"William Rose" wrote in message
...
My computer doesn't seem to want to boot properly. Once in awhile the
computer will turn on, and sometimes the first bios screen will come up, but
then the computer will just completely stall. On the advice of someone on
this newsgroup I reset the bios jumpers on my motherboard. This fixed the
problem, but it has happened again since then. What could be causing this
problem and what can I do to fix it? Thanks.


Do a basic hardware check:

1. Check the CPU fan, case fans, and any other fans in
your computer and make sure they are working.

2. Shut down your computer and turn off power *at the
surge protector* (which cuts off standby power while
leaving your computer grounded) or unplug it. Take
the standard precautions against static electricity
(wear a wrist strap or keep one hand grounded at all
times).

3. Open up your computer and dust it out. *Do not use a
vacuum cleaner* - it might cause static discharge.
Get some dust remover spray (BestBuy, RadioShack) and
a dust mask, and take your computer outside and spray
out the dust. Keep the end of the spray straw at least
six inches from any components and keep it moving so as
to avoid excessive thermal shock to the components.

4. Reseat all the modules, including the memory modules,
and cables inside your computer.

5. Remove the CMOS battery, measure its
voltage, and if the measured voltage is significantly less
than the voltage marked on top of the battery (usually 3
volts), replace it. Note: If you do this step, you'll
have to set up your BIOS again.

6. Turn on your computer, and if it boots, download
"Memtest86+" from http://www.memtest.org) and run
it to thoroughly check out your memory. You should get
zero errors.

--Bob Day
http://bobday.vze.com