Problem at Startup

[albatros]

I did not know in what forum exactly to post this.It may not be related to hardware exactly.
The problem is that when my PC boots before the WinXP logo appears(with that green bar moving)in that black screen where the memory testing happens.where info about the CPU are given such as Vcore,where info about master and slave are given and you can press del to enter the BIOS my PC freezes,meaning the PC stays at that point.I have to reset the PC at that point to overcome the problem.
I updated the BIOS and the problem persisted.
Can anyone help?

Thank you.

[bassman]

Hey albatros,
A bit more info would help here. Did this just start out of the blue? Have you installed or downloaded anything recently? How about system specs (mobo, cpu, ram,... ) Have you been inside the case? What were you doing on the night of the 24th at around 9:00 pm? Don't need to answer that last one.
Tell us anything about the situation you can think of.

[albatros]

No it did not came out of the blue.I am having this problem for months now
Regarding my PCs specs:
BIOS Version/Date Award Software International, Inc. F7, 3/1/2004
OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
System Manufacturer GBT___
Total Physical Memory 1,024.00 MB

[Sylvander]

At which point in the following statup sequence does the BIOS's POST halt?
After 6 [memory test has completed] and before 12 [boot from HDD begins]?

A typical and successful startup sequence
1. Start of Boot Troubleshooting Walkthrough
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/index.htm
2. Yes: The system power supply is functioning
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/power1.htm
------------------------------------------------------
You should hear a single short beep at about this point indicating the successful running/completion of the POST.
Some PC’s beep much later, possibly as late as just before step 12.
------------------------------------------------------
3. Yes: Something is being written to the screen during boot up [This may be only a flashing cursor]
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/video1.htm
4. The video BIOS message is displayed on the screen for a few seconds and then clears from the screen, or more messages display under it
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/vbios1.htm
5. Yes: The system BIOS startup screen is appearing
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/bios1.htm
6. The memory test completes successfully
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/ram1.htm
7. The BIOS accesses the floppy drives and the boot continues
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/seek1.htm
8. The system is able to autodetect IDE devices successfully
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/auto1.htm
9. The system is not Plug and Play compatible, has no Plug and Play devices, or has PnP devices but identifies them properly
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/pnp1.htm
10. Boot sequence is A: before C: (floppy disk first)
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/seqAC.htm
11. The floppy disk makes a noise and the light comes on
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/fd1.htm
12. The floppy disk light goes off and the hard disk light comes on as it starts booting
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/fd1hdd.htm
13. The hard disk boot process will continue here, if you want to follow it.
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/hd1.htm
14. The system continues booting from the hard disk and the message "Starting MS-DOS" or "Starting Windows 95" is displayed
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/hd1os.htm
15. Operating System Loaded From Hard Disk. The system has found a boot sector on the hard disk and is now starting the load of the operating system. The hard disk is working. You have successfully completed the hardware part of the boot process. Any problems encountered after this point should be diagnosed by looking for a more specific problem with a component, or under the section that contains run-time error messages.

[Sylvander]

Here's part of the BIOS's POST sequence [for a generic Phoenix BIOS] covering a section that includes the point [test] where your PC's POST halts [probably due to some POST test failure detected by the POST].
See anything that might relate to your situation?
How far does your POST get in this kind of sequence? [Which items are included in your POST's display etc?]

