Looking for ideas

[bassman]

Specs and history first.
P333, 32 Mgb(pc66?), 3 Gig Fujitsu, Win98.
This machine had been working fine. It was one I had cleaned up and repaired a couple of things on (one of the repairs that lead me to my problem with Norton). One morning, customer turns the machine on and gets a strange message that he doesn't understand and can't get it to boot.
He buys a new machine and gives me this one for the extra help I have given him http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif
I get it home, plug all his stuff in and boot. It shows "No active partition" message. Fdisk indicates that drive C: is the only one and shows it as extended DOS partition.??? No primary, no active, hmmmmm.
So's I goes back to Fdisk, flatten it, set primary/active, full capacity, format and get ready to install 98 again.
Somewhere along the lines of lookin in BIOS, I loose keyboard functions. Cold boot look around some more, loose keyboard again. Cold boot again with different keyboard, loose it again.
I still need to test the first keyboard on a working machine but was curious, can the keyboard controler be intermittant?? This machine has USB, so I will probably go that way http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif
Doesn't seem possible that a partition can change its status. Any ideas on this. Oh yea, someone else did look at this machine before I got it, so no telling what he did http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif But I also don't know how you take a Primary/Active and make it Ext.DOS. When viewing this drive in DOS, all of his stuff was there, programs, personal directories and files, win98 cabs, etc...

Anybody??? Any ideas???
Thanks http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

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Waiting patiently for the future to arrive.

Frank's Place (http://dreamwater.net/tech/frankscomp/)

[mjc]

I suppose some spatulas, er, disk utilities, could mess with the partition table (thinking along the lines of PM., not outside the realm of possibility for a boot sector virus, either, or physical damage to the drive.

I would try a zero fill on the drive and the manufacturer's diagnostics on it.

Now as to the keyboard...hmm, interesting unless there is a 'cold solder' joint on the connector I would suspect controller problems

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

[ranchdog]

Bassman....

All this fella's "stuff" shows up in DOS leads one
kinda back to the MBR. Will a fdisk /mbr help you out?

Keyboard.... Did any of these gents unplug/plug in the
existing keyboard while the unit was running?

Heck, with someone else's data etc. on the HDD it may
be the best thing just to wipe it clean with a 0 utility
and start clean. That would get rid of someone else's
mistakes and problems. And possibly a bad Virus.

Luck.

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....How long is a minute... depends on which side of the Bathroom door you're on. ......
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[sea69]

not ignoring your post bassman- just couldn't think of anything to add to above...possibly spatula time..lol

if that's what got it into this shape- might take that to get it out.

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

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sea1_69@hotmail.com

homepage (http://www.seanweb1.homestead.com/index.html)

[This message has been edited by sea69 (edited 05-11-2002).]

[Steve]

Hi Bassman,

I picked up a copy of PartitionMagic a couple of weeks ago and yes it can do things like this. It can certainly take a primary partition and convert it to a logical partition and then put it into an extended partition. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/eek.gif If someone (like me) didn't know how to use the program, this and many more strange things can result. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

As far as the keyboard goes, my usb keyboard did that on one of my reinstalls. I had to use a different port untill the install was complete. Then it worked fine in it's original port. I really don't know why.



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Peace and Love, brothers and sisters. Peace and Love

[bassman]

Thanks for the ideas gents. Yes, I have run Fdisk (a spatula http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif ) and gotten it back to a single, full size, primary active partition without incedent. I am now at the keyboards mercy http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/frown.gif
No time this weekend to mess with it, probably pick up a usb keyboard next week.

Thanks to all and be sure to show lots of love for all the mothers in your life http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

Frank

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Waiting patiently for the future to arrive.

Frank's Place (http://dreamwater.net/tech/frankscomp/)

[iisbob]

Just some thoughts; but-have you checked the CMOS battery? Or traced the powewr supply leads? How about swapping the PS with a known good one?



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iisbob

Hike naked!-it gives color to your cheeks!!

[Paleo Pete]

Have an old board sitting around? Check the one that's having problems, if it has a DIP style keyboard controller that can be unplugged, they are pretty generic. Pull one out of and older dead board and try it on that one. Usually it looks just like the older 8086-8088 CPUs, but will have a sticker on top telling you it's a keyboard controller.

Before you ask...Dual Inline Pin...

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