XP Pro won't boot after apparent USB problems?
 

XP Pro with SP1, Asrock SIS (K7S8X) MB, 1G DDR RAM, two USB 2.0
drives. WaS in the process of copying files from a USB 2.0 external
drive when during the copy all of sudden Windows complained that the
source was no longer accessible and aborted the copy. A check in
Explorer showed that the external USB drive was no longer there.
Unplugging and plugging back didn't work and also another USB 2.0
drive I had no longer showed up.

Rebooted Windows and it was fine but no USB drives would be
recognised. In Control Panel/System/USB devices a double click on
those resources caused Windows to lock up solid. Tried to boot up
Windows in safe mode and it hangs just after loading mup.sys (as well
as asking me if I want to not load xmasbus.sys). I don't load it and
the system still hangs there

Next step - tried a repair installation of XP. Gets to the XP splash
screen with the color bars moving from left to right and then hangs
there.

Finally based on some info in the NB's thought I might have had a USB
hardware failure so disabled USB in the BIOS. Now it boots up and gets
to the installation of XP. Of course this isn't really satisfactory
since I now have no USB ports

Sounds like hardware problems to me but to be sure and before I RMA
the MB, does anybody have any other ideas?

Thanks

Larry

Larry wrote:
| | XP Pro with SP1, Asrock SIS (K7S8X) MB, 1G DDR RAM, two USB 2.0
| | drives. WaS in the process of copying files from a USB 2.0 external
| | drive when during the copy all of sudden Windows complained that the
| | source was no longer accessible and aborted the copy. A check in
| | Explorer showed that the external USB drive was no longer there.
| | Unplugging and plugging back didn't work and also another USB 2.0
| | drive I had no longer showed up.
| |
| | Rebooted Windows and it was fine but no USB drives would be
| | recognised. In Control Panel/System/USB devices a double click on
| | those resources caused Windows to lock up solid. Tried to boot up
| | Windows in safe mode and it hangs just after loading mup.sys (as
| | well as asking me if I want to not load xmasbus.sys). I don't load
| | it and the system still hangs there
| |
| | Next step - tried a repair installation of XP. Gets to the XP splash
| | screen with the color bars moving from left to right and then hangs
| | there.
| |
| | Finally based on some info in the NB's thought I might have had a
| | USB hardware failure so disabled USB in the BIOS. Now it boots up
| | and gets to the installation of XP. Of course this isn't really
| | satisfactory since I now have no USB ports
| |
| | Sounds like hardware problems to me but to be sure and before I RMA
| | the MB, does anybody have any other ideas?
| |
| | Thanks
| |
| | Larry

Larry, I have just had a similar problem with my wife's machine. First
symptom was that usb mouse didn't work. Finally lots of errors, blue
screens, both in XP and 98, scandisks show new errors frequently, can't do
repair install. Similar enough?

Sounds like hardware problems to me, too.

In my wife's case there was a problem with the cpu fan. It was slowing and
speeding. I vacuumed out the fan and the heat sink and fired it up, and the
mobo went into a continuous beep-beep mode. Replaced the fan and the beeps
stopped, the system booted, but the blue screens got worse and worse.

I am now engaged in a reinstall of XP. A clean reinstall. I'm doing it
this time, after having failed a few other times, with the CPU cache (duron
700) turned off.

My suspicion is that either the L1 or the L2 cache in the CPU has become
slightly baked, and a reinstall and successful operation of XP with the
cache disabled.will tend to convince me that my guess is correct.

This stupid motherboard, for no reason that I can understand, has always
refused to run a 1200 Athlon, in spite of my having an adequate power
supply, adequate fan, and latest bios flashed into it. I don't even
remember the manufacturer, some el-cheapo with a SiS chipset and integrated
everything.

If anybody has any thoughts as to whether a slightly cooked CPU could be the
cause of my problem and perhaps yours, I'd love to read 'em.

On Sun, 11 Jan 2004 01:41:46 GMT, "Exray" wrote:

If anybody has any thoughts as to whether a slightly cooked CPU could be the
cause of my problem and perhaps yours, I'd love to read 'em.

For your case, likely, the CPU's problematic. Try using memtest86 to
verify, you can run the tests with/without L1(BIOS)/L2(memtest) and
see if error pops up.

For the original poster, given his description and success after
disabling USB, he's just got a half dead board he should send in for
RMA.

--
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"Larry" wrote in message
m...
Sounds like hardware problems to me but to be sure and before I RMA
the MB, does anybody have any other ideas?

Send that sucker off to RMA'ville! No doubt about it.

Yousuf Khan

"Exray" wrote in message
news:tR1Mb.18651$5V2.31235@attbi_s53...
I am now engaged in a reinstall of XP. A clean reinstall. I'm doing it
this time, after having failed a few other times, with the CPU cache
(duron
700) turned off.

My suspicion is that either the L1 or the L2 cache in the CPU has become
slightly baked, and a reinstall and successful operation of XP with the
cache disabled.will tend to convince me that my guess is correct.

This stupid motherboard, for no reason that I can understand, has always
refused to run a 1200 Athlon, in spite of my having an adequate power
supply, adequate fan, and latest bios flashed into it. I don't even
remember the manufacturer, some el-cheapo with a SiS chipset and
integrated
everything.

If anybody has any thoughts as to whether a slightly cooked CPU could be
the
cause of my problem and perhaps yours, I'd love to read 'em.

It actually sounds to me like your PS has gone flakey, or your mobo has
blown a capacitor. I'd try a new PS first, don't bother with brand names,
they don't get you any better quality than a no-name power supply, so just
go with as cheap as you can get, with about the same Wattage ratings as your
current PS or better. The days of "quality" vs. "non-quality" power supplies
are over, they're all good for a while, and they all go bad after a little
longer while.

