
Physical memory dump complete
Contract your system administrator or technical support group for
assistance"

This was after an install on what I believed to be a clean hard disk,
which the install then formatted, with the CD from ebay which previously
installed without problems on my friend's laptop.....

Rebooting after the error message took me back to the Windows setup
process, same as before - claiming that setup will complete in 39 minutes.

It then goes through the setup again and gets as far as 26 minutes to go -
and "Performing configuration" before blue-screening again - this time
with a 8E error - suggests I should disable BIOS memory options...

Ah well - time to hit the road - I'll be back after the weekend and will
check this thread to see if there might be any 'magic' solutions !

Many thanks in advance to all

Adrian
Suffolk UK

Michael Kennedy wrote:
I've got the solution for you on the new xp!!! Don't buy a new cd yet!

You need to get to the recovery console, it looks and works much like
dos. You then need to copy
from C:\WINDOWS\repair\SAM (Note: SAM is the filename)
to C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\
and Copy
C:\WINDOWS\repair\system (Note: system is the filename)
to C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\

If I remember right these are the only 2 files you need to copy over to
change a motherboard out. I did this the last time I ugraded so I didn't
have to re-install everything on my computer. When windows booted up the
first time it just said found new hardware for all of the new devices
that my motherboard had that the old one didn't.

Hope that helps some.. If you don't understand how to use DOS then you
should probably just put the hdd in a working computer to copy the files
in windows.

- Mike

"Adrian" wrote in message
...
HI AGAIN everybody !

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Adrian wrote:
HI Michael

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Adrian wrote:
HI Mike
Thanks for the reply

Michael Kennedy wrote:
Have you tried basic troubleshooting like removing all the drives
and cards
and reseating the memory then powering it up? If that doesn't
work, remove
everything except the processor and power it up. It should give you
some
beep codes (memory or video) if the board and processor are
working.

- Mike

Yup - tried all that.... no change to the reported symptoms.

I've just ordered a 'drop in' motherboard bundle - let's hope that
fixes
it (after all - there's not much else to go wrong !)
I had a dead computer donated recently that had a bad momentary
switch. Gateway had used some strange type of black glue to hold it
to
the front of the cabinet, and it had softened up to the point it
would
slide back in its mount instead of letting the plunger move. A quick
cleaning and some decent glue, and it works OK.


Nice one !
Nothing quite so 'simple' in this case - unless you count motherboard
replacment as 'simple'. Guess it's simple - but not inexpensive....g

Ah well - wait for the nice parcel delivery man later today...

Regards
Adrian

Actually, with that Gateway case replacing the motherboard would
have
taken less time. I just wanted to point out the fact that there are a
lot of odd failures that can be overlooked. I repair a lot of stuff
that the local computer stores toss out just to keep my skills sharp.
I
spent years troubleshooting complex and expensive SMD PC boards on a
production line under a stereo microscope.


Been there - done that ! Fun, eh ??

Anyway - good news - got the nedw kit.
Bad news - (as I think somebody on here predicted) WinXP doesn't like
new motherboards. Have tried the 'restore' cd that came with the
original PC - and, fater lots of pretending to install windows it ends
up with a Blue Screen - a a 'stop error' - STOP 0x00000024
and NTFS.sys reported error.

So - I guess I need to buy a new copy of XP ??

My wife's already asked 'How much cheaper would it have been to buy a
complete new PC ?'
Good question g

Bl++dy XP, rotten Microsoft, bother said Pooh !

Thanks for any suggestions
Adrian
Suffolk UK

HI Mike
Tried that yesterday - can't quite remember the result - it all got a
bit confused g

Got to rush now - will look at your solution again when i get back

Many thanks
Adrian

Michael Kennedy wrote:
Well did you attempt to reinstall windows xp over your original hard drive?
I don't know if my suggestion will work unless the original windows
installation is intact on the hdd.. If it isn't I can only speculate on how
to go about this. One guess might be for me to send you the SAM and system
files to put on your computer, but I'm not really sure if that will work on
the setup program since they can customize it to install certain drivers for
the original equipment.

