Re: Troubleshooting a non-booting computer [was: Driver Problem]
Date:
Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:41:29 -0800 (PST)
To:
os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com
First of all, thanks so much Lewis for reconstituting all of that
List material that fell into the abyss over here !
In regard to the ailing Shuttle, it is now looking as though you and
Ed got it right.
Ed wrote:
"If you can get into the BIOS setup set if you can clear the settings
back to factory settings, if not, power off and see if there is a reset
CMOS jumper on the motherboard and if not, remove the CMOS battery and
leave it out for a few minutes before returning it."
"This sounds like a CMOS data corruption problem to me."
There is actually a tiny, recessed button on the back panel that can
reset the CMOS. But, I did not use it. I recalled that the clock
on this computer had been unreliable for many months, and that was
probably a clue.
Lewis wrote:
"It sounds like a bad CMOS battery."
" . . . 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."
I have a battery tester that I think can test this type of battery,
but it is one of innumerable things I still can't find, after the
move. I have to go to Radio Shack anyway, and may have them test it,
just to confirm what is almost certain.
"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."
To date, the only other installed component is the optical drive.
"Check that battery & let us know how you make out."
I did happen to have a couple of spare CR-2032s, and those I could
find. The space inside this type of computer is extremely tight.
To get best access to the battery, it could be necessary to do some
partial disassembly, then reassembly, and a simple job becomes a half-
hour pain in the rear. Having the old or the replacement battery drop
into the works would have been worse. So, I used a strip of masking
tape to tether each battery while doing this, which worked out quite
well.
The system has now come back up a couple times. I've had to redo the
CMOS settings, and later will compare them to a file I saved somewhere
detailing what they were. The one I'm least sure about right now is
the CPU frequency, which can range from 200 to 204. 200 seems to be
the default, so I've left it there for now. The fans still seem
noticeably quieter than they were, even after I've put their CMOS
setting back to 'Medium', which is where I thought they had been.
Whether this will be sufficient, I don't know, as I haven't run
anything yet that stresses the system.
Do systems of the last few years automatically shut themselves down,
if they get too hot . . . or will they let everything fry ? I thought
I read something about a failsafe shutdown becoming standard ?
I've now installed Speedfan, which may prove helpful here, once I learn
how to use it. Do we have anything like this on the OS/2 side ?
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