Computer Boot-Up Problems!

**siktik** · March 21st, 2004, 08:03 PM

Hey guys, I've just started to become, how should i say, more computer curious I guess. Well basically the problem is that I wanted to see if my old compaq cpu case was atx etc. So i took everything apart (dunno why), i took the hard drive, floopy, optical apart was gunna take motherboard but it was kinda hard lol so i left it in. I was just getting myself oriented with cpus and anyways when i tried putting everything back i dunno i must have done something wrong becuz the cpu wont boot up now. I turn on the power and the Compaq screen comes up and nothing else it justs sits there.......i tried getting into the bios and it says entering setup then just sits there also never leaving the compaq screen. Ive tried every combinations of cables and still nothing. I know its kinda vague and all but I hope you guys could help me. I have a Compaq 5868, Amd k7 600 mhz processor, not sure on mb it has via chipset lol. I was using Windows 98 SE but that shouldnt matter since its hardware right? I guess my question is which cables go where because different power cables etc have P2, P3, P4 etc. Im pretty sure i have the ide cables the right way but dunno. Maybe something happened or screwed up when taking off stuff and putting back in. Hope you guys can help and thanks in advance. If you need any more info ill try my best as i will be trolling this thread!

Edit: I got into the bios via some way and it shows the primary maste as primary master (i guess nothing there) the slave is the cd rom and the second master is my hard drive. How do i switch the hard drive to master (I think it should be it the master right)

**siktik** · March 21st, 2004, 08:06 PM

I should note that power is getting to cpu I guess since the Compaq screen is coming up but nothing after that. Proccesor and power supply fans are running.

**siktik** · March 21st, 2004, 08:26 PM

update: I clicked escape during the compaq screen and got the computer the system ram passed the extended ram passed after a while the cache sram passes, bios shadowed, video shadowed, umb upper limit segment address: e928, cd-rom- lite on etc
Fixed Disk 1: Quantum Fireball Cx20.0A
Mouse initialized and it stops there but then after a while it says boot menu and its either atap cd rom, removable devices, hard drive or network boot and i clicked hard drive and it just sits there

**thekatna** · March 31st, 2004, 03:07 AM

you can im me mthekatna aol buddy list we can talk

**lukewarmdog** · March 31st, 2004, 01:33 PM

The IDE cable from the motherboard to the HD is in the wrong IDE channel. Find the back of the HD, trace it down to the mobo and ensure it is plugged into IDE1. If they're not marked just plug it into the other one to where it is plugged into now..

Plug it in on it's own, with nothing else on that ribbon cable. If your system now finds the HD you've sussed it. Install the other ribbon cable (the one with the CD drive on it) into the spare IDE socket on the mobo.

**munkeyboy123** · March 31st, 2004, 02:28 PM

lukewarmdog is probably right about the ide cables, i had a simlar problem, but just try switching the ide cables and make sure that only the hdd is connected, if u do this and it still doesnt work try takeing the hdd out of the case and looking at the jumpers, which should be set to master and then retry if u change the jumpers, if not i would try checking the jumpers on the cd-rom drive as it might be set to master also and this could be ur problem, so set it to slave if its already set to master, if u cant figure out what is master and what is slave , there usually is a sticker or a marking on the drive its self to show you what setting its on, if not i'd check the manual the computer came with, although computer manuals that go to retail computers, compaq,dell, etc. dont usually have the kind of information needed such as jumper settings and ide channel settings, but if they do hopefully u can switch it back the right way, if none of this works try re-installing your win 98 se it might work out the kinks, also when u took everything out did u place the parts on the floor(carpet or tile, etc.) or on a table or plastic surface of anykind? because if it was on carpet there might be a chance that static electricity harmed the circuit board on the bottom of the drive, i havent ever ran into this problem myself but it could still happen. also if u have access to another hdd from another computer with and os on it and it works fine on the current comp its on try putting it in urs and seeing if it boots up if not , then take the ide steps again and if nothing seems to work time and time again, then ur mobo is probably fried. sad but true it happened to me on my old computer it was a sony viao cerca 96' p2 at 266 mhz and the ide ports stopped first to the zip drive then to the cd-rom drive then to the hdd itself, so these things can happen, and whne i put it into this other computer i got afterwards it booted up just fine. let me know how htings go.