- Mike


"Adrian" wrote in message
...
HI Mike

Thanks for the suggestion.
We're of today for a family party at the other end of the country - so I
shall not get another chance to look at the PC until Tuesday. Good thing
too - need a break ! g

I'll try what you suggested - probably best to transplant the disk into
another PC temporarily , at least I can see what sort of wreckage is left
on there !

Out of sheer stubbornness I tried two other clean formatted hard drives
with the new motherboard last night. Both of them appeared to go though an
XP install - but both eventually locked up, a reboot or two after the bit
where you input your serial number. I'm using the serial key that came
with the original PC (on the holo label on the case) - all very odd.


I'm tempted to reformat one of the hard disks and then try puttins a copy
of win98 onto it - just to 'prove' to myself that the hardware will
coexist together.... - getting desperate or what ?? g

It's all very frustrating. I think this is only the 2nd time I've had to
do an install of XP - other time was on a friend's laptop (using the
'demo' cd purchased on ebay) - and that simply installed without so much
as a hiccup - I was well impressed.

Have just powerd up the PC this morning for one last try before hitting
the road, and it's booted from the hard drive, and is currently at the
'Setup will complete in approximately 35 minutes' stage - the 'traffic
lights' say that it's done 'Collecting information', and 'dynamic update'
and 'preparing installation' and is now 'installing windows'.There was
some activity for a couple of minutes - installing devices, I think'

The pesky thing has just hit a Blue Screen and the error message
"A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent
damage to your computer. If this is the frst time you've seen this stop
error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow
these steps.
Disable or uninstall any anti-virus, disk defragmentation or backup
utilities. Check your had drive configuration and check for any updated
drivers. Run CHKDSK /F to check for hard drive corruption and then restart
your computer.

Technical info
***Stop: 0x000000024 (and some more hex groups)
**Ntfs.sys - Address F770B59D base at F76E8000, Datestamp 3d6de5c!
Beginning dump of physical memory
Physical memory dump complete
Contract your system administrator or technical support group for
assistance"

This was after an install on what I believed to be a clean hard disk,
which the install then formatted, with the CD from ebay which previously
installed without problems on my friend's laptop.....

Rebooting after the error message took me back to the Windows setup
process, same as before - claiming that setup will complete in 39 minutes.

It then goes through the setup again and gets as far as 26 minutes to go -
and "Performing configuration" before blue-screening again - this time
with a 8E error - suggests I should disable BIOS memory options...

Ah well - time to hit the road - I'll be back after the weekend and will
check this thread to see if there might be any 'magic' solutions !

Many thanks in advance to all

Adrian
Suffolk UK

Michael Kennedy wrote:
I've got the solution for you on the new xp!!! Don't buy a new cd yet!

You need to get to the recovery console, it looks and works much like
dos. You then need to copy
from C:\WINDOWS\repair\SAM (Note: SAM is the filename)
to C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\
and Copy
C:\WINDOWS\repair\system (Note: system is the filename)
to C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\

If I remember right these are the only 2 files you need to copy over to
change a motherboard out. I did this the last time I ugraded so I didn't
have to re-install everything on my computer. When windows booted up the
first time it just said found new hardware for all of the new devices
that my motherboard had that the old one didn't.

Hope that helps some.. If you don't understand how to use DOS then you
should probably just put the hdd in a working computer to copy the files
in windows.

- Mike

"Adrian" wrote in message
...
HI AGAIN everybody !

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Adrian wrote:
HI Michael

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Adrian wrote:
HI Mike
Thanks for the reply

Michael Kennedy wrote:
Have you tried basic troubleshooting like removing all the drives
and cards
and reseating the memory then powering it up? If that doesn't
work, remove
everything except the processor and power it up. It should give you
some
beep codes (memory or video) if the board and processor are
working.

- Mike

Yup - tried all that.... no change to the reported symptoms.

I've just ordered a 'drop in' motherboard bundle - let's hope that
fixes
it (after all - there's not much else to go wrong !)
I had a dead computer donated recently that had a bad momentary
switch. Gateway had used some strange type of black glue to hold it
to
the front of the cabinet, and it had softened up to the point it
would
slide back in its mount instead of letting the plunger move. A quick
cleaning and some decent glue, and it works OK.


