Can't enter bios setup.

[BassWriters]

I just finished putting together my first computer. After CPU problems, everything boots up, and the Smart LED system on my K7T pro2a board says all systems are go.

The problem is I can't enter the bios. I'm using a brand new hard drive and floppy drive. The pins are lined up correctly, as are the jumpers. The system detects the hard drive as the master, and the floppy as floppy drive a. After assigning the IRQ ports, the following appears:

Verifying DMI Pool Data...........
DISK BOOT FAILURE. INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER.

I put in the Maxtor disk that came with the HD and pressed enter, nothing, I get the same message. Tried restarting, still nothing.
I also tried pressing delete right after it posts the CPU message, and it goes to a black screen with a blinking cursor but that's it, it never jumps to the bios setup.

What am I doing wrong?

 

[AC]

try resetting the CMOS by discharging the jumper on the motherboard (refer to manual for specifics)

p.s.: u need to have the boot disk inserted before u get that message to avoid getting the message (reason: the bios is prob set to search the floppy, then the hdd for boot files, when u get that message, it is already searching the hdd so pressing enter will search the hdd again, i think it is a bug)

 

[lepper boy]

make double sure the floppy is plugged in right.. remember the color strip on the cable goes towards teh power......

 

[Bleep]

lepperboy:
Not always the case, this is not standard some floppys are the other way around.
Bleep

 

[Edski]

You should not need to reset your bios at all, that message means that your hard drive is not setup, you did say that it was a new drive.
EditOOPs, I missed the part about you not getting into your bios.

Go into your bios and set your boot sequence to A:, C:, CDROM or SCSI. Put your boot floppy into the floppy drive, save the changes to the bios and it should reboot. It will then reboot to the floppy disk. If the disk you are using is a startup disk, at the A: type fdisk to partition your drive. Leave the floppy in after you partitioned the drive and then reboot. At the A: type format c: to format your hard drive. If you used the disk provided by the drive manufacture, you will not need to do this, it will be done by that floppy. Then install your OS.

 

[BassWriters]

Thanks for the help all.

I did the CMOS reset, and can now get in to the bios.

Still can't read the floppy though. In the BIOS I tried telling it to see the floppy on boot up. I also have it set to boot in the following order: Floppy; HDD-0; HDD-1.

I'm positive the floppy cable is in correctly on the MOBO, not so sure on the floppy drive. I can't find my manual.

When I have Pin 1 facing me, like it is for every HD and CD, I now get this message: "Floppy Disk Fail (40)" (This refers to the boot seek setting.) I press F1 to continue and then get the same DISK BOOT FAILURE error I was in the original post.

When I have Pin 1 facing the power connecter on the floppy drive, I get a CANNOT LOAD DOS! error.

Both scenarios list the floppy drive and hard drive as being detected.

Now What?
TIA, Cameron

 

[AC]

hmm, the second orientation of the cable seems more correct

are you certain that the boot disk is valid?

 

[Elledan]

Don't you have a Win98/95/ME/NT/2000 bootfloppy? If you've one, use that one instead of the Maxtor bootdisk.

 

[BassWriters]

I do have a Win 98 boot disk, I'll try that when I get home, I also borrowed a working hard drive so I'll give that a try.

Thanks for the help,
Cameron

 

[Usul]

Or you could try to boot from the w98 cd.
The second cable orientation is definitively the right one, but was a wrong disk (either not bootable or damaged.)

 

[MassMhz]

Simple clue to wrong orientation of floppy cable.......if it is incorrect the floppy LED will stay lit.