View Single Post
  #6  
Old January 30th 05, 12:07 AM
Tanya
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

hi thanks again for replying!
[...below...]

w_tom wrote:

Since colors do not match what should be ATX power supply wires, I
suspect this is an AT type machine. Is this a 486 computer or an
computer not using PCI cards?


it's a pentium 200 mhz mmx.
it is NOT an ATX (it does not have the *normal AT* form factor (i can look
it up) however the psu should behave like an AT psu)

One voltage is wrong because I believe it should have read -5 volts
and not +5 volts.


i will retest it (i unhooked the zip drive (which is not working) and the
slave hard drive just now and it only reached the ibm splash screen
(counted video, cache and system ram -- accurately) then stopped (no POST
no beep code and it won't even read the boot disk nor let me into the bios)

The + 12 and -12 volts are both too low. Normally
this would means doing the next step for excessive ripple voltage
(which requires better equipment). However + and - 12 volts don't
drive anything critical on AT type computers.


actually what i have read is that the -12 volts is for isa devices and this
pc has the media console controller card (which is isa)
(the media console is a 3rd piece -- it has the cd-rom drive, the floppy
drive and the power switch in it -- connects to the card (via a cable))
i'll redo the voltages i also found the service manual which has the
correct ones (the colors are different from ats that i have seen)

This post will continue
on an assumption it is an AT type computer - noting that if it is an
ATX computer, then it might be a severely questionable - probably
defective - power supply. But we assume it is AT.

Anything that is IBM original checks out just fine with those
diagnostics from IBM. Rarely do diagnostics get updated when they are
working fine - Y2K not really considered important.


except that it only tests 32 MBs of ram and did not test the 30 gb maxtor
drive but tested only 3.2 gbs of the slave (ibm) drive (which is 6.4 gbs)
i'll try it on the off chance the pc will start gain

But for added peripherals such as CD-rom or hard drive, then you must
download the diagnostics from the manufacturer of that peripheral.


the cd-rom, floppy drive, psu, cpu and 2 of the 4 simms are original.
(the board was replaced supposidly in 1999)


A 30 gig drive in an older computer like this means the computer is
probably using some type of Bios Extender - Ez-Bios or whatever that
hard drive manufacturer provided. You must identify that Bios Extender
and obtain operational details. For example, some require the BIOS to
be set to a non-standard setting. If you did as so many others want -
fix this and fix that rather than first collect facts - then it is
possible you have lost what is the unique settings for that Bios
Extender program (that is loaded on the hard drive).


i used max-blast (hard drive install utility (version 1.26s)) on the 30 gb
maxtor (in 2000) -- there was nothing in the bios to change...
it's on a floppy disk

Generally Bios Extender programs would announce themselves when
computer first booted normally.


it always announced ezBIOS right after passing the POST. (but i had not see
the ezBIOS text since i replaced the battery 2 days ago)
this morning after changing the boot order ezBIOS appeared again.

Software is often provided by hard
drive manufacturer on manufacturer's web site. But at any rate,
discover if and what that Bios Extender is. Normally your computer
(check the manual) would only understand hard drives of maybe 8 Gig
max.


it only sees a bit over 8 gb (in the bios -- always) but windows sees all
30 gbs

To see a 30 Gig drive, unique software such as a Bios Extender,
or an ISA slot card that provides extended Bios, or a hard drive
interface card with that Bios Extender must be somewhere in that
machine.


it is a diskette.

Diagnostics from hard drive manufacturer might help to identify that
Bios Extender.


i don't know whether maxtor still exists... i was using a 3rd party diag on
some baby ats but cannot recall what it was called but it was good

Also what can provide useful information is to boot machine with DOS
(if possible) and run the MS provided program called FDISK.


i cannot do that right now... b/c of the above

Don't do
anything that would fix or modify the drive. Just select the option
that would read drive information ... to learn how that drive is setup.
And yes, this assumes you can boot DOS.

BTW, when we are all done, you want to record these unique setting on
Post-It notes and mount those notes inside the machine.


i have them (aside from the pnp menu -- this is an ibm bios "ibm surepath
setup utility" -- it is not like award or others)

Now if I understand your original post - which I never really saw -
you can boot from floppy but not from hard drive?


now i can't but before removing the zip and slave i was able to boot to a
floppy and then changed the start-up order (which had changed on its own to
the following: 1st and 2nd floppy, 3rd disabled and 4th was listed as the
cd/dvd rom.)
i changed it to1st = floppy, 2nd = hd, 3rd = cd-rom) THEN it booted into
windows....

I was never sure
what did boot and how failed booting failed. Which OS does and does
not boot how?


currently none (i have windows95B installed)

If this is a Windows 95 machine, then it does not see
the 30 Gig hard drive. Windows 95 is limited to hard drive of only 2
Gigs (if I remember correctly). So you can see how I find some of your
information contradictary.


i am sorry for the vagueness...
(i think it's 8 gbs but in windows it sees (saw) all 30 gbs... (the slave
drive was always recognized as 6.4 gbs in the bios and in windows))

At any rate, barring a missing negative sign and assuming this is an
AT type machine, the power supply would be sufficient meaning we move
on to other suspects. I am very suspicious of how that hard drive is
configured and suspect a Bios Extender - which sometimes makes
complexity.


i appreciate your reply VERY MUCH...
i'm going to retest the psu (and compare to the tech manual)
the master has a power connector which has the 4 wires going through it
(i.e. is a pass through -- unlike connectors that end in the device)
i don't know where to put the probe???

THANKS!
sincerely
Tanya