Nice one !
Nothing quite so 'simple' in this case - unless you count motherboard
replacment as 'simple'. Guess it's simple - but not inexpensive....g

Ah well - wait for the nice parcel delivery man later today...

Regards
Adrian
Actually, with that Gateway case replacing the motherboard would
have
taken less time. I just wanted to point out the fact that there are a
lot of odd failures that can be overlooked. I repair a lot of stuff
that the local computer stores toss out just to keep my skills sharp.
I
spent years troubleshooting complex and expensive SMD PC boards on a
production line under a stereo microscope.


Been there - done that ! Fun, eh ??

Anyway - good news - got the nedw kit.
Bad news - (as I think somebody on here predicted) WinXP doesn't like
new motherboards. Have tried the 'restore' cd that came with the
original PC - and, fater lots of pretending to install windows it ends
up with a Blue Screen - a a 'stop error' - STOP 0x00000024
and NTFS.sys reported error.

So - I guess I need to buy a new copy of XP ??

My wife's already asked 'How much cheaper would it have been to buy a
complete new PC ?'
Good question g

Bl++dy XP, rotten Microsoft, bother said Pooh !

Thanks for any suggestions
Adrian
Suffolk UK

HI All - update time !

On Sat, 08 Jul 2006 08:24:08 +0100, Adrian
wrote:

HI Mike
Tried that yesterday - can't quite remember the result - it all got a
bit confused g

Got to rush now - will look at your solution again when i get back

Many thanks
Adrian

Michael Kennedy wrote:
Well did you attempt to reinstall windows xp over your original hard drive?
I don't know if my suggestion will work unless the original windows
installation is intact on the hdd.. If it isn't I can only speculate on how
to go about this. One guess might be for me to send you the SAM and system
files to put on your computer, but I'm not really sure if that will work on
the setup program since they can customize it to install certain drivers for
the original equipment.

- Mike


"Adrian" wrote in message
...
HI Mike

Thanks for the suggestion.
We're of today for a family party at the other end of the country - so I
shall not get another chance to look at the PC until Tuesday. Good thing
too - need a break ! g

I'll try what you suggested - probably best to transplant the disk into
another PC temporarily , at least I can see what sort of wreckage is left
on there !

Out of sheer stubbornness I tried two other clean formatted hard drives
with the new motherboard last night. Both of them appeared to go though an
XP install - but both eventually locked up, a reboot or two after the bit
where you input your serial number. I'm using the serial key that came
with the original PC (on the holo label on the case) - all very odd.


I'm tempted to reformat one of the hard disks and then try puttins a copy
of win98 onto it - just to 'prove' to myself that the hardware will
coexist together.... - getting desperate or what ?? g

It's all very frustrating. I think this is only the 2nd time I've had to
do an install of XP - other time was on a friend's laptop (using the
'demo' cd purchased on ebay) - and that simply installed without so much
as a hiccup - I was well impressed.

Have just powerd up the PC this morning for one last try before hitting
the road, and it's booted from the hard drive, and is currently at the
'Setup will complete in approximately 35 minutes' stage - the 'traffic
lights' say that it's done 'Collecting information', and 'dynamic update'
and 'preparing installation' and is now 'installing windows'.There was
some activity for a couple of minutes - installing devices, I think'

The pesky thing has just hit a Blue Screen and the error message
"A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent
damage to your computer. If this is the frst time you've seen this stop
error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow
these steps.
Disable or uninstall any anti-virus, disk defragmentation or backup
utilities. Check your had drive configuration and check for any updated
drivers. Run CHKDSK /F to check for hard drive corruption and then restart
your computer.

Technical info
***Stop: 0x000000024 (and some more hex groups)
**Ntfs.sys - Address F770B59D base at F76E8000, Datestamp 3d6de5c!
Beginning dump of physical memory
Physical memory dump complete
Contract your system administrator or technical support group for
assistance"

This was after an install on what I believed to be a clean hard disk,
which the install then formatted, with the CD from ebay which previously
installed without problems on my friend's laptop.....

Rebooting after the error message took me back to the Windows setup
process, same as before - claiming that setup will complete in 39 minutes.

