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Flippy's impossible problem: An adventure for tech support.
Flippy_D
Digital ConquistadorLondonRegistered User regular
Digital ConquistadorLondonRegistered User regular
Okay, get this.
Friend's PSU is dying. No problem. I give him my old one (remember this?)
Except it is a problem. I install it, and also clean up his box whilst I'm at it. Lots of dust, etc. I turn it on and it powers up, so I send him on his way. Back home, he connects it to a monitor of course, and although it powers up, he then runs into the problem we had not foreseen:
Okay. Seems straightforward. I test all the hardware just to be sure. PSU works, CPU works, Hard Drive works, RAM works, and I take both PCI cards out just to be sure. I even put in the old PSU. Same error. So it's definitely software.
Okay, so I slam in the XP disc and we get rolling.
Except we don't.
It hangs on 'detecting hardware configuration'. To me, that screams 'hardware error'. But it can't be - all hardware is working perfectly! And yet it freezes on this, so I can't run the repair console, so I can't fix the software issue, so I can't boot.
I am now feeling mega-guilty even though it's not my fault. The guy is away for a day or two now so I need to come up with a fix in the meantime. Any help?
To recap:
- Hardware is all apparently functioning normally.
- Boot from disc hangs on hardware detection.
- All signs seem to point toward software error - so why is it hanging on the hardware detection?
Halp.
Friend's PSU is dying. No problem. I give him my old one (remember this?)
Except it is a problem. I install it, and also clean up his box whilst I'm at it. Lots of dust, etc. I turn it on and it powers up, so I send him on his way. Back home, he connects it to a monitor of course, and although it powers up, he then runs into the problem we had not foreseen:
Stop: c000021a {fatal system error}
The Windows logon process system process terminated unexpectedly with status
of 0xc0000139 (0x00000000 0x00000000).
The system has shut down.
Okay. Seems straightforward. I test all the hardware just to be sure. PSU works, CPU works, Hard Drive works, RAM works, and I take both PCI cards out just to be sure. I even put in the old PSU. Same error. So it's definitely software.
Okay, so I slam in the XP disc and we get rolling.
Except we don't.
It hangs on 'detecting hardware configuration'. To me, that screams 'hardware error'. But it can't be - all hardware is working perfectly! And yet it freezes on this, so I can't run the repair console, so I can't fix the software issue, so I can't boot.
I am now feeling mega-guilty even though it's not my fault. The guy is away for a day or two now so I need to come up with a fix in the meantime. Any help?
To recap:
- Hardware is all apparently functioning normally.
- Boot from disc hangs on hardware detection.
- All signs seem to point toward software error - so why is it hanging on the hardware detection?
Halp.
Flippy_D on
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Posts
It tested fine, but would hang at the detecting hardware part of things. Try another hard drive?
Alternatively, I just start swapping parts until something works. Generally that's a better test than the diagnostic software if you're still having troubles.
Use one those to get S.M.A.R.T diagnostics data from connected hard drives.
That could be a memory fault there. You said you checked it but did you run MEMTEST? You can burn it to an disk with an ISO image and boot right into it.
http://www.memtest86.com/download.html
Give that a shot to rule out memory issues. Another problem is when the old psu died, it may have damaged the motherboard in the process. If its one of the add on cards, just pull everything off except the what you need to boot.
Hope that helps.
Ryan M Long Photography
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what did you actually do to verify this stuff is working?
It wouldn't be getting to the stage it was getting to if it were the CPU or HDD being booted (though it may be that the HDD is partially damaged?)
I took out and put in the RAM seperately, worked fine.
Unplugged the PCI cards too.
I put a HDD of mine in and it was detected on the BIOS, like his, but that HDD had no windows install and then I tried to put the windows CD in and it hung on detecting hardware... etc.
I am thinking that I will take my own HDD with windows on and stick it in his machine, back up his stuff on his exHDD, then format his onboard HDD. Then try to install windows on that. If his HDD is the problem then I'll give him an old one of mine..
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I will check out Memtest, thanks.
I will also disable all unnecessary hardware stuff in the bios like USB stuff.
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Zane, how on earth would I use this SystemRescue tool? I mean, I understand bits of it...
You could possibly test the hard drive or backup the files off of the hard drive onto another machine on the network if you suspect that's the problem. To be honest, if you have an Ubuntu LiveCD or any other LiveCD they will probably have the basic stuff you would need to diagnose and copy files anyway.
Just forewarning you about that little thing with XP. It's actually fascinating how their key system works, but a bit innane and annoying when it comes to this sort of thing.
Like krikee said, have a look at the capacitors. Are any bulging?
People do some WEIRD shit to PCs.
Using the key to install is one thing, yes. You can do that five times before you have to call up support. He was talking about using a preexisting install of XP on a HDD and swapping the drive into another machine. Windows doesn't like being thrown about chipsets and everything, and it changes the hardware code. When the hardware code changes, it red flags it to check the key. If the hardware code doesn't match the one initially used with that install, it'll make you reactivate to update itself.
What I've gathered about XP key system:
Hardware setup is assigned a specific code. That code is sent along to the MS activation servers with the activation key. Hardware code is now tied to that activation key. Windows checks the HW code on boot to make sure everything is in line, and if the current HW code changes enough, it'll have you activate again so it can keep its records straight. That's why it's a real pain in the ass when only doing a minor upgrade. I've had it complain at me when I unplugged my DVD drive to throw another IDE hard drive in because I only have one IDE port on my motherboard.
Weird. I've only it give that on motherboard replacements.
As for failing on the hardware detection, one of our machines at work did that when the hard drive got borked.
Astonishingly, it appears to have been the SATA cable that has caused all this trouble. I replaced it with one of mine on a whim and we were able to get past the hardware config. screen no problem this time (I just remembered I disabled the USB bus too), but then the repair console demanded an admin password. Annoyingly, though he insisted he didn't have one - kinda confirmed by this useful program - so I was faced with a reinstall
Thankfully, his C drive was partitioned in such a manner that he only had windows on one partition and all his other stuff on the rest. I wiped his windows partition and am currently installed a fresh version over it. Thanks for all your help
Ps: Memtest said his memory was fine. No obvious mobo damage. Two slightly odd capacitors near the RAM, but not enough to provoke suspicion.