Resolved Crashed XP computer

Hi, I am trying to revive an XP computer that crashed a couple of years ago. It has problems getting through boot up/BIOS sometimes. I can get the computer to boot to a DOS based recovery 3.5" floppy if I use a jumper on the mother board to clear CMOS. After I clear CMOS I start the computer and can get to the BIOS Settings. After I change the BIOS settings the computer reboots and then gets stuck in boot up. When I turn the computer off and on again the video card always shows on the screen first. This always happens. Then the BIOS shows and gets stuck somewhere before the memory check or before Detecting IDE drives. I have also tried to clear CMOS by removing the battery on the mobo. The first time I turn the computer on it boots either to a DOS based recovery/diagnostics program or it goes through boot, verifies memory, finds ide drives, then shows a table of devices and controlers but before windows starts it says Disc boot error please enter system disc and press enter. Usually it just does this over and over with whatever disc I put in. One time I got the windows XP system disc to the point where it says windows closed unexpectedly and the stuff about which type of safe mode etc. One time I got to the point where windows was about to reinstall but it said cannot access hard drive at a certain address that had a bunch of zeros in it.

Does anyone have any clues about what is going on?

One time I put a UBUNTU live cd in the computer and it started to run UBUNTU but then UBUNTU reset the computer and it went back to getting stuck in boot up/ BIOS.

Thanks for your time , Eric.

 

Smells like bad RAM to me.

Please update your System Details.

 

Check there is no dust blocked up in the fins of the heatsink of the CPU. If so, loosen it with a straightened paper-clip and blow it out. Check that all the fans are spinning freely and a good flow of air is coming out of the power supply.

You can take out the RAM modules and reseat them. Same with the graphics if it is a card.

It might be a bad connection.

You can disconnect and reconnect the drive connections, also leave drives disconnected and see if it becomes stable.

Matt

 

Hi, I pulled the computer completely apart, cleaned everything. Got the dust bunnies out of the CPU cooler and the case. Sprayed off everything with a generous dose of CRC QD electrical cleaner. Put things back in one piece at a time, starting and turning off the computer after each piece was added, until the system was completely rebuilt. Updated the BIOS but the problem did not go away. I found the same motherboard I had for a good price. I rebuilt the system with the new but used mobo and the computer is up and running. I do not really know but I guess something was wrong with the BIOS/CMOS on my original mobo. Thanks for your help and suggestions, Eric.

 

Thanks for the update.

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