floppy controller failure

[jklbruin]

I've got a BCM motherboard with a VIA chipset; Award bios. I can't get it to boot up. The processor is good, I've tested it. I installed a POST test card and it returned an error code of 41; which references to a floppy disk failure. I swapped out the drive and cable with known working ones but that didn't help. I jumperred the board to reset cmos, even took out the battery; and still it will not boot. I can't get it to boot without the floppy installed, it just beeps constantly. Is there anything I can do to get around the floppy? Can I replace the floppy controller? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[tjaymadison]

Welcome to the forum! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Are you using the far end of the data cable, with the twist right before the connector, and are you sure that the red stripe is correctly oriented for pin 1 at both ends? In BIOS setup, is the floppy controller configured correctly for 3-1/2" 1.44M, not 5-1/4" or mode 3? Can you change the boot sequence to boot from the CD-ROM drive before the floppy drive?

Just to be sure, try re-seating the CPU, RAM sticks, and all PCI/AGP cards. Double check any jumper settings if your motherboard requires them. Let us know how you make out. Good Luck! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

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"When I nod my head, hit it with the hammer."
(Moe, holding nail, to Curly, holding hammer)

[jklbruin]

Well I have removed all connectables and reconnected everything. All I have hooked up is the cpu, 1 ram stick, video card and floppy drive.

I can't even get the thing to post, so I can't go in and make any changes to the bios. I've put together serveral systems before so I'm pretty sure I've tried everything. I'm at a loss for answers.

[tjaymadison]

I have a BCM board too, but not VIA chipset. Have you tried the FAQ's at their website. It's www.bcmcom.com (http://www.bcmcom.com)

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"When I nod my head, hit it with the hammer."
(Moe, holding nail, to Curly, holding hammer)

[jklbruin]

here's more information about the beeps i get. when it first powers up, i get 5 "high" beeps, pretty common ones that i hear when a system boot sup. then i hear "dee doop" (deep, low beeps). the floppy led stays on and does not go off. if i boot up with a floppy in the drive, i do not get the two "dee doop" beeps? and still the floppy led stays lit.

[tjaymadison]

When the light stays on, it almost always means that the data cable is hooked up wrong. Check both ends, motherboard and drive, to verify that the pin 1 and red stripe orientation is correct. If OK, try a different cable. Are you using the "twisted" end?

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"When I nod my head, hit it with the hammer."
(Moe, holding nail, to Curly, holding hammer)

[tjaymadison]

As I re-read your last post more carefully, I don't think the beeps you're getting are all that "common". One beep is all you should hear during a successful POST. Check this section (http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/sys/beep/index.htm) of The PC Guide for more info.

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"When I nod my head, hit it with the hammer."
(Moe, holding nail, to Curly, holding hammer)

[jklbruin]

well, more info. i just spent the last hour taking the whole thing apart and putting it back together.
- i checked the continuity on all pins of both ide conenctors and floppy connector. all were okay.
- checked cmos battery, has good charge
- checked that the ps was supplying power to all devices
- swapped out the floppy drive, still same problem
- swapped out all cables with working cables from other machine
- tried different ram stick; tried different dimm slot
- jumperred "cmos reset" & "password reset"

i think it's time to buy a new mb. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/frown.gif

as a last resort, here's a link to a wav of the beeps i get when i boot up.
http://www.urlencode.com/images/beeps.wav

btw, thanks for all your efforts tjay.

[tjaymadison]

There's only one more thing to try. Completely disable the floppy controller in BIOS setup. Set the boot sequence to CD-ROM first. Put a bootable CD in the drive and see if it will start up.

BTW, does the floppy drive have a jumper? Most new ones don't, and rely on the cable for config info. If yours does, it should be set on DS0 (Drive Select Zero).

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"When I nod my head, hit it with the hammer."
(Moe, holding nail, to Curly, holding hammer)

[jklbruin]

unfortunately, i cannot try this option since the machine won't even post. i can't get into the bios settings. i thikn i've pretty much given up on this thing. i'll either just replace the board, or simply sell the processor. it seems that slot 1 is a dying architecture anyway. still, thank you for trying.