cmos checksumerror + grinding

[speed10]

Hi everyone,

I just installed a new Diablo Expansion Slot 80mm LED Case Fan for my video card. I connected it parallel to the 4 pin But obviously I did something very bad - when I started my PC there was a high-spinning noise and then a black screen came up with the following:

VERSION ULB 408H
MAIN PROCESSOR: AMD ATHLON(TM) XP2000+
MEMORY TESTING 786432K OK.
BIOS GUARDIAN(R) ENABLED.
YOU WILL NEED TO DISABLE BIOSGARDIAN TO UPDATE
<CTRL+C> TO ENTER CLOCK SETTINGS SUB MENU
<CTRL+P> TO LOAD PERFORMANCE DEFAULT SETTINGS AND RESTART
<CTRL+F> TOLOAD FAIL-SAFEDEFAULT SETTINGS AND RESTART

CMOS CHECKSUM ERROR - DEFAULTS LOADED

PRES F1TO CONTINUE, DEL TO ENTER SETUP.

So I switched PC off and removed the fan but it didn't help at all. The noise is actually increasing and that same black screen comes up. I guess I fried something in the system(hopefully not).

I am really stuck here. Any suggestions of what I should do?
Thanks in advance for any help.

[saphalline]

It sounds like the BIOS battery died... except for the fact that there's a grinding noise. We need to know what is grinding before we can help you further.

[speed10]

saphalline, thanks for the reply.
Here is what I did:

1. First I thought the grinding was coming from the hard drive.So I disconnected it both from the PSU and the MOBO, then powered back on and found out that the noise is coming from my Video card's fan.

2.Took the video card out, cleaned the fan, and then placed in back into the slot.

3. Connected back the HD and plugged the monitor on.

4. Powered the system back on and it came into the BIOS setup mode, telling me that there is a NEW Hard drive and I have to enter setup mode. What should I do now? I'm afraid that all thee data on the HD will be lost. I started to freak out!!!I've never done this before.

5. I can still hear the grinding from the video card fan. I don't know if it is about to die or what?!!

Thanks everyone for any further assistance.

[saphalline]

Was your vid card fan grinding before any of this happened? What exactly is this "Diablo" thing you installed? Is it a case fan or a slot fan or a VGA fan? What does it look like?

[speed10]

[QUOTE=saphalline]Was your vid card fan grinding before any of this happened? QUOTE]

No, it's worked flawlessly until I installed the fan. It's a PCI slot fan but it only uses the PCI slot for like a bed, to lay down on.It gets power from a 4-pin connector. I bought the fan so it can cool down my dvb-pci card. Here is a link to it:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=984046&CatId=0

P.S. Mods, please delete link if against the rules.

[saphalline]

Maybe it's just a coincidence then that the vid card fan is acting up now. I suggest you get the vid card fan replaced - is it still under warranty?

Other than that, try resetting the BIOS and replace the mobo battery if necessary. That message you're seeing at boot-up suggests the BIOS got reset somehow. And if you didn't do anything to the BIOS or CMOS, the most likely problem is that your mobo battery is dying.

[speed10]

No, its out of warranty. Speaking of coinsidence I have the mobo battery dying and then the vid card fan too, after I installed that stup.. PCI slot fan!
Is there any routine of resetting the bios/replace the battery? Do I need to perform some sort of backup before I do a reset?

[saphalline]

No back-up procedure necessary. The BIOS settings don't affect the data on your hard drive or anything, it's all just stuff on the mobo. All you should have to do is replace the battery while the system is unplugged, then when you turn it back on, press Delete to go into the BIOS and make any changes you desire. Then "save & exit" and you should be good to go. That is, if that's the problem. :rolleyes:

What vid card do you have? What slot is it in? I'm sorry to say, but with a dying fan, you will either have to replace the vid card or replace the cooler. But replacing the cooler is difficult and if you mess it up you'll have to buy a new vid card anyway. The choice is up to you.

This brings up a good point about vid card fans, though. For secondary systems or low-maintenance systems, I always make a point of buying vid cards that require passive cooling only. Just a heatsink. Only gaming systems get vid cards with fans on them, because the good vid cards require fans. ;)

[speed10]

It is ATI Radeon 7000 series, a 64 mb, s-video out, dvi-out. It was a descent vid card back in the day when I used to be a game freak....not anymore. The fan is spinning ok, but then is that very annoying noise, probably a bad bearing.

[saphalline]

It will die eventually. And whether it's PCI or AGP, you have replacement options available for cheap. Just keep that in mind.

[speed10]

saphalline,

Its an AGP, I will see if I can find a replacement fan first. I took it off the sink and cleaned it thoroughly, but that didn't help, just squeaked that noise a little. If not I guess I'll just get a new card.
BTW, do you know what would happen if the mobo battery dies? Am I gonna loose any of the system settings, and power the pc back on?

[saphalline]

Yep, anything in the CMOS is wiped clean, forcing the BIOS to load fail-safe defaults, just like it is now. Once you replace the battery, you just have to go into the BIOS and adjust anything you had set before.

[speed10]

I see now. Thanks for all your help! Stay warm :) (u r in Minesota, right?)