"Internal power error"

[Vespasia]

This intermittent problem is driving me nuts. I don't know whether it's power or OS.

SOMETIMES when I start up the computer, I immediately get a blue screen that says "Internal Power Error" and a lot of numbers that -- apparently -- Microsoft never heard of, because I couldn't find anything in the Knowledge Base. The computer never gets to POST at this point.

I hit the restart button. Usually I get to POST, then get the black screen with the "Try Last Known Good Configuration" message. SOMETIMES this works and Windows XP loads. SOMETIMES it just restarts and takes me to the same place, at which point I try Safe Mode. Every once in a while, it takes me straight to the BIOS, which tells me my clock speed is wrong (except it shows that it isn't. But I just save it and try again.)

I figured maybe it was a power supply problem. So I replaced my old 300w with a new Antec TruePower 450w. (And, wow, is it quiet!)

Still having the problem. Could it be the CMOS battery? This is the first machine I've ever built (I'm a granny!) and I built it about 7 years ago. It has a 1g Athlon, an ASUS 266 motherboard with 512 DDR, nVidia graphics. Oh yeah.. and a new Antec power supply.

[mjc]

A lot those are symptoms of dead CMOS battery.

So go ahead and replace it, they're cheap and you'll need to replace it before too much longer anyway (7 years is about twice as long as they usually last).

[Vespasia]

I'll replace it. At this point, I'm also considering a blood sacrifice to the Great Old Ones of The Nether Regions (Redmond, WA)

Thanks!

[joebdii]

I'll replace it. At this point, I'm also considering a blood sacrifice to the Great Old Ones of The Nether Regions (Redmond, WA)

Thanks!

i'm still having this problem.

thanks!