BIOS can't detect HDD or CD-ROM. Virus or motherboard fault? Discuss!

Tricky Dicky · 07-21-2000, 08:21 AM

1. I am a newbie - please be patient and type SLOWLY!

2. Have a problem with a Gateway P133(apart from fact it's nearly blowing out 4 candles on it's birthday cake this year)

Everthing was working hunky-dory until last weekend when I came to switch on and the BIOS could not detect either HDD or CD-ROM - I've fiddled with BIOS settings, but it keeps ccoming back with "Not Installed" message at Primary IDE Master etc. Can boot off floppy and have tried to FDISK HDD("No fixed drives installed") and used Win95 Univ. Boot Disk to set up CD-ROM but it won't
detect it. Also tried re-plugging drive cables into board and swapping them over (HDD > CD-ROM), but still no joy.

My thinking is either a virus has sneaked in and messed with the BIOS or the mobo has a
problem with drive controller circuitry.

Do I need a new motherboard or what?

nilknarf · 07-21-2000, 09:28 AM

If you can, try another HD or CDROM in the machine, and try the HD and CDROM in another machine. This should tell what's bad. My guess, the controller in your machine is bad. Most Gateway's I've encountered have onboard controllers. In which case you will have to replace the system board.

Try switching drives and cables in the suspect machine first.

nilknarf · 07-21-2000, 09:30 AM

Just thought of something else to check.

Is the controller enabled? Or, does your BIOS not have that function?

I still think you have a bad controller.

Tim

Paul Hubrich · 07-21-2000, 10:20 AM

Given the fact that both drives crapped out at the same time, the controller seems like the most likely problem. Even if you didn't change anything in BIOS, make sure everything is set correctly. (It's possible for BIOS settings to change if your CMOS battery is getting weak after 4 years, although in most cases you will get a checksum error message)

If the on-board controller turns out to be the problem, you may be able to disable it and use a separate PCI controller card to run your drives. Or maybe its just time to upgrade your machine, if you can afford it.

Tricky Dicky · 07-24-2000, 06:13 AM

Thanks for your help.

I am fairly sure the BIOS does not support switching the controller on and off - so it looks like a new motherboard then, which I suppose is not such a bad thing (searching side of sofa for loose change).

Now if I am feeling very confident I may just pull the machine to pieces and d-i-y it, although having read some of the posts to this BBS it doesn't seem that installing motherboards is as straight forward as it should be!

Anyway thanks for the help so far, and if I do my own install I'm sure you'll hear from me again!!

TTFN xxx Tricky

RayH · 07-24-2000, 08:34 AM

The PCI slot HDD controller seems to be the most cost efficient means of salavaging your computer.

In practical terms, it may be cheaper to purchase a new system. Unless you can finger a full copy of Windows, all you have is a box with three old drives, a small monitor, and a keyboard.

ctaylor · 07-24-2000, 11:22 AM

Just out of curiocity...here is another off-base comment

Have you installed any new IDE devices? I have seen this problem occur when too much power is being drawn from the power supply.

Try unplugging devices and see if you can detect the hardware through your BIOS chip.

If this works you could try upgrading your power supply to one with a greater wattage output. Looking to http://www.pricewatch.com will generally guarantee a good proce for upgrade/replacement parts.

It might also be worth checking the battery in your system board as suggested by Paul Hubrich. Strange things happen when the battery supplying power to the CMOS chip is low which result in bizarre behaviour from the BIOS chip instruction set. Batteries are cheap too.

[This message has been edited by ctaylor (edited 07-24-2000).]

Axel · 07-24-2000, 03:03 PM

Everyone is going in deep with a sledge-hammer on this one - I'm amazed no-one suggested simply replacing the IDE cable - or at least reseating it before major surgery on the box -

Try that....

VERT · 07-24-2000, 04:21 PM

Is your PC new?
Surely it would be Gateways responsibilty to fix this for you.
I also agree with Axel, you should start at step 1

Tricky Dicky · 07-25-2000, 06:59 AM

So many questions - so few answers!

No the Gateway is not new - nearly four years old (four candles on the cake - geddit!), so I think I can safely say Gateway will not be interested in my customer number.

Until I took the case off the other day, the machine had never been opened from new - nothing new installed at all.

I will certainly try putting in a new battery, but I have checked and changed the CMOS settings several times with no joy. I just keep getting "Not installed" on the BIOS screen dealing with the IDE drives.

I may well try a new IDE cable, but the CD-ROM and HDD are on separate cables so it seems unlikely that both would fail at once. As I said to start with, I have already removed the cables and re-inserted them and also swapped the cable from the HDD and CD-ROM over with no success.

As for buying a new system! - that's the easy way out - this bundle of wires and plastic is NOT going to beat me (I may beat it, but thats my last resort, honest) - surely a new motherboard is going to cost £150 or so (guessing wildly here) - so if I can do it myself or coerce a knowledgable friend (fool) into doing it for nothing I will be quids in. No doubt there are a whole heap of unforseen problems to overcome, but isn't this half the fun of messing around with the innards of a PC! (I may well not be saying this when I've got a bag of pieces left over after installing a new system board and a nasty burning smell - actually this reminds of the time I took my Dad's lawnmower to bits - I still remember the crazed look on his face as he chased me around the garden with what was left of it - ouch!!).

Any more bright ideas?
Hugs'n'Kisses - Tricky
(Fully paid up member of Tinkering Idiots Anonymous)

Axel · 07-25-2000, 08:55 AM

TD - a broken motherboard will beat 99.999% of us..... a bundle of wires and pile of plastic WILL beat you, but only if you choose to fight....

If it's 4 years old, chances are you won't be able to find a replacement EPROM chip for it unless you find a used model in a junk shop and buy it just for the EPROM chip. << what a waste....

Next - Gateway isn't as bad a some manufacturer's about proprietary hardware - I don't recommend trying to put a new motherboard into that system. Here's why - you probably have an AT form factor - you want an ATX if you are going to go through the pain anyway. The power supply is probably a 200 or 230 watt system which means it is underpowered for anything new.

There just comes a time when it's time to move on.... - it sounds like you're close to that now.... Hope the battery works for you - that would be good, but chances are you'll be in a new system by Christmas.....

Tricky Dicky · 07-26-2000, 07:10 AM

Many thanks for the advice Axel

I presume I'd need a new EPROM as the current BIOS does not support switching off the on-board controller so I would not be able to use a PCI controller without upgrading the BIOS (please confirm that I'm not barking up the wrong tree here).

I take your point that a new PC will be a lot less hassle and will have many other benefits over the remaining peripherals, but I said I am an incurable tinkerer even though I nearly always end up in a worse position than before I start messing. Besides which my computer use is mainly limited to surfing and word processing so I don't need all the latest do-dahs.

If I can pick up a board, processor & memory (with onboard sound and graphics) for under £150 I will probably try that anyway, (even if I do ask Santa Claus for a new system in the meantime). Of course I'll try the battery first, but I don't hold out much hope.

Thanks again for the advice guys'n'gals - Tricky.

Axel · 07-27-2000, 09:39 AM

Here is another alternative -

You could buy a PROMISE controller card. It comes with it's own BIOS to recognize the drive. I'm reasonably sure you can pick one up for much less than 150 pounds....

Take a look at something like this -
http://www.promise.com/Products/idecards/emax2.htm

That might be just the ticket if the on-board controller is toast.

Best of luck to you - and I'm SO happy to find another soul out there who is happy with "good enough" in a system....