Mailing List os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com Archived Message #6573

From: "Lewis G Rosenthal" <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com> Full Headers
Undecoded message
Subject: [TOT] Shuttle boot problems (was: Re: [OS2Wireless] eCS install of a new NIC)
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:38:17 -0500
To: OS/2 Wireless Users Mailing List <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com>

Hi, Jordan...

On 02/11/10 01:11 pm, J R FOX thus wrote :

<snip>
Thanks much for your reply, Lewis.  I haven't kept up with the RCs beyond #5, but I will soon.  In the meantime, I have a more immediate problem.  (This veers well OT, but with your indulgence I thought I might draw upon the wisdom to be found here.)  I've been intending to make Shuttle XPC #2 (AMD 6400 dual core, 4 meg.s Ram, a 9800 GT video card) my 'Go To' machine, replacing an older single-core P4 based Shuttle.  But it is down for the count just now.  I had been having some problems booting -- nothing coming up on the monitor -- and at first I was thinking in terms of some video issue, either with the video card or the monitor.  But now I am thinking it is neither.  When I tried to boot it up last night, I briefly got a static screen from the BIOS that mentioned a CMOS checksum error, and going into "Safe Mode." Note that this is pre-OS, so we're _not_ talking about the Safe Mode of Windoze.  Attempts to boot it up again have not been successful.

Electrical is still happening, so it's probably not the power supply (?).  My first thought is towards something heat related. I notice that the fan noise seems to be less than half of its normal volume.  I will check the fan situation, but would welcome other troubleshooting suggestions, particularly from anyone familiar with the Shuttle line of small form factor computers.   
It sounds like a bad CMOS battery.

I just got done working on a Dell Dimension 4600 (and as a rule I do NOT work on Dell machines). The first time I plugged it in, I got lights on on the front of the case, and a black screen. Not even a beep. I let it stand in my trunk for a few days (it's my nephew's box, given to him by friend, so unlike client work, I could let this box sit a while), and brought it in and put it on the bench. Sure enough, it came up this time, but the clock was reset (a telltale sign).

It's likely that the CMOS battery is a CR2032, which is a 3v battery. If you have a digital voltmeter, you can test it. Otherwise, it's a relatively inexpensive test to simply replace it and see what happens.

Another suggestion would be to disconnect *all* peripherals from the power supply and board, and see if you get any further. Sometimes, the short may lie in a connected component.

You might get more specific help on the eCS-Technical list on Yahoo Groups. Felix Miata is a regular there, and he often has some very good troubleshooting ideas. The rest of the crew is pretty much on this list, as well, so you never know. As this is in preparation for setting up the Wi-Fi anyway, I don't mind going a bit OT with this thread for a little bit. (That of course, does not mean that I probably won't catch some flack for doing so, however!)
I was about to slap one of those NIC cards in and move on to the wireless stuff, re the Linksys router, but this is going to be on hold for awhile (at least for this computer) until I get this problem ironed out.

  
Understood. Check that battery & let us know how you make out.

GL

--
Lewis
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Lewis G Rosenthal, CNA, CLP, CLE
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