either hardware issue or OS issue, not certain

[THESANTINI]

So, I have not invested in a UPS, which I will. Regardless, my surge protector seems to have failed me during a quick power on, power off, power on, power off storm. All this happened in < 10 seconds time.

The storm passes, I check to see waht the damage is to my computer. Bios comes cleanly. It begins loading Windows, and it runs blank / black screen. So I go to startup options for Windows, try running in "Safe Mode;" no dice. Then, "Last known good boot configuration;" no dice.

I try reinstall Windows onto this same hard drive, it freezes at 2% of Windows XP installing the installation files, after running a quick format. No dice.

Fine, I dust off the same brand HDD which was last running as part of a RAID configuration. Same deal, NFTS format, then freezes after 2% onf installation files are installed. No dice.

The Windows XP cd was used no more than four weeks ago to format my said machine and run a fresh install of XP.

What are my options? I think its possible to be my hdd (but it formats fine) or my dvd-rom drive causing these problems.

 

[ScrapSilicon]

fried motherboard/ram comes to mind..

dl and use a Knoppix CD(complete OS on a bootable disc ) ... gl

 

[THESANTINI]

also, if the computer is recognising the Processor & RAM, I'm guessing the mobo isn't fried?

 

[FlyingPenguin]

SO many possibilities. Obviously the damage was surge related, but the question is what component? Could be the mobo (for instand the IDE controller might have taken a hit) or could be some other component that just makes the mobo unstable overall.

I doubt it's the CPU. A CPU is actually hard to kill, and when it does fail it usually just dies.

RAM is a possibility.

Here's my recommendation:

- Disconnect ALL cables from the mobo except the primary HDD ribbon, the power switch, and the PSU. Disconnect all drives except the boot HDD. Pull all cards except the video card (any of these may have taken a hit, and must be tested later - one at a time - after you have a known stable system).

- Remove and then reconnect the video card, the ram sticks and the primary IDE ribbon cable. Corrosion can build up on the contacts and - bizarre as it sounds - a surge can make a poor contact arc, making an even porrer connection. Reseating everything cleans the contacts. While you have the video card and memory pulled, look at the gold contacts and make sure they're clean (no soot or smudges). If there's any crud on them, rub it off with LIGHT pressure using a NEW pencil eraser. Also wouldn't hurt to spray contact cleaner or WD40 in the slot.

- Check your power supply's 5 volt and 12 volt rails (the others really don't matter). Do not rely on the mobo's onboard voltage monitor. The IDEAL way to do this is to invest in a $20 DIGITAL multimeter at Radio Shack and test the voltage at one of the spare HDD power connectors (red & black is 5 volts, yellow and black is 12 volts). Voltages MUST be within 5% of rated. Anything outside that is asking for problems. Leave the meter on there for a while - PSUs can flutuate over time.

- Flash the mobo firmware to the latest version. Even if you already have the latest version installed, re-flash it anyway. The firmware could have been corrupted by the surge.

- After installing the firmware, reset the CMOS (yeah, a firmware install USUALLY does this anyway, but play safe).

- Run MEMTEST86+ all night to see if the memory is stable.

- Download the HDD manufacturer's diagnostic and run the full (advanced) test. This will take a few hours. Keep in mind that if the diagnostic fails the drive it might still be a HDD controller problem and not the drive so at that point I'd run the diagnostic on the same drive installed as a spare on another computer.

- Look at your capacitors very carefully. See if any are bloated or leaking. Some example photos here:
http://cquirke.mvps.org/badcaps.htm
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=195

Don't blame your surge protector. Lightning is impossible to stop when it wants to go somewhere. A surge protector HELPS but even the most expensive one is NO GUARANTEE. A GOOD quality UPS (one that conditions the line voltage actively even when not on battery) is even better, but again there are no guarantees.

I'm an IT tech. I've seen new electronic equipment sitting in a box on a shipping pallet, not connected to anything, take lightning damage from an induced magnetic field.

Hope this helps...

 

[THESANTINI]

thanks for the post, its great. sounds like its going to be an exciting weekend, my hope is its a contact and can be fixed with a little bit of oxygen and a little wd-40.

 

[tami]

the motherboard can still be fried... don't rule it out.

i'll tell you an interesting story. once upon a time, in december of 2004, my computer spontaneously combusted. i'm not sure why, but the computer literally burst into flames (i noticed it because my case has a window and i heard the crackling of the flames). the computer was still functional after that, but of course, i didn't use it and immediately swapped mobos. that's just to say that the mobo can be functional, but it's not advisable to keep working on it.

try all the suggestions above, and if they don't work, assume that it's time to invest in a new mobo.