[Part of] Generic Phoenix BIOS POST sequence
4Eh Display BIOS copyright notice
4Fh Initialize MultiBoot
50h Display CPU type and speed
51h Initialize EISA board
52h Test keyboard
54h Set key click if enabled
55h Enable USB devices
58h 2-2-3-1 Test for unexpected interrupts
59h Initialize POST display service
5Ah Display prompt "Press F2 to enter SETUP"
5Bh Disable CPU cache
5Ch Test RAM between 512 and 640 kB
60h Test extended memory
62h Test extended memory address lines
64h Jump to UserPatch1
66h Configure advanced cache registers
67h Initialize Multi Processor APIC
68h Enable external and CPU caches
69h Setup System Management Mode (SMM) area
6Ah Display external L2 cache size
6Bh Load custom defaults (optional)
6Ch Display shadow-area message
6Eh Display possible high address for UMB recovery
70h Display error messages
72h Check for configuration errors
76h Check for keyboard errors
7Ch Set up hardware interrupt vectors
7Dh Initialize Intelligent System Monitoring
7Eh Initialize coprocessor if present
80h Disable onboard Super I/O ports and IRQs
81h Late POST device initialization
82h Detect and install external RS232 ports
83h Configure non-MCD IDE controllers
84h Detect and install external parallel ports
85h Initialize PC-compatible PnP ISA devices
86h Re-initialize onboard I/O ports.
87h Configure Motherboard Configurable Devices
(optional)
88h Initialize BIOS Data Area
89h Enable Non-Maskable Interrupts (NMIs)
8Ah Initialize Extended BIOS Data Area
8Bh Test and initialize PS/2 mouse
8Ch Initialize floppy controller
8Fh Determine number of ATA drives (optional)
90h Initialize hard-disk controllers
91h Initialize local-bus hard-disk controllers
92h Jump to UserPatch2
93h Build MPTABLE for multi-processor boards
95h Install CD ROM for boot
96h Clear huge ES segment register
97h Fix up Multi Processor table
98h 1-2 Search for option ROMs. One long, two short
beeps on checksum failure
99h Check for SMART Drive (optional)
9Ah Shadow option ROMs
9Ch Set up Power Management
9Dh Initialize security engine (optional)
9Eh Enable hardware interrupts
9Fh Determine number of ATA and SCSI drives
A0h Set time of day
A2h Check key lock
A4h Initialize typematic rate
A8h Erase F2 prompt
AAh Scan for F2 key stroke
ACh Enter SETUP
AEh Clear Boot flag
B0h Check for errors
B1h Inform RomPilot about the end of POST.
B2h POST done - prepare to boot operating system
B4h 1 One short beep before boot

[azzey]

Did something happen immediately before the problem (if you can remember still)?

Can you try resetting the CMOS and consider changing the battery?

[bassman]

albatros, along with following thru with the information Sylvander has supplied, it would be helpful to us if you provided more, clearer information.
You have been having this problem for months, but, several months ago, did it just start happening or were you having minor problems that evolved into this? Had you installed any hardware or software just before problems began? Did you make changes in the BIOS? Do you know the mobo make and model?
Help us help you and give as much info as you can

[albatros]

The PC freezes at the BIOS startup screen(where the Energy Logo appears).
Unfortunately i cannot remember exactly at what point this happens.
This problem appears i would say about 1 out 15 times.When it happens again i will post at what exactly point it happened so you can help me better.
For now by
Thank you all for your help.

P.S By the way can someone tell me how i will reset the CMOS
I think that there might be a possibility the problem comes form there

[bassman]

This problem appears i would say about 1 out 15 times.

albatros my friend, I would chalk that up to it being a Windows product. I have five machines of my own and every one of them stalls or freezes at some point in the POST/boot process from time to time.
As for reseting your BIOS, look thru your motherboard manule and find where the jumper is to "Clear CMOS" or look on the mobo for a flat round battery about the size of a coin. Carefully pull this out of it's holder, lay it on a non-conductive surface. Go make a cup of coffee, water the plants, or take the dogs for a walk. The idea here is to give everything a few minutes to clear. Reseat the battery and you are done.

Good luck
Frank

[Sylvander]

I personally wouldn't accept that kind of unreliability unless forced.

the next time it happens take careful note of what the BIOS is displaying on screen.
That will give some idea of which POST steps have been successfully completed [and therefore which remaining steps include the one that failed].
It may give some idea of which item of hardware is involved.

If replacing the CMOS battery doesn't produce a fix...
You could alternatively strip out all unnecessary hardware to see if the problem disappears, then [after switching off] add them back one at a time [and startup again after each] to see which hardware item [if any] is the culprit.

[albatros]

Hi again,

The problem appeared again.My computer freezes at the point just after it has recognized the IDE drives.At that moment the BIOS startup screen display which drives are MASTER and which are SLAVE.

If you need more info ask.

Thanks again for the HELP.

[mjc]

OK...if it is freezing just after drive detection, but before starting to boot, grab the drive manufacturer's diagnostics and give them a try...

[Sylvander]

Does the the POST ever give the single short beep just before it tries to boot from a disk?