It then goes through the setup again and gets as far as 26 minutes to go -
and "Performing configuration" before blue-screening again - this time
with a 8E error - suggests I should disable BIOS memory options...

Ah well - time to hit the road - I'll be back after the weekend and will
check this thread to see if there might be any 'magic' solutions !

Many thanks in advance to all

Adrian
Suffolk UK

Michael Kennedy wrote:
I've got the solution for you on the new xp!!! Don't buy a new cd yet!

You need to get to the recovery console, it looks and works much like
dos. You then need to copy
from C:\WINDOWS\repair\SAM (Note: SAM is the filename)
to C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\
and Copy
C:\WINDOWS\repair\system (Note: system is the filename)
to C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\

If I remember right these are the only 2 files you need to copy over to
change a motherboard out. I did this the last time I ugraded so I didn't
have to re-install everything on my computer. When windows booted up the
first time it just said found new hardware for all of the new devices
that my motherboard had that the old one didn't.

Hope that helps some.. If you don't understand how to use DOS then you
should probably just put the hdd in a working computer to copy the files
in windows.

- Mike

"Adrian" wrote in message
...
HI AGAIN everybody !

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Adrian wrote:
HI Michael

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Adrian wrote:
HI Mike
Thanks for the reply

Michael Kennedy wrote:
Have you tried basic troubleshooting like removing all the drives
and cards
and reseating the memory then powering it up? If that doesn't
work, remove
everything except the processor and power it up. It should give you
some
beep codes (memory or video) if the board and processor are
working.

- Mike

Yup - tried all that.... no change to the reported symptoms.

I've just ordered a 'drop in' motherboard bundle - let's hope that
fixes
it (after all - there's not much else to go wrong !)
I had a dead computer donated recently that had a bad momentary
switch. Gateway had used some strange type of black glue to hold it
to
the front of the cabinet, and it had softened up to the point it
would
slide back in its mount instead of letting the plunger move. A quick
cleaning and some decent glue, and it works OK.


Nice one !
Nothing quite so 'simple' in this case - unless you count motherboard
replacment as 'simple'. Guess it's simple - but not inexpensive....g

Ah well - wait for the nice parcel delivery man later today...

Regards
Adrian
Actually, with that Gateway case replacing the motherboard would
have
taken less time. I just wanted to point out the fact that there are a
lot of odd failures that can be overlooked. I repair a lot of stuff
that the local computer stores toss out just to keep my skills sharp.
I
spent years troubleshooting complex and expensive SMD PC boards on a
production line under a stereo microscope.


Been there - done that ! Fun, eh ??

Anyway - good news - got the nedw kit.
Bad news - (as I think somebody on here predicted) WinXP doesn't like
new motherboards. Have tried the 'restore' cd that came with the
original PC - and, fater lots of pretending to install windows it ends
up with a Blue Screen - a a 'stop error' - STOP 0x00000024
and NTFS.sys reported error.

So - I guess I need to buy a new copy of XP ??

My wife's already asked 'How much cheaper would it have been to buy a
complete new PC ?'
Good question g

Bl++dy XP, rotten Microsoft, bother said Pooh !

Thanks for any suggestions
Adrian
Suffolk UK



Final update on the 'dead PC' saga....

Summary - it's fixed - but at a cost g

Details -
Failure of XP to install was apparently due to a dodgy RAM stick that
came as part of the motherboard bundle - had the effect of causing
random 'Blue Screens' with seemingly unrelated error messages- not
good news. Tech Support at the supplier didn't seem all that surprised
when I told them about the RAM - have returned it to them. Finally
managed to get XP installed (on a blank HDD) by swapping in some
'spare' RAM from the old 'dead' machine. Putting the new RAM back
after install caused spontaneous 'dead stop - reboot' situations....

The cost ? Well - there's the new motherboard bundle - but I guess I
was long overdue for that. Literally hours of time spent banging my
head against the 'why-the-hell-wont-it-install' brick wall.

Oh - and the other thing - somewhere in the reinstall process Win XP
decided to vape all of my stored email...... ah well, I guess that's
progress !

Many thanks to everybody who assisted on this thread !

Adrian
Suffolk UK