Yousuf Khan

On Sun, 11 Jan 2004 06:12:49 GMT, "Yousuf Khan"
wrote:

It actually sounds to me like your PS has gone flakey, or your mobo has
blown a capacitor. I'd try a new PS first, don't bother with brand names,
they don't get you any better quality than a no-name power supply, so just
go with as cheap as you can get, with about the same Wattage ratings as your
current PS or better. The days of "quality" vs. "non-quality" power supplies
are over, they're all good for a while, and they all go bad after a little
longer while.

Oh no, I have to disagree most strongly on this one, Yousuf.
The "same" wattage rating cheapo PS is likely to be half the actual
wattage compared to a brand name one. Putting a 180W into a modern
high end system compared with a 350W IS going to make a difference
:PpPpp

Plus a friend of mine has demonstrated how a system can be overclocked
and stable with a quality 350W but totally craps out with a not so
great 350W. Both are new PS so the difference is still there. You just
aren't going to get the same quality for $20 and $50, no matter what
the label says.

--
L.Angel: I'm looking for web design work.
If you need basic to med complexity webpages at affordable rates, email me :)
Standard HTML, SHTML, MySQL + PHP or ASP, Javascript.
If you really want, FrontPage & DreamWeaver too.
But keep in mind you pay extra bandwidth for their bloated code

"Yousuf Khan" wrote in message able.rogers.com...
"Larry" wrote in message
m...
Sounds like hardware problems to me but to be sure and before I RMA
the MB, does anybody have any other ideas?

Send that sucker off to RMA'ville! No doubt about it.

Yousuf Khan

Yes I am beginning to think that also. The fact that it failed while I
was NOT installing any software - just doing something quite normal
like copy a file from a USB drive to the internal HD seems like
hardware. I have been using an external WD 120G USB for several
weeeks with no problem and also the drive that dropped out I have used
successfully before

Oh well - I have enough spare machines that I won't be totally without
resources

Larry

"Exray" wrote in message news:tR1Mb.18651$5V2.31235@attbi_s53...
Larry wrote:
| | XP Pro with SP1, Asrock SIS (K7S8X) MB, 1G DDR RAM, two USB 2.0
| | drives. WaS in the process of copying files from a USB 2.0 external
| | drive when during the copy all of sudden Windows complained that the
| | source was no longer accessible and aborted the copy. A check in
| | Explorer showed that the external USB drive was no longer there.
| | Unplugging and plugging back didn't work and also another USB 2.0
| | drive I had no longer showed up.
| |
| | Rebooted Windows and it was fine but no USB drives would be
| | recognised. In Control Panel/System/USB devices a double click on
| | those resources caused Windows to lock up solid. Tried to boot up
| | Windows in safe mode and it hangs just after loading mup.sys (as
| | well as asking me if I want to not load xmasbus.sys). I don't load
| | it and the system still hangs there
| |
| | Next step - tried a repair installation of XP. Gets to the XP splash
| | screen with the color bars moving from left to right and then hangs
| | there.
| |
| | Finally based on some info in the NB's thought I might have had a
| | USB hardware failure so disabled USB in the BIOS. Now it boots up
| | and gets to the installation of XP. Of course this isn't really
| | satisfactory since I now have no USB ports
| |
| | Sounds like hardware problems to me but to be sure and before I RMA
| | the MB, does anybody have any other ideas?
| |
| | Thanks
| |
| | Larry

Larry, I have just had a similar problem with my wife's machine. First
symptom was that usb mouse didn't work. Finally lots of errors, blue
screens, both in XP and 98, scandisks show new errors frequently, can't do
repair install. Similar enough?

Sounds like hardware problems to me, too.

yes I think so. I also had other problems before - lots of blue
screens at random times which I traced to a bad stick of memory. Then
more blue screens in the audio driver for the onboard (Realtek?) audio
chip. No wasy way out of that one so I installed a SB Live 5.1 and the
blue screens went away

In my wife's case there was a problem with the cpu fan. It was slowing and
speeding. I vacuumed out the fan and the heat sink and fired it up, and the
mobo went into a continuous beep-beep mode. Replaced the fan and the beeps
stopped, the system booted, but the blue screens got worse and worse.

Are you using an AMD fan or some other one?

I am now engaged in a reinstall of XP. A clean reinstall. I'm doing it
this time, after having failed a few other times, with the CPU cache (duron
700) turned off.

My suspicion is that either the L1 or the L2 cache in the CPU has become
slightly baked, and a reinstall and successful operation of XP with the
cache disabled.will tend to convince me that my guess is correct.

This stupid motherboard, for no reason that I can understand, has always
refused to run a 1200 Athlon, in spite of my having an adequate power
supply, adequate fan, and latest bios flashed into it. I don't even
remember the manufacturer, some el-cheapo with a SiS chipset and integrated
everything.

If anybody has any thoughts as to whether a slightly cooked CPU could be the
cause of my problem and perhaps yours, I'd love to read 'em.

Larry

I have same Mobo K7S8X R3.0 with same problem. Exactly as you
describe. I have flashed with Bios V2.1 and disabled USB2 support. So
I can use usb devices but not with USB2 speed. Which is a pain as I
have external USB2 HD for mobile work.

There must be a problem with this board but as yet found nothing
conclusive on asrock site. FAQ section has no search facility.

Not sure it is actually hardware failure. So I feel returning and
receiving new board will just give me the same problem back.

Anymore Ideas anyone?

Chaddy

Probably uninstall XMASBUS.SYS from Alcohol 120% build 1222

seems to be bad

go in safe mode, delete the file or rename it
reboot, uninstall, go back to previous verison